Mad About Plaid: Not Just For Scots. The Story of Plaid Beyond Scotland. By Pat Beaven   Tartan or plaid, the checkered cloth recognized universally as one of Scotland's most visible symbols,j has an interesting tale to tell. What many people don't realize is that the story of plaid is not Scotland's alone: indeed it has an international pedigree. First, a definition, then a little history. Tartan, also called plaid, is the term used to identify a textile pattern in which stripes of various colors cross at right angles. Stripes were likely one of the first abstract design elements people incorporated into art, body decoration, and markings on clothing. Perhaps the vertical lines of falling rain and the linear horizon (sea meeting sky, sky meeting land) served as primitive inspirations for stripes. And when fabric arts began, and people discovered how they could make cloth by weaving, the simple basics of the loom set the stage for the appearance of checks. Warp threads run the length of the loom and weft threads go crosswise to form the woven "web". Using the same color for warp and weft yields a solid colored cloth; as soon as a second color is introduced, with both colors being used in the warp and weft, a checked pattern results. Adding more colors, and changing the frequency with which they're repeated naturally produces a more complex plaid. This type of pattern arose in different places and cultures at various times. ______________________ Archeologists recovered one of the earliest tartan samples, a simple two-color check designated the Falkirk tartan, near the Antonine Wall which marked the most northerly boundary of the Roman Empire in Caledonia (modern day Scotland). ______________________ The Celts were a group of western European peoples with their own language and culture, who at one point occupied large portions of the continent, eventually coming to settle mostly in pre-Roman Britain and Gaul – Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, Brittany, and the Isle of Man. Since antiquity these people wore checked fabrics of many colors. Archeologists recovered one of the earliest tartan samples, a simple two-color check designated the Falkirk tartan, near the Antonine Wall which marked the most northerly boundary of the Roman Empire in Caledonia (modern day Scotland). And ancient remnants of checkered cloth have been found in Austria's Salzberg mines, known to have been worked by the Celts. But these people didn't have a monopoly on the pattern. There is evidence that the Scythians, an early Indo-European people living between China and the Danube, also wore checks, here made of dyed felt rather than woven material. And the Thorsberg Mantle, a blue and white checked garment belonging to a Teutonic-Nordic people was discovered in the Baltic region. Checkered cloth has even been unearthed at various sites in South America. Several cultures carried this design element through to modern times. In Lithuania, national dress from the 17th to the end of the 19th century was mostly hand-woven, handmade clothing. The first fabric used was linen, spun from locally-grown flax. Later, hand-spun and commercially produced yarn of wool and cotton was used for weaving; garments became rougher and more simply woven than the earlier linen clothing. Stripes and plaids were the most common patterns. For celebrations and special occasions, women wore long, full skirts made of either linen or wool. The wool skirts, however, were more prized: they were gathered at the waist, and usually of four-colored plaid or tartan. Plaids were more muted when plant products were used for coloring wool; later aniline dyes produced a brighter yarn, with reds, green, and yellows being popular. India, long known for its textile production – a spinning wheel emblem holds place of pride in the center of the country's flag – is home to more plaids. First there was gingham, whose origin goes back before recorded history. Bengal seems to have been the birthplace of gingham, which then referred to a fabric with any combination of stripes or plaids – often using threads of varying weights and types, i.e. cotton and silk may have been used together. The term "gingham" comes from the ancient Malaysian word "ging-gang", meaning "variegated". Later came madras cloth, named after Madras, a major city in south India where it originated more than four centuries ago. Madras is a colorful cotton fabric whose most famous pattern is plaid. The original hand-loomed cloth was characterized by a fading or "bleeding" that occurred after several washings as a result of the yarn having been colored with vegetable dyes that were not stable or "fast": What might have been a liability was turned into a desired trait, and madras plaids, especially in the time of European control in India, found their way around the world from Africa to Indonesia, Jamaica to America. The tale of madras plaids provides us with a fascinating example of how patterns have been exchanged and expanded through trade. ______________________ The term "gingham" comes from the ancient Malaysian word "ging-gang", meaning "variegated". ______________________ India's plaid cloth was first introduced into Africa through trade by the Portugese; Dutch merchants followed suit, then the French, and finally the British. The new cloth, called "injiri" (the local pronunciation of "India") by Africa's Kalabari , was accorded a special place in the life of this Nigerian tribe. They gave the injiri significance as a symbol of a person's journey through life, and it became part of various important ceremonies. One example is a birth custom in which the father presents the mother with a piece of injiri for carrying their new-born child. The distinctive cloth called pelete bite or "cut-and-pulled-thread cloth" uses madras plaid as its base. Nigerian women cut selected threads and areas in the threads with a razor blade or small knife, then remove them in order to make a new pattern. This material is used for wear and rituals surrounding motherhood and family and cultural identity. From Africa, madras plaid journeyed to the West Indies, where women took to wrapping and knotting a square of the patterned cloth over their hair; this headdress is in fact referred to as "a madras". Scotland's tartan was probably first worn by northern tribes of Picts, who wrapped themselves in a large cloak-like garment which worked as a coat, a sleeping blanket, and, with its multiple tucks and folds, a pocketed carry-all. This was, of course, the forerunner to today's kilt. First tartans would have been simple checks tinted by vegetable dyes. The idea that early tartans were set to identify each clan or family has now more or less been proven to have little basis in historical fact. Family tartans probably never existed as such. Instead, it is thought that the different patterns and colors of the tartans had their origins in geography, that is, dependent upon local vegetation available for dye-making, as well as the ideas and artistic tastes of those who did the weaving. While the concept of regional rather than clan tartans may not be as romantic a notion, it is likely closer to the truth. An interesting note: when Rome subdued the Celtic tribes in Gaul, two things about the tribes' clothing appealed to the Roman armies there: the reds, greens, blues, and yellows of the plaids, and the thick durability of the Gallic wools. Soon both these elements were incorporated into Roman soldiers' uniforms. Time and again throughout history, the English tried to bring those living north of them - in what is now Scotland, under their rule. Many bloody battles were waged, and finally after the Jacobite uprising of 1745, the Scots were defeated at the Battle of Culloden. The victorious English outlawed all Highland national symbols. This included their beloved bagpipes (which the English called "instruments of war"), the kilt, and of course, the wearing of tartan. It wasn't until 1782 that the ban was lifted. Having been illegal for so many years, kilts and tartans were now worn with renewed pride and exuberance. In the early part of the 19th century, some enterprising woollen mills started to realize the commercial potential of tartan. Extensive pattern books of tartan designs began to appear, with tartans being marketed to clans, military regiments, businesses, and even individuals. During this period, documents record that different brightly-colored tartans were sold to tea plantation owners who used them as instantly identifiable uniforms for their slave workers abroad. Natives of new colonies under British control would also have been exposed to tartan-and-kilt-clad military personnel, like the Seaforth Highlanders in India of the early 1600's: a stirring image that imprints readily. In these ways, the British initiative for imperial expansion and colonial domination may have played a part in bringing tartans to destinations like Hong Kong, India, South Africa, Australia, the West Indies, and Bermuda, among others. Years after these negative associations were only memories, the appeal of the vibrant patterns and plaids persisted, exerting a cultural influence and sometimes working their way into fabric and fashion in various places. This is by no means an exhaustive or definitive exploration, just a peek into the international heritage and appeal of tartan's checkered cloth, often assumed to be the exclusive domain of the Scots. Now you know a little more of the story – being "mad about plaid" is truly a cross-cultural experience. Pat Beaven is an actor, educator, and freelance journalist who revels in the spirit of cultural diversity where she makes her home in Toronto, Canada. Her work has appeared in newspapers and magazines across North America; she has a special interest in culture-specific movement disciplines, and is a staff writer for several dance publications. This website: Copyright © 2003 Dream World Media, LLC./ Urban Mozaik Magazine. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed in Urban Mozaik Magazine are not necessarily those of Urban Mozaik Magazine and the publisher cannot be held responsible for them. This website/publication, in whole or in part, may not be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.