Mississippi's official state tartan as depicted by the Scottish Register of Tartans
- Tartan is the pattern of interlocking stripes of varying width and color producing a repeating pattern, most commonly used in Scottish Highland dress such as kilts.
Mississippi will have an official state tartan as of July 1.
“What is tartan?” you may ask.
Tartan is the pattern of interlocking stripes of varying width and color producing a repeating pattern, often referred to as “plaid” in the United States. The design is typically used to represent certain Scottish clans and families, and is most commonly used in Highland dress, such as in a Scottish Kilt.
According to the Scottish Tartans Museum and Heritage Center, tartan has an ancient history.
“The earliest known tartan in Scotland can be dated to the third or fourth century AD. In other parts of the world, tartan cloth has been found dating to approximately 3000 BC. Virtually everywhere there was woven cloth, people created tartan designs. Yet only in Scotland have they been given such cultural significance,” the museum website reads. “Originally, tartan designs had no names, and no symbolic meaning. All tartan cloth was hand woven, and usually supplied locally. While it may have been true that certain colors or pattern motifs were more common in some areas than others, no regulated or defined ‘clan tartan’ system ever existed. Tartan, in general, however came to be extremely popular in Scottish Highland culture. So much so that by the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, tartan clothing is seen to be characteristic of Highland dress.”
What makes a tartan “official” or “authentic” is not age or antiquity, the museum notes, but whether it has the approval of the governing body of what that tartan represents.
Legislation designating the official tartan for the state of Mississippi was authored this session by State Senator Kevin Blackwell (R) and received unanimous support in the Senate. Only seven members of the House of Representatives opposed the measure.
The legislation specifically outlined the color scheme and thread count nomenclature for the new state tartan (shown above) that is now to be known as the “Mississippi Tartan,” noting that it “may be freely used by any and all organizations, societies and individuals affiliated with the state of Mississippi.”
A reference to the Scottish Register of Tartans from the United Kingdom was included in the bill which notes that the design was created by Karen Green in 2005.
The register describes the color scheme as, “Dark green for the never-ending forests of Pine and evergreen leaves of the Magnolia. Light green for the lustrous leaves of the Great Southern Oaks. Dark blue for the waters of the world-famous Mississippi River and the many lakes within the State. Red for the color of our State Flag and for the bloodshed in our historic past. White for the beautiful sands of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the cotton fields of home. Yellow for the heart of the Magnolia, our beautiful State Flower.”
Governor Tate Reeves (R) signed the bill into law in mid-March, making the designation of the Mississippi tartan official.
Frank Corder
