I'm a traveller- AMA

[Pinkyyy]

I was actually asked on another post to start this thread, I've been debating the idea for a while but usually decide not to because I've seen threads like this turn sour before. Hopefully I can avoid that and actually provide information and educate people on a way of life they may well know very little about.

I invite you to ask any questions you may have, and I will do my best to answer them all honestly. I ask that you don't bother to comment if you're going to bombard me with racism and ignorance. If you'd like to question a common stereotype, by all means go ahead but I will not respond to those who are simply here to be hateful. I also hope you'll respect that I don't like to share too much of my personal details on here, so I'm aiming more to speak about travellers as a a whole and not so much about me personally.

So.... AMA

I wish we were still allowed to travel and the laws hadn't changed.
Me and dh have discussed it and would have loved a life on the road as gypsies used to have.
It would solve the housing shortage too

@RomanyRoots thank you for sharing that video, I found it absolutely amazing to watch.

@spugzbunny there isn't necessarily a code of ethics, but of course if you were to pull on private land, the implications could be different to using a public space. I can't imagine that anybody could just take it upon themselves to live on someone else's private land. I'm glad your experiences have all been good

I didn’t know that about the records destroyed in a fire in Dublin. That makes a lot of sense. Thank you who’s name I have now forgotten whilst typing 🤨

You used to knock and ask the farmer.
I had basket makers in my family.
The farmer would offer a barn to keep them and their materials dry in exchange for labour.
Then there was hop picking in Binsted? lots of families went, lovely stories of camp fires.
This wasn't all that long ago, and it all went with the freedom to roam.
I find it extraordinary that this is only my blood and not my culture because I would love to live like that and so would my family.
If you compare that to now it would be permission to park your tiny house anywhere and all mod cons. You could still run a business etc.

@RomanyRoots - so interesting that you connect so much with it despite not being raised in the community. I often wonder how much of us is nature vs nurture. Do you mind me asking why you weren't raised within it? Presumably you had unusual circumstances as it sounds rare for families to be split as it were.

I can't unfortunately. I don't agree, but promised I wouldn't link all the words on social media.
Ah, I can say my bm was 15 years old and I'm the first of my generation to not be born in a caravan.
I'm also in my 50's so my family very traditional Romany.
Some prefer to pretend I don't exist, others are lovely and welcoming and friends on social media

I had no idea of my roots growing up, due to law then.
but I told my parents I was going to live in a caravan in blackpool and tell fortunes.
I never did, but lord knows where that came from. I've always had a love of travelling too, have moved a fair bit as well.

Sorry if this question has been asked but when I was in hospital with my second I shared a room with a traveller lady and her husband who had twins.

They were telling me that the traveller language and Hindi have similarities as this is where travellers originally came from - I'm sure they said the word 'cha' for tea and I can't remember others they were teaching me! Lovely people such a down to earth couple and gorgeous babies

@WorriedMum11 I'm quite sure it does get its roots from India, I think @RomanyRoots could probably give more knowledge on this. There are lots of words and to my knowledge they've never been officially written and I think it's amazing that the language survives purely through being passed on. I'm glad your experience was a good one!

What are gorgibreds

@amyk91 gorgerbreds are non-travellers. 'gorger' is the word for someone who isn't a traveller so it literally means a person bred by gorgers.

That sounds pretty unpleasant

@5lnaBed I'm sure there are lots of words from other languages that sound unpleasant. You must remember that this is an actual language dating back years and years.

Didn't the term gorger originate as a not super nice word to describe none travellers who live in houses and over consume?

I can't remember for the life of me why I thought that or where it's come from! If a non traveller did find it offensive would you stop using it?

@TheSuperBitch I'm not sure it has anything do do with over consuming, though there are plenty of words in many languages which may have meant something slightly different years ago, vocabulary is always evolving. I can see no reason why anyone would find offense in it and I wouldn't stop using it. I don't think people are generally allowed to tell someone to stop speaking in their own language because a word sounds offensive to them

Sorry but that's actually a really offensive term. It's always been used as a slur in my area towards non-travellers.

@BlancheM it is not an offensive word. It is no more offensive than the word traveller

If the people saying it have a dislike for gorgers then they are going to use it as a slur. In the same way that the word 'chinese' is a none offensive word used to describe someone's ethnicity, but said in the wrong way could be deemed as highly offensive.

So are there offensives and none offensive terms for non travellers or just the one word that's used 'gorger'?

For example from what I've read here 'traveller' and 'gypsy' are fine where as 'pikey' and 'gypo' are offensive and negative slurs.

If we find Gorger offensive would it be better to use 'non traveller'?

The only time I've overheard that word being used is in the context of, 'gorja C---' or 'that's why we don't bother with fucking gorjas' tbf so I suppose you're right, but when directed at someone, it does sound like a slur.

@TheSuperBitch there are a few different terms, gorger is inoffensive. Of course 'pikey' and 'gypo' are negative slurs because they are words that non travellers have made purely to refer to travellers in a derogatory way. Taking offence to the word gorger makes absolutely no sense, it would be equivalent to asking a French person not to use the word 'bonjour' purely because you think it sounds offensive

@BlancheM in those instances, the word was being used in a negative way, but it wasn't really the word itself that was the offensive part. I hope this is making sense as I'm struggling to explain it

What a fascinating insight to your culture pinkyy- thank you!

I work with some members of the travelling community in a professional capacity and have only ever been met with respect and decency. I sometimes feel nervous because of the stereotypes and not wanting to be unknowingly disrespectful due to my own ignorance. Your thread has made me realise that if I respectfully ask questions it generally won't insult the people I meet.

The Indian aspect of the history fascinates me....I had no idea! Romany roots can you expand any more on it? What prompted a group of Indian people to move to the UK? (Was it as simple as that?) When? How many? How did that evolve to the current culture? The term Romany...what's the root of it?

Also, I realise you say you are settled, but those who aren't...how do they manage when asked for an address eg for a driving licence? Homeless people can really struggle due to being of no fixed abode, do travellers have the same issue?

Is it acceptable within the culture to claim benefits?

Are there any big differences in culture between Irish gypsies and Romany ones?

Thanks again op, I'm really learning so much from your thread.

Also people spell it all different ways, there are no official spellings for Romany words which is why you'll sometimes she gorger/gorja or different variations

Also, you've mentioned boxing as boys pastimes and men using boxing to "sort things out".

What hobbies/pastimes do young girls and women have?
And if you had an issue that needed to "be sorted" would you sort it or would your husband do it on your behalf by boxing?