The Similarities Between The (South African) Bapedi Kilt Attire, The Scottish Kilt Attire, And Freemasonry Ceremonial Attire

Khaya Montjane, March 24, 2018

African Dancers from Sekhukhune. Video by Khaya Montjane

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series about how some [South African] Bapedi males wear kilts while they perform certain traditional Bapedi dances.

This post showcases several YouTube videos of Bapedi male traditional dancers wearing kilts, Scottish men wearing kilts, and freemasons wearing their ceremonial aprons and white gloves. These videos are presented in support of my speculations that the Bapedi custom of men wearing aprons over their kilts and wearing one or more white gloves may have been lifted not only from Scottish kilt traditions but also from Scottish (or other) freemasonry traditions.  

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-south-african-bapedi-mens-custom-of.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I presents information about Pedi people of South Africa. A video of Pedi male traditional dancers wearing kilts is embedded in this post along with articles about that attire.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/11/kiba.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post showcases several YouTube videos of South African Pedi male traditional dancers wearing kilts.

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes. All copyrights remain with their owners. Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to the producers & publishers of these videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post. **** DISCLOSURE: I'm African American and know nothing about Pedi culture besides what I've read and watched online. This post doesn't mean to iuggest that all Pedi traditional male dancers wear kilts. I've come across a number of videos in which Pedi men perform traditional dances while wearing western shirts and pants with or without "traditional African" attire. Additions and corrections are welcome. **** PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES I happened upon a video yesterday (Nov. 10, 2021) of Bapedi men dancers wearing kilts. That video prompted me to watch other such videos and search for online articles about this custom. I've shared some of those videos and articles in Part I and Part II of this pancocojams series. Although all of the Bapedi kilts have righfully been attributed to that population imitating the Scottish kilts, none of the articles that that I've found mention the aprons that are worn by most of the Bapedi kilt wearing traditional dancers. Also, few articles mention that the Bapedi male dancers wear a white glove on one hand or both hands while dancing. Furthermore, the articles that I've found don't mention that many of these Bapedi male traditional dancers wear a baseball hat and tennis shoes while dancing. This post focuses on the Bapedi custom of wearing the apron over the kilt and wearing one or more white gloves. My guess is that the Bapedi custom of wearing an "apron" first came from the Scottish custom of wearing a sporran over the kilt. **** SCOTTISH KILT AND SPORRAN Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilt for information about the Scottish kilt. Here's a brief excerpt of that article: "A kilt (Scottish Gaelic: fèileadh [ˈfeːləɣ]; Irish: féileadh)[1] is a type of knee-length men’s dress skirt non-bifurcated with pleats at the back, originating in the traditional dress of Gaelic men and boys in the Scottish Highlands. It is first recorded in the 16th century as the great kilt, a full-length garment whose upper half could be worn as a cloak. The small kilt or modern kilt emerged in the 18th century, and is essentially the bottom half of the great kilt. Since the 19th century, it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland, and more broadly with Gaelic or Celtic heritage. It is most often made of woollen cloth in a tartan pattern.

Although the kilt is most often worn on formal occasions and at Highland games and other sports events, it has also been adapted as an item of informal male clothing, returning to its roots as an everyday garment. Particularly in North America, kilts are now made for casual wear in a variety of materials. Alternative fastenings may be used and pockets inserted to avoid the need for a sporran. Kilts have also been adopted as female wear for some sports."... -end of quote-

Here's a brief excerpt about the sporran that is often worn with the Scottish kilt: From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporran
"The sporran …. Scottish Gaelic and Irish for ("purse"), a traditional part of male Scottish Highland dress, is a pouch that performs the same function as pockets on the pocketless kilt. Made of leather or fur, the ornamentation of the sporran is chosen to complement the formality of dress worn with it. The sporran is worn on a leather strap or chain, conventionally positioned in front of the groin of the wearer. "...

-end of quote- ****

A VIDEO OF MEN WEARING A SCOTTISH KILT WITH A SPORRAN

Video #1: Awesome Bagpipe Player

Steve Clarke, July 21, 2011

I filmed this at Edinburgh Castle in 2010 when I was on holiday in scotland.

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Video #2: Massed Pipes & Drums parade through Deeside town to start the Ballater Highland Games 2018

Braemar Media, Aug 10, 2018

The massed pipes & drums march through Ballater in Royal Deeside, Scotland, to start the 2018 Ballater Highland Games.

The parade is led by Drum Major Ian Esson and the bands were Ballater & District Pipe Band, Towie Pipe Band, Ellon & District RBL Pipe Band, Kintore Pipe Band and Dalhousie Pipe Band from Switzerland. (2 others to be confirmed) Drum Majors included Bert Summers, Bill Barclay, Derek Dean, Roland Stewart, Robert Brownfield, Fiona Glennie...

After the parade through the town to Monaltrie Park, Ballater, the flag is raised and the Drum Majors salute the games committee.
-snip-
Notice that these men don't wear white gloves.

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FREEMASONs' APRON AND WHITE GLOVES It seems to me that the "aprons" that many Bapedi traditional dancers wear (in the videos I've watched on Kiba/Dinaka dances) appear to be more similar to the ceremonial aprons that freemasons wear. I wonder if the Bapedi somehow became familiar with those decorated freemason aprons and adopted the custom of wearing similar aprons over their kilts instead of the smaller Scottish sporran. If so, this custom probably began in the 20th century and not the late 19th century as the date given in some of the stories about when Bapedi traditional male dancers first started wearing kilts.

Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry for an article about Freemasons. Here's a definition of freemasonry from that article:

"Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients."...
-end of quote-

Here's information from that same wikipedia article about "Prince Hall Masons"

"Prince Hall Freemasonry exists because of the refusal of early American lodges to admit African Americans. In 1775, an African American named Prince Hall,[63] along with 14 other African-American men, was initiated into a British military lodge with a warrant from the Grand Lodge of Ireland, having failed to obtain admission from the other lodges in Boston. When the British military Lodge left North America after the end of the Revolution, those 15 men were given the authority to meet as a Lodge, but not to initiate Masons. In 1784, these individuals obtained a Warrant from the Grand Lodge of England (Moderns) and formed African Lodge, Number 459. When the two English grand lodges united in 1813, all U.S.-based Lodges were stricken from their rolls – largely because of the War of 1812. Thus, separated from both English jurisdiction and any concordantly recognised U.S. Grand Lodge, African Lodge retitled itself as the African Lodge, Number 1 – and became a de facto Grand Lodge. (This lodge is not to be confused with the various Grand Lodges in Africa.) As with the rest of U.S. Freemasonry, Prince Hall Freemasonry soon grew and organised on a Grand Lodge system for each state.[64]

 Widespread racial segregation in 19th- and early 20th-century North America made it difficult for African Americans to join Lodges outside of Prince Hall jurisdictions – and impossible for inter-jurisdiction recognition between the parallel U.S. Masonic authorities. By the 1980s, such discrimination was a thing of the past. Today most U.S. Grand Lodges recognise their Prince Hall counterparts, and the authorities of both traditions are working towards full recognition.[65] The United Grand Lodge of England has no problem with recognising Prince Hall Grand Lodges.[66] While celebrating their heritage as lodges of African-Americans, Prince Hall is open to all men regardless of race or religion.[67]"
-end of quote-

Click https://www.freemason.com/behind-masonic-symbols-apron/ for information about freemason aprons. Here's a brief quote from that article:

"During the 1750s, speculative Masons began to decorate their aprons with hand-painted designs. At this time, there was no definite universal decoration rule that existed, so each Brother was free to decorate his as he saw fit. Usually aprons included all the symbols of the various degrees they attained. Eventually, certain designs became more popular and more standardized both by producers of aprons in the emerging fraternal supply industry and various Grand Lodges that adopted rules and accepted traditions for what a Mason’s apron should be. The apron has become one of the most recognized symbols of our craft. Even the most ornate one a Brother might receive as a gift for his service remains, underneath, a symbol of labor, service, and purity of life and thought. Every Mason cherishes his apron and remembers fondly the moment when he first wore it. Special aprons like Past Masters’ aprons or aprons received for other forms of service often become precious family heirlooms that are passed down the generations."...
-end of quote- As mentioned earlier, many of the Bapedi male dancers who wear the kilt with an apron over it also wear a white glove on one hand or on both hands. Wearing white gloves is another important symbol of freemasonry. Here's an excerpt about the significance of aprons and white gloves for freemasons:

https://bricksmasons.com/blogs/masonic-education/masonic-gloves
Masonic Gloves, Jan 2, 2018
"Freemason gloves are worn by Freemasons. Some of them contain the Freemason emblem of square and compasses while some do not. This is because some jurisdictions do not permit markings on Masonic gloves. Freemason gloves have a symbolism that is similar to the symbolism of Freemason aprons.

What the Gloves Symbolizes

White Freemason gloves are spotless, and they signify that the works of a man’s hands must be as pure and as spotless as the gloves.

Psalms 24 verses 3 to 4 says, ‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

The apron refers to the ‘pure heart’ while the gloves refer to the ‘clean hands.’ They both indicate purity, and they refer to the purification of life. In the ancient initiation into the sacred mysteries, ablution symbolized purification.

Most American and English Lodges give the apron more preference than the gloves. But in the old days, the gloves were more important than they are now. 

Psalms 26 verse 6 says, ‘I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD.’ The washing of hands here is a sign of internal purification that can be seen by others. Pure hands indicate pure actions while unjust hands signify human injustice. 

Masonic White Kid Gloves

In the traditional customs of Germany, France, and some other European countries, a newly initiated Freemason is given two pairs of white kids glove. One is for him, and the other is for his wife, partner or the female he adores the most.

The Presentation of Masonic Gloves

Although gloves are no longer presented in America and England, gloves are still being worn to ceremonies. In a lot of lodges, members dress appropriately in their white aprons and white gloves. “…
-end of quote-

I don't think that its a coincidence that the Bapedi adopted the masonic apron and the masonic white gloves as part of their attire while performing certain Bapedi traditional dances. However, I don't mean to imply that Bapedi men wearing kilts with aprons and white gloves are freemasons.

**** TWO VIDEOS OF FREEMASONS WITH APRONS AND WHITE GLOVES

These videos are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Video #1: Masonic Ritual - Making Of A Grand Master

On The Level, Mar 9, 2013

Part of the Installation ritual of Most Worshipful Brother Adrian Burton's Installation Ceremony to become Grand Master at The Grand Lodge of The United Grand Lodge Of Queensland in 2010
-snip-
Notice that these men wear white gloves.

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Video #2: Prince Hall Grand Lodge Pa Blue House Stepping

 

Twania Stinson, Aug 7, 2014
 -snip-
The term "stepping" is most often associated with historically Black (African American) Greek letter fraternities and sororities. However, here the word "stepping" means marching in a processional.

Notice that these men wear white gloves.
 

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This concludes Part III of this three part pancocojams series.

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