Nomadic peoples of Europe: Difference between revisions

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In Germany, Switzerland, France and Austria there exist so-called ''white Gypsies'' who are known under the names of ''Jenische'' (German), ''[Yéniche][http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C3%A9niche]'' (French), and ''Yenish'' or ''[[Yeniche]]'' (English). Their language seems to be grammatically identical with other (Swiss) German dialects; the origin of the lexicon, however, incorporates [[German language|German]], [[Romani language|Romani]], [[Yiddish language|Yiddish]] and other words.

In Norway there is a small group of people who call themselves Reisende; i.e. [[indigenous Norwegian Travellers]]. Confusingly, this term is also used by the so-called [[Tater people]] (the biggest population of [[Romany people]] in Norway and Sweden). Unlike the [[Tater people]], however, the [[indigenous Norwegian Travellers]] are non-Roma by culture and origins, and they do not speak any form of [[Romani language]].

In Norway (and, to a lesser degree, in Denmark), there is a group of people who call themselves ''Reisende'' (Travellers). Confusingly, the ''Tater'' (the biggest Roma population in Norway and Sweden) also use this term to describe themselves. The Tater are related, by culture and blood, to the Romanichals in England and the Sinti in Germany. They are descended from the first Roma to arrive in Scandinavia in the 1500s. The Tater, or Roma Travellers, and the indigenous Norwegian Travellers are two distinct ethnic groups, the former speaking a form of Romani, the latter speaking a language called ''Rodi''. To add to the confusion, the indigenous Norwegian Travellers have lost their language and traditional culture. Today, some of their more vocal representatives claim to be Tater/Roma Travellers, describing themselves as ''rom'' or ''romani'', often adopting the Romani vocabulary of the Tater/Roma Travellers. Their origins and their links with the Roma are uncertain. To the Norwegian and Swedish Tater/Roma Travellers, the Norwegian Travellers are perceived as non-Roma by culture and lifestyle. Unlike the Tater, the non-Roma Travellers in Norway spoke Rodi instead of Romani, and they do not follow the unwritten laws and taboos of traditional Roma culture. While the Tater/Roma Travellers mainly used to travel by horse and cart (they travel today by trailers and trucks) across Norway and Sweden, the indigenous Travellers used to travel by boat on the southern and southwestern coast of Norway only. (Note that certain Tater/Roma Traveller families did travel by boat both in Sweden and on the northwestern coast of Norway.)

There is a group of people in [[Ireland]] and the [[United Kingdom]] called ''Irish Gypsies'' or ''[[Irish Travellers]]''. In [[Scotland]], Scottish Travellers are known as ''ceardannan'' ([[Scottish Gaelic]] the craftsmen, or 'Black Tinkers'), or poetically as the "Summer Walkers", also known in English as ''tinkers'', such as Gitanos (Spain), Zingari (Italy), or Cigány (Hungary) for Roma). As this term became a pejorative among the settled community, the terms ''Irish Travellers'' or (in Scotland) ''Gypsy Travellers'' emerged as a more neutral name. They are not Roma, but their nomadic culture has been influenced by Roma. The language of the Irish Travellers, [[Shelta]], is mainly based on an [[Irish language|Irish Gaelic]] lexicon and an [[English language|English]] grammar, with influence from Romani. Similarly, Scottish Gypsy Travellers (who have a history of intermarriage with Scottish Romanies) speak Cant, a mixture of [[Scots language|Scots]], [[Scottish Gaelic language|Gaelic]] and Romani. The North Highland Travellers also spoke an almost defunct form of Gaelic backslang known as [[Beurla Regaird]], the Highland Travellers are believed to have arrived in Scotland in the Late Middle Ages and although it is not known from where or how it is known that although in recent centuries they have mixed with Romani and other travellers that cultural and genetic studies indicate substantial similarity with the [[Sami]] and [[Inuit]] and Northern [[Siberia|Siberian]] populations. <ref>[http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/sub_section.jsp?SectionID=6&currentId=199 The Summer Walkers]</ref> <ref>[http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/education/travelling_people/src1.jsp Origins of the Summer Walkers].</ref>