Gypsy, Roma, Traveller & Showmen culture - Support for schools and settings (2024)

Terminology

• Travellers is an umbrella term often used to encompass all Traveller ethnicities.
• If you do not explicitly know a person’s Traveller ethnicity, using ‘Traveller’ can be acceptable until you do. It is important to ask families what ethnicity they like to be known as. Some Travellers want to be known as Romany while others prefer Gypsy or Traveller.
• Showmen are business people, who travel for work and therefore might not want to be known by any other name.
• People from Roma communities like to be known as “Roma” and prefer not to be referred to as “Gypsy” or “Traveller”.
• New Travellers have made a lifestyle choice and do not have ethnic minority status.
• Due to negative experiences, the word ‘intimidation’ can be a triggering term for travellers.
• Be mindful that ‘Pikey’, ‘Gyppo’ and ‘chav’ are racist words and when the word ‘Gypsy’ is used in a derogatory way, this is also seen as racist terminology.

Heritage

Roma, Romany, Romani

• TheRomani, can also be spelledRomany, colloquially known as theRoma.
• Romany is the British term for their community.
• Romani is the European and world term for their community.
• Traditionally lived a nomadic,itinerantlifestyle.
• 90% of Romany/Romani are not nomadic.
• In English, Romani are known by the pejorative exonymGypsies, which is considered a racial slur.
• The language of the Romani/ Romany is Romanes.
• During World War IIand the Holocaust, the persecution of the Romanis reached a peak during theRomani Holocaust (the Porajmos), the genocidewhich was perpetrated against them byNazi Germany.

Kale – Welsh Roma

• TheKale are a group of Romani peoplein Wales.
• Historically the Kale spokeWelsh Romani.
• Welsh Kale are almost exclusively found in Northwest Wales, specifically the Welsh-speaking areas.

Gypsies

• British Romany are Romanichal.
• Their migration path is India, Persia, the Middle East, and Egypt.
• Traditional work might include gardening, groundwork, fortune telling, hawking, selling, and collecting scrap.
• Many Gypsies still travel for work.

Irish Travellers

• Traditionally, Irish Travellers are a nomadic group of people from Ireland but have a separate identity, heritage, and culture to the community in general.
• The Irish Traveller community is categorised as an ethnic minority group under the Race Relations Act, 1976 (amended 2000); the Human Rights Act 1998; and the Equality Act 2010.
• Some Travellers of Irish heritage identify as Pavee or Minceir, which are words from the Irish Traveller language, Shelta.
• Irish Travellers are descendants of metal workers and craftsmen that travelled for their work.
• This type of work used to fall under the umbrella of ‘Tinkers’, however this phrase has fallen out of popularity, and many would take offence to it being used.

Showmen and Circus people

• In the2021 national census, the UK’s Showmen were officially recognized both as anoccupationand as anethnicityfor the first time.
• Their origins stem back to Pagan times, where fairs in Britain became popular.
• Many Showmen Travellers had stalls, selling their trinkets from around the world.
• Other ‘light entertainers’, such as jugglers, musicians and tumblers also made a living at these fairs.
• Circus acts have been around since Ancient Rome, but it wasn’t until 1768 that a ‘modern’ circus began in London. After the War of 1812, many travelling circuses began to travel from America to England.
• Circuses tend to have been run and owned by the same family for generations.
• In 1889 the Showmen’s Guild was founded to protect and celebrate the rights of the Showmen Travellers.

New Age Travellers

• Travellers are made up of a diverse group of families from different cultures and social backgrounds.
• Their commonality is that they have adopted the nomadic lifestyle as recently as in the last 40 years and this group of Travellers are not following centuries of tradition.
• In 1994 legislation was passed to prevent unauthorised encampments to curtail the ‘mass’ gatherings of New Travellers.

Barge Travellers

• Barge Travellers are similar to New Travellers but live on the UK’s 2,200 miles of canals. They form a distinct group in the canal network.
• Many are former ‘new’ Travellers who moved onto the canals after changes to the law made the free festival circuit and a life on the road almost untenable.
• Sometimes referred to as Bargees.

Culture

Mochadi Laws of cleanliness:

Cleanliness – There are cleanliness rituals that many Gypsies and Travellers still observe in some form, known as the mochadi laws. Using different cleaning bowls for different body parts and various parts of the house

• Pets are housed outside
• Use of bleach
• Close to extended family and friends.
• Many have an aversion to bricks and mortar.
• Celebrations, such as weddings and christenings can last one to two weeks and involve extended family.
• Funerals can also take longer, as some families practice ‘sitting up.’ Whereby they take it in turns to sit with the deceased until they are buried.
• Men teach boys about intimate knowledge and consent and women teach the girls. This is done carefully by same gender only.
• Generally, there are still gender roles within Traveller communities, however this is changing and should never be assumed.
• Travellers still work heavily in the self-employed trades.
• Traditionally, Traveller children are home educated after year 6.
• Most Travellers are fluent in English, however they will often incorporate their home language, such as Romany within their conversations.
• Travellers celebrate their heritage in June, as this is Traveller History Month.
• Some Travellers attend Appleby and Ballinasloe fairs, where they trade horses and connect with family and friends.
• You do not have to travel to be a Traveller.

Accommodation

Although most Gypsies and Travellers see travelling as part of their identity, they can choose to live in different ways including:

• Moving regularly around the country from site to site and being ‘on the road’.
• Living permanently in caravans or mobile homes, on sites provided by the council, or on private sites.
• Living in settled accommodation during winter or school term-time, travelling during the summer months.
• Living in ‘bricks and mortar’ housing, settled together, but still retaining a strong commitment to Gypsy/Traveller culture and traditions.
• Over 64% of Travellers live in ‘bricks and mortar’ accommodation.

Experiences

• 91% percent of Travellers experience discrimination because of their ethnicity and 71% of children have experienced racism in schools. With 76% of Travellers not declaring their ethnicity due to fears of prejudice.
• Gypsies, Roma, and Travellers have the lowest educational attainment, at all key stages up to and including KS4, out of any ethnic groups in the UK.
• In the UK, Traveller communities have the highest rates of illiteracy of any ethnic group.
• Travellers have a shorter life expectancy than the rest of the population due to difficulties accessing health care and lack of permanent sites.
• There are disproportionately high levels of child mortality, still birth and miscarriage within Traveller families.
• Members of the Traveller communities are 3 times more likely commit suicide and over twice as likely to suffer from depression than the rest of the population.
• 44% of Travellers live in social housing, compared to 16% of White British ethnic group. This is likely because there are not enough permanent pitches for the communities.
• Unsympathetic media portrayal perpetuates racial hatred and stereotypical perceptions of this community with 63% of Gypsy, Roma, Traveller & Showmen young Travellers reporting being attacked or bullied.