Mah Jongg Tile Set Description


Tile Set Name:  TARTAN.TIL
Subject:        Scottish Clan Tartans
Created by:     Barbara Beckham, Ph.D.
                3377 Mavis
                Corpus Christi, TX 78411


Tartan ÿrefers to a plaid fabric, ÿparticularly one with a ÿpattern
distinctive ÿto ÿa ÿparticular ÿclan ÿof ÿthe ÿScottish ÿHighlands.
Although the design of a tartan cloth appears complicated, it is in
fact very simple. ÿIt consists of a sequence of colored stripes ÿof
various widths, ÿstarting at the edge of the cloth and running ÿits
full ÿlength. ÿÿNext to this the same sequence is repeated ÿbut ÿin
reverse ÿorder, ÿas though the sequence had been hinged over ÿalong
its ÿedge. ÿAnd so the sequence continues repeating and ÿreversing.
Exactly ÿthe same sequence of stripes is repeated across the ÿwidth
of ÿthe cloth. ÿThe two repeating and reversing series of ÿstripes,
woven together, make up the tartan.

The simple sequence of colored stripes and their proportions (sett)
is ÿthe ÿbasic element in a tartan. ÿOwing the the unique ÿabstract
basis of the sett, ÿthe size of the colored stripes does not matter
at all. ÿA small version of a "sett" for a silk necktie and a large
version ÿfor ÿa blanket both show the same tartan. ÿAny ÿsystem ÿof
measurement can be applied to these "setts" and still give the same
tartan, for example, "four" in a sett can be "four" ÿfeet or "four"
threads, ÿÿand ÿprovided ÿthe same units of ÿmeasurement ÿare ÿused
throughout, the result will still be the same tartan.

The ÿcolors of tartans have always varied widely, ÿdepending on the
dyes ÿused, ÿÿfrom the soft colors of ancient organic dyes ÿto ÿthe
brilliance of the 19th-century aniline dyes.

Scottish ÿclan ÿtartans ÿas defined and worn today ÿhave ÿdeveloped
extensively within the past two centuries. During this period their
principal ÿfunction ÿhas ÿbeen ÿto identify their ÿwearers ÿwith ÿa
particular name. However, ÿthe name of the wearer may not always be
the ÿsame ÿas the tartan worn. ÿToday the list of clan ÿand ÿfamily
tartans ÿnumbers ÿover ÿa thousand. ÿSeveral clans have ÿa ÿ"dress"
tartan ÿto be worn on formal occasions, ÿand there are also ÿ"hunt-
ing" tartan, usually of quieter shades.

This tile set is based on 35 ÿtartans from "The Official Tartan Map
(of Tartans Approved by the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs ÿor
the Lord Lyon King of Arms)," ÿJohn Telfer Dunbar, ÿFSA (Scot) ÿand
Don ÿPottinger, ÿM.A. ÿ(Hons). ÿD.A., ÿPublisher: ÿElm Tree Books -
Hamish Hamilton LTD., 90, Great Russell St., London WC18 3PT.

The ÿclan associated with each of the tartans in this tile ÿset ÿis
listed below. ÿIn many cases it was not possible to use the ÿentire
"sett" for a tile. In such cases, the center portion of the sett is
shown.

 1. Arbuthnott
 2. Barclay (Dress)
 3. Borthwick
 4. Brodie (Red)
 5. Bruce
 6. Clan Chattan
 7. Douglas (Green)
 8. Fraser
 9. Gow
10. Hamilton
11. Henderson
12. Kincaid
13. Leslie (Dress)
14. Livingston
15. MacAulay
16. MacBeth
17. MacCallum
18. MacIain
19. MacLaine of Lochbuie
20. MacLeod of Lewis
21. MacMillan
22. MacQueen
23. MacTavish
24. Menzies (Dress)
25. Moncreiffe
26. Montgomerie
27. Napier
28. Ogilvy
29. Ramsay
30. Robertson
31. Ruthven
32. Scott
33. Scrymgeour
34. Sinclair
35. Stewart (Dress)
36. Stewart (Dress)
37. Stewart (Dress)
38. Stewart (Dress)
39. Stewart (Royal)
40. Stewart (Royal)
41. Stewart (Royal)
42. Stewart (Royal)