Representing the Clan MacRae!

October 2025

"From One To Many"

This weekend was the Oklahoma Highland Gathering in Choctaw, Oklahoma. At this event, there were over 20 Scottish Clans as well as Viking Re-enactors, children’s games, men and women’s athletic competitions, birds of prey demonstration, sheep sheering competition, and lots of vendors. In addition, there were bagpipe players and drummers. If you were hungry, there were food trucks. If you wanted to buy all kinds of stuff including medieval stuff, you could find that too.

I really enjoy being an Oklahoma Commissioner for the MacRae’s . To be a Commissioner, I had to be approved by a board of the Clan MacRae Society of North America. So, each year, along with lots of help, a MacRae Clan tent is set up along with the other awesome clan tents. This year was especially neat since Clan MacKenzie was there. Over the years at the festival that I have been participating in, I have not seen this clan signing up.

"I Shine, Not Burn"

To give you some history of the Clan MacRae, we were bodyguards for the MacKenzies protecting their chief in time of war, honor guards, and other duties for the MacKenzies. We have been known as “fiercely loyal, devoutly religious, poetic” (www.macrae.org).} Mc- means son of and Rae means grace and prosperity” (www.macrae.org). To learn more about the MacKenzie’s, you can go to (https://clanmackenzie.com)

Clan MacRae was made Constables by Clan MacKenzie for the Eilean Donan Castle in Dornie, Scotland. Eilean Donan Castle was built around 1230 but was destroyed in 1719 during the Jacobite Rebellion. It was not until the 1900’s that a Lt. Col John MacRae-Gilstrap purchased the castle and remodeled it. The castle was dormant for 200 years. (www.macrae.org)

On Friday night, our clan participated in the fire lighting service. The clans were called around a circle in the middle of the athletic field. In the center of the field was a torch holder. Each clan had one person who would bring the lighted torch to the center of the field as the announcer gave the clan history.

On Saturday during the day, the opening ceremony was exciting since all the clans lined up to go onto the athletic field in a circle. An Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (AFJROTC) unit from a high school marched unto the field with the American and Oklahoma flag. The National Anthem was sung by a lady who did an outstanding job singing. Next, each clan was announced and the history given as the clan marched onto the field with their clan banner. The Clan MacRae got permission to march in with the Clan MacKenzie due to our Scottish history and connection to Eilean Donan Castle and the Clan MacKenzie. Clan MacRae was not in ABC order since there was another clan behind us in line which would have been before us.

Then, the bagpipe players and drummers marched onto the field. I love the sound of bagpipes. There is just something about the amazing sound. Next, the women athletic competitors were marched unto the field escorted in front of them by a bagpipe player. Many countries were represented.

The announcer called upon a judge of the competition to speak about the contest and to have the judge put on a demonstration of hitting a shield with a sword. The announcer then called to the judge saying, “to the north, to the south, to the west, and to the east.” The judge then hit the sword on each area of the shield to represent a tradition that was started a long time ago in Scotland. You may have seen this in the movie Braveheart in 1995.

At the Clan MacRae tent, we had a few returning Macrae’s from last year and maybe two or more visitors to ask questions about all the different names or Septs under the Clan MacRae name. I gave out a couple of applications too. It was really need when the clan next to me in the tents gave me a magazine called, Scotland which I really enjoyed reading some articles while I had some down time. I had great conversations too with several of the adjoining clans, Clan Douglas and Clan MacDougall. It was so much fun being a part of a very hot , exhausting, and fun day of activities for the Oklahoma Highland Gathering put on by the United Scottish Clans of Oklahoma (USCO) ( https://unitedscotsok.com/ ) .

I am looking forward to next year while reading a book called, The History of the Clan MacRae with Genealogies Large Print by Alexander MacRae. Apparently, the book is out of print now as listed on Amazon. However, there are other books with the MacRaes on Amazon.

My book states that only fifty copies were made and mine is number three. It is a reproduction of an original work in 1910 that is in the public domain in the U.S. The book refers to lots of references, illustrations, and other MacRae history and content.