Gypsies, Roma and other Travellers

[MGfromBC]

I'm not sure where I started but, as my mind and curser wandered around and followed different links I eventually ended up here.

Gypsy Roma and Traveller History and Culture | The Traveller Movement

It describes a history of centuries of different racial and social groups who have lived on the road in different parts of the UK.  It even includes van-dwellers and barge-dwellers, who live in long narrow boats that follow the long network of canals.

Enjoy

MG

 

[Calaverasgrande]

"Travellers" is a little obscure.
If I hadn't watched a lot of British TV and movies I probably wouldn't know.
(and I'm not talking about Peaky Blinders)
Some Americans might be familiar with the Guy Ritchie movie Snatch starring Brad Pitt among others. Travelers feature in that movie a bit.

 

[user 30781]

Occasionally I'll go off on a reading binge about one thing or another, most recently it was Appalachia, but earlier this year it was the Travellers. I ordered a bunch of books from the library, many of them had to be ordered from the interlibrary system. It's a fascinating culture.

 

[gsfish]

Here are another couple links...
https://www.gypsy-traveller.org/
https://www.gypsy-traveller.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/FFT-The-Gypsy-Holocaust-Booklet.pdf

Very persecuted group of people. I've always had an interest in their history and plight that still exists today. It is estimated that one quarter of European Roma were killed in the "Final Solution".

wanderingsoul, try "Bury Me Standing" by Isabel Fonesca. I found it a very good read.
https://www.amazon.com/Bury-Me-Standing-Gypsies-Journey-ebook/dp/B004I8WL8E

Guy

 

[wayne49]

In Bulgaria, which shares a border with Romania, there are many Roma. They are "Amish like" in using horse drawn wagons for transportation. I was over there in 2018 for a tour of ancient sites.

Back around the Millennium, in the outskirts of Paris, there were quite a few Roma encampments along side of the train tracks on the way to and from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. They had conventional vehicles and the now familiar blue tarps.

Not just a British phenomena, only exception is their having crossed the Channel.

 

[Morgana]

There's a movie about the Rom from the early 1990s called Latcho Drom (https://www.romarchive.eu/en/collection/latcho-drom-1/) -- very little dialogue, mostly music, visually stunning. There's about a six-minute excerpt here: . I read someplace that it's on Netflix but I don't know if that's accurate. Highly recommended if you can find it!

 

[Gypsy108]

:heart:

 

[Gypsy108]

There's a movie about the Rom from the early 1990s called Latcho Drom (https://www.romarchive.eu/en/collection/latcho-drom-1/) -- very little dialogue, mostly music, visually stunning. There's about a six-minute excerpt here: . I read someplace that it's on Netflix but I don't know if that's accurate. Highly recommended if you can find it!

Thank you IMorgana for posting this !!!!
I have never seen the WHOLE movie… but for YEARS I have watched & shared the Dance scene of the little boy singing as the lady danced barefoot in the desert sand with those ankle bracelets/ bells….  :heart:
I love this sooooooooo much !!!!!!


And thank you MGfromBC for starting this thread  :heart: :heart: :heart:

I just watched the whole movie on YT !

 

[rvwandering]

I deleted a few posts. Please do not denigrate anyone for any reason. Thanks!

 

[Gypsy108]

Now I’m paranoid…. It would be good to know who said what to whom ….

It’s nice to know who your enemies are so you can protect yourself

 

[JohnnyM]

Wow -- Morgana

Great Clip!

Thanks for posting this.

Johnny

 

[rvwandering]

Gyspy108 - don't worry. Nobody said anything about any of the forum members. It was just a remark that was a broad generalization of the character of nomadic people.

 

[mkl654321]

There is a commonality, in that nomadic people(s) have always been viewed by more settled folk with suspicion: potential thieves, untrustworthy, strangers with strange values. It's the reason why the Roma, Gypsies, etc. have always been targets of persecution--and it's also the reason why vandwellers, modern-day nomads, etc. are treated by communities as criminals simply for being there. Keep moving, stranger.

 

[Gypsy108]

I'm glad i was raised by a woman that ran away from home when she was a kid.....she has a heart of gold & an open mind.........

 

[travelaround]

I was gifted a permanent membership in the Christian Romany Association of Great Britain, years ago... I'm a card carrying member but I don't know where the card is right now.. I know it survived the fire... but where? I'm kind of disorganized, always trying to be more organized. But cool card; it says I'm a person with no fixed abode. That's a good summary of my life.

Anyhow, it was sent to me by an English gypsy who I was exchanging letters with, as pen pals. Long time ago.

 

[Gypsy108]

:heart: Wow very cool TA !

 

[Calaverasgrande]

Among my friends Latcho Drom was one of our party tapes years ago.
We would put on the VHS and play it with the music up loud.
Inevitably some of the women would start belly dancing.
Then a couple guys would try to belly dance too.
So it was a great party starter.