It began in 1986 and twice went before the Court of the Lord Lyon, Scotland's heraldic tribunal. From there it went to the Court of Session in Edinburgh. In 1990, the Lord Lyon ruled against MacDonald on the grounds that his ancestor was an illegitimate child. MacDonald appealed, presenting further evidence in 1995, but again lost. He was then able to take his case to the Court of Session, and in 2004, the judges said sloinneadh could be relied on to prove MacDonald's heritage.

There are 247 clans in Scotland — half of which don't have a chief. Clan disputes are notoriously fierce and have often ended in bloodshed in years past.

In the 17th century, Alexander MacDonald, chief of the MacDonalds of Keppoch, and his younger brother Ranald were stabbed to death by rivals seeking to usurp the title. Their murderers were hunted down and beheaded.

The MacDonalds of Keppoch — whose motto is "By Land And Sea" — were the first clan to rally to the Scottish Jacobite cause that sought to restore the Stuart kings to the thrones of England and Scotland. Hundreds of members of the clan, including the chief, were wiped out at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 when the uprising was crushed by forces of the Duke of Cumberland.

Although their role in Scottish society has been marginalized, many look at family bloodlines with pride.

"Clan societies give a sense of belonging to something in the past — a sense of identity," said Roddy Martine, a social commentator and author of "Scottish Clan & Family Names, Arms, Origins & Tartans." "That is presumably the reason why over 15 million people in the USA claim Scottish descent."

MacDonald was presented with a parchment from the Court of the Lord Lyon, which officially recognizes him as the clan chief. He was given the parchment by Sir Crispin Agnew of Locknaw, a member of the Lyon Court for the Rothsay area of Scotland.