Posted by Maris on 20th Dec 2023
How and Why You Should Join a Scottish Clan
Enrolling in a Scottish clan club or association is a great opportunity to learn more about your background and stay in touch with your Scottish relatives around the globe. In Scotland, everyone with the same last name as the chief is automatically accepted as a clan member. Hence, there is officially no need to do anything to join one. Additionally, until the chief decides he will not accept the person's allegiance, everyone who pledges loyalty to him is acknowledged as a clan member. But there are advantages to joining a clan group or association that go beyond just making that connection.
Although clans have been a part of Scottish culture since the late Middle Ages, American clan institutions and associations are relatively new. While some developed in the early 1900s or in the mid to late 1800s, the majority began in the 1950s. Clan societies gained popularity after World War II when people had more time and money to learn about Scottish heritage and tourism.
There is no official registry of clans, as I detailed in "Were My Ancestors Part of a Scottish Clan," but the Council of Scottish Clan and Associations offers a list of all the organizations it has contacted, which includes close to 160 clan societies or family associations. Over 250 clan groups or family alliances are thought to exist in the US, based on some unreported numbers.
Ways to connect with your clan
There are various methods to contact your clan's official society once you've found out. The most enjoyable method is most likely to attend a Highland Games or a local or regional Scottish or Celtic event. While not every clan society or association attends every event, the majority make an effort to send delegates to the major Highland games held in the US. The event program will usually name the participating clans, but other clans at the festival might be able to direct you to your clan tent. When you arrive, seek for the clan tents and then locate your clan.
You might be able to locate your clan online if they don't attend events in your area. The majority of clans have Facebook pages or groups in addition to websites. The best source to find out about membership and to obtain or fill out an online membership form is the clan website. Recognize that different clans may handle membership in different ways depending on where they are in the world. For instance, Clan Gunn maintains websites for both the Clan Gunn Society of North America and the Clan Gunn Society of the United Kingdom. While they are linked, you should join the North American branch.
Do I need to prove my ancestry to join?
In the past, membership in certain clans needed genealogical proof. However, it has changed, mainly because in contemporary society, clans would not survive without a membership base. Surnames are still required on most clan membership forms. Some groups distinguish between affiliate/associate membership for individuals wishing to join without a surname link and full membership (voting privileges) for those with a clan or sept surname. Additionally, some clans accept anyone who wants to join and don't inquire about surnames.
How does membership work?
The majority of clans provide lifetime ($300-$500), three- to five-year ($75-$100), or annual membership ($25–$40). The perks of your membership will differ depending on the clan, as will these costs. Clan Donnachaidh (Gaelic for Robertson) Society membership costs $25 per year and entitles you to an annual report from the clan, the clan society newsletter (via email or snail mail), support for the clan museum in Perthshire, Scotland, access to the clan DNA project, voting rights at the annual general meeting of the clan in Scotland, and connections with other clan members around the world.
Aside from helping to preserve historic assets connected to the clan, official membership in a Scottish clan organization may also entitle you to special events hosted by your clan or other clan groups, such as St. Andrew's Day or Burn's Night Suppers. For instance, one of the few historic clan seats that is still in the chief's possession and accessible to the public is Duart Castle on the Isle of Mull, for which Clan MacLean is raising money for restoration.
Remember that the majority of clan societies are volunteer-run nonprofit organizations, so don't be shocked if you try to get in touch with them and find that their website is outdated or their response time is long (I know this because I volunteer as the webmaster for Clan Anderson Society right now!). In addition to their clan chief, if they have one, they usually have officers at the national level. In addition, a lot of them have state or local commissioners who assist in finding and setting up "conveners," or volunteer tent hosts, for the various Scottish and Celtic festivals that take place all over the world.
What I’ve learned about joining a clan
You can't select your clan, just like you can't choose your family, isn't that right? You tend to have an easy time choosing a clan if your surname is Buchanan, Cameron, Campbell, or Wallace. But what if you meet people from the clan linked to your surname at a local Scottish event and they don't seem to be very hospitable or friendly? It does occur. Upon attending festivals around the United States, I've seen that there are significant differences in the level of hospitality across different clans. If your only interests are the membership certificate and the sporadic clan newsletter, you generally won't consider the caliber of the membership while deciding which clan society to join. However, those locals make a difference if you want to become active, go to Highland games, offer to host the clan tent, and truly connect with your clan kinfolk abroad.
I've heard clan members talk about how happy they've been to locate and bond with their clan family at clan circles or gatherings, which are frequently conducted by clans after the regular business hours of the festivals. Those who sought new acquaintances after moving across the nation claimed to have been able to locate them in their Scottish kin. Having the chance to interact in person with people who have a passion for their Scottish history is something to think about in our increasingly digital environment.
It's best to join a clan based on its members rather than its last name. My spouse is an Anderson Society Clan member. He discovered family ties to the Anderson and Ross clans after discovering his Scottish heritage, which is not unexpected given that Anderson is also a sept of Ross. Luckily for us, both clans had a presence at one of the first Highland games we went to in the area. Though we enjoyed both, we chose to join Clan Anderson since they required assistance setting up the clan tent for upcoming Colorado events. Since then, we've discovered that the national Clan Anderson Society is a little chaotic. This could be because the clan is mainly American in origin, having formed during the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in the 1970s and lacking a clan chief since the 1500s.
The most significant thing for my spouse and I is that by joining a clan and participating in events like hosting a clan tent, going to special events, and, of course, enjoying a wee dram, we have made Scottish-American relatives and friends! Don't settle for a membership certificate or claim your clan just because you share a surname—join a Scottish clan society and become engaged instead!