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The Clann of the Wolf moves out |
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The Highland Games at Alafia |
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The lassies get to march, too! |
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Wolf XI, XII, and XIII |
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Real men don’t wear trews! |
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What is this thing called the Clann of the Wolf? The Clann of the Wolf was first conceived by Steve Becker of Athens, IL, Patrick Johnopolos of Springfield, IL, Lee "Hardluck" Humphrey of Layfayette, IN, and Bill Palmer of Sikston, MO. They are the founding fathers of the Clann of the Wolf.
For years these four brave lads had been to rendezvous and reenactments where regiments and companies depicting Scottish soldiers wore the same tartans, marched in a straight line, and followed barked orders in the language of the time. While there is nothing wrong with this, if your interests lie in that direction, these re-enactors portray only one facet of Highland life. But what about the common man or the mercenaries? No one was portraying them or showing how the many roving individuals lived. Now we are.
In 1989 the founders put together a 3-page newsletter and went off to the NMLRA Eastern Rendezvous in Glengarry, WV to spread the word. By 1992 the Clann of the Wolf had grown to over 300 members in 32 states and 2 Canadian provinces.
Our newsletter is published six times a year. It contains articles written by our members for our members. We elect a Cadet every two years who serves the current Chief for two years. Then, when the new Cadet is elected, the previous Cadet becomes the Chief for two years. Each state or province is headed by a Sept Chief who is elected for two years by the Clann members residing within that state or province. The septs are the heart, soul and focus of most Clann activities. Being a member of Clann of the Wolf does NOT mean having to adhere to a lot of strict rules and regulations. It must be remembered that we are individuals and are content to remain so, but we do like to meet with other Clann of the Wolf members on occasion for comradeship, fun and the exchange of information on things Scottish and Celtic. We thoroughly enjoy the Highland games we sponsor at various events around the country. We try to remain true to the 1700-1800 time period we portray in our dress and academic interests, though we will frequently delve even further back in the history of the Celts in order to get a better perspective on our heritage.
And, yes, most of us do wear kilts. But this is not a requirement unless you are participating in the Highland games. We also require that lassies have on a piece of tartan if they are participating in the games.
By now you lassies might think that the Clann of the Wolf is a man's organization. Not true! Our 2nd, 14th, and our current 19th Chiefs are lassies, our second treasurer was a lass, there have been and there currently are several Sept Chiefs who are lassies. There is no inequality in the Clann of the Wolf based on gender, race, creed, or age. Was it not the Celtic lassies that followed their men into battle, carrying their shields and such?
In a nutshell, that is the history and pertinent information about the Clann of the Wolf. Our battle cry is “Crioch Onarach”—“Death with honor!” and if you have seen any of our members participating in a battle re-enactment, you know that no one dies better and with more honor than those who make up the Clann of the Wolf
The emphasis of our existence may be found within the pages of our newsletter, Wolf Tracks. It is there that we try to educate our members with factual information dealing with Celtic history. A lot of us are amateur historians and Wolf Tracks provides us with a forum in which we may present our stories, theories, opinions, etc.. We accept articles for publication in Wolf Tracks from our members and ask that all articles submitted include a bibliography and documentation for facts cited within the article. Submissions may be sent to: Dan Morris, Wolf Tracks Editor 15 Collins Ave. Lake Hoptacong, NJ 07849 Email: clannwolfeditor@hotmail.com
And now the rub, as they say...the dues. Wolf Tracks costs money to print and mail. Insurance for re-enactment events costs money, too. For this reason members are required to pay $20 per year per household...individual or family...same low price! Only members whose dues are paid up to date are able to vote in Clann and Sept elections. All Clann of the Wolf functions are open to all Clann of the Wolf members with a current membership card regardless of which sept is sponsoring the event.
If you are interested in joining our Clann, please print out, fill out completely, and mail in the membership application (click on the link below) along with your $20 membership dues payment to: Russ Berry, Clann Treasurer West Milton, OH 45383 Email: berrygoodwine@yahoo.com
If paying membership dues by check, please make your check payable to “Russ Berry, Treasurer” and state in the memo line “membership dues” and the calendar year for which you are paying membership dues.
Remember, no member of the Clann of the Wolf should ask you to pay your Clann of the Wolf dues to him or her. All dues must be sent to the Clann Treasurer.
Any questions other than those regarding Wolf Tracks, membership or dues may be directed to: Troy Poulin, National Clann Chief 348 Timberwood Trail Oviedo, FL 32765 Email: tbo150@aol.com Click here to go to a printable membership application
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About Us |
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(pipe medley playing: Scotland the Brave, Wha' Saw the 42nd, Murdo's wedding) |
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Visit the new history page featuring some of the Clann of the Wolf’s past as we celebrate our 20th anniversary! |
