GYPSY, ROMA AND TRAVELLER HISTORY MONTH 2022
The time has come to bid another fond farewell as we reach the end of #GRTHM22.
This year, we reflect on the many wonderful contributions made by the community. From the songs, poems, artwork, photos, research and more seen throughout the month, we are all richer for the generous sharing offered by the community as they told stories of themselves, their families, and their communities. 2022 is Scotland’s Year of Stories and an essential part of Scotland’s story is that of its Travelling communities. The sharing of stories is at the heart of a community and we have been privileged to see this in action as Lacey sang songs she learned from her family, John Mathew Miller shared his family’s story as part of the larger History of Gypsy/Travellers, and Maggie McPhee spoke of how her writing has included her childhood stories and has given voice to a Traveller woman whose story had not yet been told. For our Finale, we continue this theme as community members share about their families and themselves, through the Young Travellers Talking series and the Centuries of Contribution project.
THANK YOU to our contributors for their generosity in sharing with us and to all of the supporters of #GRTHM22 in Scotland and beyond!
YOUNG TRAVELLERS TALKING: WHAT SHIFTING MEANS TO ME
In this second addition to the Young Travellers Talking series, young Gypsy/Travellers share – in their own words – their fond memories, funny moments, and family stories that they think of when they talk about shifting.
CENTURIES OF CONTRIBUTION
Every day of #GRTHM22 has seen a family history photo and caption shared on social media from the #CenturiesofContribution project. Today for the Finale we are able to enjoy this wonderful collection in one album.
The #CenturiesofContribution exhibition would not have been possible without the support of community members. They have our heartfelt thanks for sharing precious moments from their family history.
Centuries of Contributions from Scotland’s Gypsy and Traveller Communities
Whether from the many centuries old indigenous Scottish Traveller communities, recorded as far back as the 12th century as skilled craftsmen; or descended from the first Romany Gypsies to be recorded in Scotland around 1505; or indeed from the communities of travelling Showmen (funfair travellers) and circus families; the contributions made to ‘settled’ society from each community have been rich and varied.
These many contributions range from the old tinsmiths (then known as Tinkers/Tinklers, from the sound of their tools making essential household and industrial items from tin); basket weavers, horn spoon makers, cane chair bottomers, and knife/blade sharpeners, to name but a few; preserving old Scottish folk-songs, music, poetry and stories, carried down through the generations; providing food across the UK by gathering whelks and cockles by the sack load from beaches, and picking fruit and vegetables in the many fields of Britain; sacrificing loved ones, horses, and equipment to the war effort; and entertaining villages, towns and cities far and wide, with fortune-telling, and providing fairs, shows, and circus acts. The travelling communities would traditionally meet-up and trade horses, vehicles, and essential household items at some of the old Fairs in Scotland and England, some marrying into the other communities. Boxing booths and cinematograph booths at the Fairs were the introduction to this sport and the cinema to many villages and towns before being permanently introduced to towns and cities.
These very hard working and industrious Scottish Traveller and Gypsy communities are also thought to be the first to recycle, upcycle, and repurpose – rag and bone men; mending and hawking old clothes & rags; whittling wood into clothes pegs & flowers; and fixing up or scrapping old vehicles. Over many decades several laws have stopped these traditional trades, making them illegal, or almost impossible to continue with.
(Source: McPhee, S. Gypsy Traveller history in Scotland: A pictorial timeline. https://www.iriss.org.uk/resources/reports/gypsy-traveller-history-scotland)
Click on the images below to read more
