Welcome to the Online Clann Tartan Newsletter for June 2005

Still looking for thoughts on Why We Do What We Do

Drill

Wednesday, May 11th, 2005

Dear Clann Tartan Newsletter and Readers,

Upon attending the May 7th Board, Staff, and Members meeting at the
Corcoran Coummunity Center, I was elated to find Clann Tartan as
open-mined, gracious, and fine-spirited as any new member could wish!
I felt welcome to be myself--that is, free to express my ignorance as
well as my knowledge of Scottish clan matters, and so I submit a
summary of the ideas I spoke of then regarding the salient theme of
the era we reenact in camp and in our contemporary lives.

During the Hundred Years War, enough soldiers found under warring
monarchs to the point of their remaining free-standing "free lance"
mercenaries by the time of the Thirty Years War.  With Henry VIII of
England, the issue of the supremacy of sovereignty over church authority
escalated definition of power.  In the reign of James I of Great
Britain, Scottish sovereignty was subsumed, and when his son Charles I
took the throne, the balance of power between the people, as
represented by Parliament, and the "Divine Right" of the king led to
the English Civil War and to the ongoing development of
republican/democratic self-rule.

When I was a boy, I asked my father what is meant to be a MacKenzie.
The initial pregnancy of his silence at that moment has resonated ever
since.  He showed me on a map of Scotland how the MacKenzies spread
prominently across the Highland territory of Ross and Cromarty from
Kintail on the west to the Black Isle on the east.  He gave me books
that accounted the story of the clan's Norman Irish claimants, nobles,
and chiefs, its war cry, mottos, tartans and marches.  He showed me by
his own appearance and hereditary history how individual it made him
feel to belong to a particular clan, but I don't think he could have
fully answered my question.  In 1994 the _Collins Encyclopedia of
Scotland_ was published, edited by John Keay and Julia Keay, and I
checked it out from the library.  The entry for the MacKenzie Clan
revealed the oldest mythological origins of M'hic Coinneach, the
children of the "Bright One", Cerunnos, the Celtic God of Nature.
"Kenneth" wasn't a founder's name, but the English name that sounded
closest to Coinneach, hence MacKenzie.  Its Pictish beginning
connected to the European Celts before the Roman conquests.  This new
awareness of clan faith linked to a shared pagan spirituality and a
pre-feudal, pre-hierarchical tribalism where the equality of a clan's
children defined its identity gave me the real answer I sould, the
long route back to individual sovereignty.

Like the tensions between crown and church, lord and vassal,
congressperson and constituent, the relationship between clan chief,
tanist, captain, cadet, and clan member continues to beg fundamental
questions about tribal authority, equality, and identity pertaining to
clan life everywhere.  In the present era of a renaissance in global
mercenarism and the struggles between a one government "new world
order" and the decentralized national devolutions, including
Scotland's, following the collapse of empires and superpowers, I was
delighted to find belonging in membership with a self-made clann of
smart, curious, and knowledgeable individualists with whom I could
explore such issues.  I hope the newsletter will print this reply to
my previous letter that it was kind enough to publish in the May issue
of the Clann Tartan Newsletter.

Thanks for the clann,
Michael McKenzie
Apollo M'hicCoinneach

Board Minutes

Minutes of Clann Tartan Board and Meeting
April 4, 2005

In attendance:  (Board) Mary McKinley,  Diana Steben, 
Bruce Yoder, Glenn McDavid, Herb Lindorff

(Staff) Rob Johnson, Maeve Kane, Julie Yoder, Marty Byers

(Members) David Vavreck

The minutes from the March Board  meeting were approved.
 
OLD BUSINESS
============

NEW MEMBERS LETTER
Mary has lost her copy of the letter.  Mia and Glenn will get her another
copy.

MAEVE'S PAPER DOLLS
Limited sales (up to 24 days) can be made without paying Minnesota State
Sales.  This should be plenty for us.  However, we will have to track
all of these sales.

Maeve will draw up a new contract for this.

CONTACTS
It would be good to have an "official" e-mail for Maeve, e.g.
maeve@clanntartan.org.  Rob Portinga would have to arrange this.

INSURANCE/VICE PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Bruce Yoder rechecked our current policy and discovered we do have
fire coverage.  

COMPANY REP
This Board position is still open.  We are still looking for someone to
fill it.

VOTING BY-LAW CHANGES
The age clause will be removed.  We will need to examine the By-Laws to
find all implications of removing the distinction between Active and
Supporting Members.

The "recognition" by a Staff or Board Member may be in writing.

Tabled until June meeting.

TREASURER -- Absent.  No report.  However, Marty said that he and Judy
will be donating their expenses for hauling the trailer.  

SECRETARY -- Mia and Glenn are taking responsibility for the hard copy
edition of the Newsletter.  The Online Newsletter will be posted on the
Clann Web site.

QUARTERMASTER -- The trailer is waiting to be repaired.
                 Garage work days are scheduled for 4/9 and 4/16.
                 Maeve has passed her 4th level muster.

CAMP REP -- There was some discussion about alternative sites for camp
drill and dance.

DANCE GUILD  -- 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at St. Christopher's Episcopal
Church.  The Dance Guild will pay the Church $15/month.  

SWORD GUILD -- Planning to use Corcoran, but need to schedule around
youth groups that meet there.

HISTORIC SITE -- No new information.

DRUM -- Still need to convert wav files to mp3.

CAMP -- A lot was done at Camp Drill.

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE -- Maeve will grant Clann copyright as needed
for her work.  She and Rob Johnson will work on revising the Manual.

UPCOMING EVENTS
===============

TARTAN DAY - Meet at 11:30.  Eric will bring the muskets.

CHARLES CITY -- May 13-15.  This is definite.

WISCONSIN REN FAIRE -- June weekends -- iffy.

OLD WORLD REN FAIRE (TWIG) -- June 11-12 -- Definite

Minnesota Scottish Faire & Highland Games -- July 9 -- Definite.

Dun Gowan Tactical -- July 14-17

Deer River -- 7/31-8/7 -- No respones.

Shooters' Roundup -- 8/27-8/28 -- Waiting for more information.

MN Ren Faire -- 8/27-8/28?  Highland Fling Weekend?

Wisconsin Highland Games -- 9/2-9/4 -- Pending

Big Island -- Demos in 1/2 hour "pods".

Big Muddy -- No information yet.
Mankato -- No information yet.

Stralsund -- November -- Looking at travel by Amtrak rather than van.
More people are expected than in 2003, possibly including some German
reenactors.  We need to settle plans, get the train deposit, and set a
cut-off date for signing up.

NEW BUSINESS -- None.

OTHER -- Perry Vining will be retiring from Big Island after this year.
Scott Reinhold will take over.

Meeting Adjourned at 8:53 PM.

Board & Staff

If you need to contact someone associated with Clann Tartan, here is where you find out how. If you are unsure who to contact, you can always email us at: info@clanntartan.org

Board Members

Staff

Guilds

Calendar of Events

JUNE 2005

JULY 2005

Map to Inver Grove Heights location- Dance	Map to St. Paul location St. Christopher's- Dance
Map to Board Meetings Bruce and Julie Yoder's Home	Map to Board/Quarterly/Annual Meetings Corcoran Park, Minneapolis

Olde World Renaissance Faire is a small renaissance festival in their second outdoor year. They are committed to education, history, small artisans and a family experience. We will be the first thing their public sees when they come in the gate and we will be their biggest attraction this year. The site is several acres of natural woods that has been cleared for camping and we will have room for drill grounds and dance space. http://www.owrenaissancefaire.com/

~ From Duluth: From Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 53. Take U.S. Highway 53 North to County Highway 7 (also known as Industrial Road). Turn left on County Highway 7 and continue on to McGregor Road. At McGregor Road turn right and proceed to the Olde World Renaissance Faire entrance on your right. Distance is approximately 19 miles.

~ From Grand Rapids: From U.S. Highway 169 and U.S. Highway 2. Take U.S. Highway 2 South to State Highway 33. Turn left on State Highway 33 and continue on to County Highway 7 (also known as Industrial Road). Turn right on County Highway 7 and continue on to McGregor Road. At McGregor Road turn left and proceed to the Olde World Renaissance Faire entrance on your right. Distance is approximately 69 miles.

~ From Virginia: From U.S. Highway 169 and U.S. Highway 53. Take U.S. Highway 53 South to County Highway 7 (also known as Industrial Road). Turn right on County Highway 7 and continue on to McGregor Road. At McGregor Road turn right and proceed to the Olde World Renaissance Faire entrance on your right. Distance is approximately 50 miles.

~ From Minneapolis/Saint Paul Area: From Interstate 694 and Interstate 35. Take Interstate 35 North to the State Highway 33 exit going to Cloquet. Follow State Highway 33 thru Cloquet and continue on to County Highway 7. Turn right on County Highway 7 (also known as Industrial Road) and continue on to McGregor Road. At McGregor Road turn left and proceed to the Olde World Renaissance Faire entrance on your right. Distance is approximately 145 miles.

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Minnesota Scottish Fair and Highland Games - Dakota County fairgrounds, Farmington, MN, July 9th 2005

Mark your calendars! Saturday, July 9, Clann will be participating in the second annual Minnesota Scottish Fair and Highland Games. Here's the website: http://mnscottishfair.org.
We can camp Friday and Saturday nights, although the fair is at the Dakota County fairgrounds in Farmington, only about a half-hour drive from the center of the cities, so it's also very easy to day-trip. There are flush toilets and showers on the grounds and lots of free parking. This was a really great event last year, and this year promises to be even better!
R.s.v.p. as soon as possible to julieyoder@juno.com or call 651-698-8375. Remember, if you don't R.s.v.p., you don't eat!
If you would like to reserve a tent, email the quartermaster at deeptinker@yahoo.com.
If you would like more information about any event, call Julie at 651-698-8375 and I'll try to get you answers.

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