Khaya Montjane, March 24, 2018
Edited by Azizi Powell
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. "...
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.
**
Video #2: Massed Pipes & Drums parade through Deeside town to start the Ballater Highland Games 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.
****
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.
"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]
-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:
-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
Video #1:
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.
Twania Stinson,
-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.
This concludes Part III of this three part pancocojams series.
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