Northwest Territories Canada Tartan Collection
Northwest Territories Canada Tartan Collection
Celebrate the Northwest Territories with the territory's own tartan — blue for the Northwest Passage, white for the Arctic Ocean, gold for the minerals, and a thin black line for the tree line itself.
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About the Northwest Territories Tartan
The Northwest Territories tartan began with a complaint about a piper. Janet Anderson-Thomson attended an RCMP ball in 1966 and thought the piper looked, in her words, terribly drab; she and her husband John, a land surveyor, took the idea of a territorial tartan to Commissioner Stuart Hodgson, who backed it.
The sett was drawn up by Hugh MacPherson (Scotland) Limited of Edinburgh to Anderson-Thomson's colour brief, registered at the Court of the Lord Lyon in 1972, and adopted by the Territorial Council in January 1973. It is a district tartan, open to anyone connected with the North.
Northwest Territories Tartan Pattern and Colours
Every colour was chosen to map the territory: green for the forests, white for the Arctic Ocean, blue for the Northwest Passage, gold for the mineral wealth beneath the ground, red-orange for autumn foliage, and a fine black line standing for the tree line where the forest gives out.
Northwest Territories Heritage
The Northwest Territories run from the sixtieth parallel to the Arctic islands: boreal forest in the south, the Mackenzie River flowing north to its great delta, the tundra beyond the tree line, and the waters of the Northwest Passage that sailors sought for centuries. Yellowknife stands on the north shore of Great Slave Lake.
This is above all the homeland of Dene, Inuvialuit and Métis peoples, whose languages are among the territory's official tongues. Scots came north through the fur trade — many Hudson's Bay Company men were Orkney and Highland Scots — and pipe music has been heard at northern gatherings ever since, which is how a tartan came to be made for a place so far from Scotland.
Who Is This Collection For?
This collection is made for Northerners at home and away, Yellowknife and Mackenzie valley families, fur trade and Hudson's Bay descendants, pipers and anyone who wants a tartan that names the territory.
- ✓ Northwest Territories families
- ✓ Yellowknife and Mackenzie valley roots
- ✓ Fur trade and northern service heritage
- ✓ Pipe bands and northern gatherings
- ✓ Canadian heritage gifts
- ✓ Arctic blue and white style
How to Wear Northwest Territories Tartan
Northwest Territories tartan works well across caps, shirts, hoodies, scarves, ties, jackets, blankets and keepsake gifts. Its cool blue and white palette is striking and easy to pair for everyday wear and formal occasions alike.
Northwest Territories Tartan FAQ
Quick answers about the territorial tartan, who may wear it and what its colours mean.
Is the NWT tartan a clan tartan?
No — it is the official territorial tartan, so anyone connected with the North may wear it.
How did it come about?
Janet Anderson-Thomson proposed it after seeing a drab-looking piper at an RCMP ball in 1966, and the Commissioner supported the idea.
Who designed it?
Hugh MacPherson (Scotland) Limited of Edinburgh, working to Anderson-Thomson's colour suggestions.
When was it adopted?
Registered with the Lord Lyon in 1972 and adopted by the Territorial Council in January 1973.
What does the black line mean?
It stands for the tree line — the boundary where the boreal forest ends and the tundra begins.
Who can wear it?
Anyone with roots in or affection for the Northwest Territories — it belongs to the place, not to a family.
Wear the Northwest Territories Tartan
Discover Northwest Territories tartan clothing, accessories and gifts — the blue of the Passage and the white of the Arctic sea.
View Northwest Territories Tartan