Welcome to the official web site of the Clan MacRae Society of North America.

The Clan Society of North America is a nonprofit, purely voluntary association. The purposes of the organization are to:

• Enjoy Scottish clan traditions in friendly association with MacRaes
• Inform its members of the history, traditions, culture, and life of the MacRae Clan
• Work towards and assist in the official establishment of a Chief of the Clan MacRae in Scotland
• Give support and aid in the growth of the Grandfather Mountain Pipe Band
• Foster Scottish culture and traditions
• Support various worthy charities

The Clan Crest

Our clan crest is shown in the upper left corner of this page. According to history, each Clan Chief wore a unique badge on his helmet during battle so that his followers could recognize their leader. This badge is referred to as the Crest of the Chief and appears at the top of his Coat of Arms. Anyone bearing the same name as a Scottish Chief or the name of a sept, is a Clansman of the Chief and has the privilege of wearing the Crest surrounded by a strap and buckle garter, which indicates an individual's allegiance to the Chief.

The MacRae Coats of Arms

As with other Scottish clans, our Coats of Arms include our Clan Motto and the symbol used in our Clan Crest.

Coats of Arms are the personal property of the bearer, who is typically the Clan Chief. For this reason, members of Clan MacRae wear the Clan Crest, as shown in the upper left corner of this page, rather than the Coat of Arms.

The North American Society Clan Motto

Our clan motto, which appears on our clan crest and Coats of Arms, is " EX UNO AD PLURES," meaning

"From One to Many," commemorating the "Scattered Children of Kintail." This is the Coat of Arms

for the Clan MacRae Society of North America.

The Tartan

There are over a dozen tartans associated with Clan MacRae. The tartan appearing on the left side of this page is the Ancient Hunting MacRae tartan. For a description of all MacRae tartans, visit our Tartans page.

The Clan Plant Badge

The plant badge of a clansman is a sprig fixed on a staff, spear, or bonnet. The MacRae plant badge is the fir club-moss (lycopodium selago). In Gaelic, this is "garbhag an t-sleibh". Itias supposed to possess magical powers as the following translation from the Gaelic indicates:

The fir club moss is on my person,
No harm or mishap can me befall,
No sprite shall slay me, no arrow shall wound me,
No fay or dun water nymph shall tear me.

The War Cry

A war cry is a short phrase that was used by clan warriors to bolster their courage as they charged the enemy. War cries are often the family name, the name of the leige lord, a religious invocation, or threats meant to invoke fear.

The war cry for Clan MacRae is "Sgurr Uaran," the Gaelic name of the most prominent peak of the mountain range named the Five Sisters of Kintail. Kintail is the area in the Highlands in which Clan MacRae settled. Sgurr Uaran is the name that has been adopted for the Clan MacRae newsletter. To pronounce the war cry:

• For Sgurr, pronounce "scure" so that it rhymes with "sure."
• For Uaran, pronounce "ur-an" placing the accent on the first syllable. The "ur" should rhyme with "tour."

Updated January 2012

 

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