Lifestyle

The Gypsy/Traveller/Roma people only wish that their culture would be appreciated and be recognised...

Occupations and Education

Traditionally Gypsy men worked at tasks associated with horse-trading and horse handling although some of course worked in other trades. During the summer time many made their living as handymen in agriculture. The women sold things door to door. The whole family took part in earning a living. Education was not valued because the crafts were passed from father to son and mother to daughter. The difference in the level of education increased with industrialisation and progress. The occupations required the families to move from one village to another and favoured private entrepreneurship.

Industrialisation made the traditional occupations of Travellers unprofitable and new occupations had to be found.

Some schemes for adult education have offered a change to modernise traditional skills to meet modern needs but there is little joined up thinking across Great Britain as a whole and more could be done in some areas. The traditional occupations have formed a good basis for new occupations like selling used cars instead of horse trading, retailing commodities for starting a small business, the traditional women’s skills for working as a dressmaker or a seamstress.

Romany Gypsies, Irish Travellers and Roma often had reservations towards education since they saw school as means of assimilation into the majority society. The attitude towards education has changed during the last years in a positive direction regarding the fact that the majority would like to see their children attend primary school. There is an increasing uptake at secondary level. The current 14 to 19 curriculum developments may provide more vocational opportunities, also for these communities.

The Family

Togetherness of the family is important. If a relative is having a hard time then the rest of the family tries to help and provides support. These situations may include for example financial difficulties, divorce, sickness and death. In a balanced Romany family the man and the woman do not compete against one another. The man is the head of the family and the woman is the heart of it. Both are important for the wellbeing of the family. A man is appreciated according to how well he can support his family and a woman according to how well she manages the home and the children.

In the Gypsy/ Roma community the women are held in high standing. They create the atmosphere of the home and are fundamentally strong in a feminine way. Although the Gypsy/ Roma women still have many responsibilities they do not usually feel oppressed. The question of equality between men and women is not important within the group. The men are in the background when issues connected with the role and status of women is dealt with and vice versa.

Traveller women have always had the right and the duty to work outside the home to provide for the family. Therefore it has always been easier for the women to re-educate themselves and to find their place in the labour market.

The elders and the children have always been special groups within the Gypsy/ Roma culture in general. They play an important role in both women's and men's roles. Both genders are responsible for the wellbeing of the elders and the children. It is typical for all the members of the Gypsy/ Roma community to take part in the upbringing of the children. Although it is the women's duty to pass on the traditions, the fathers play an important role in their children's wellbeing in relation to other Travellers.

How much a child learns in school or how skilled and able he/she is, is not primarily important to Traveller parents. It is important for the child to have a safe and happy childhood. Traveller children have a lot of knowledge of people and human nature from a quite early age. They receive teaching and wisdom from the adults and learn to live as a member of the community from the birth. Traveller children have to face other people's negative attitudes early on in their life. Because of that, Traveller parents strive to give their children strong roots so they can deal with the difficulties in their lives. Travellers have only recently started placing their children in day-are.

Bricks & Mortar or a Site?

Many traditional families have an aversion to bricks and mortar and become increasingly depressed when forced to resort to living in a house.

There is an increasing suicide rate amongst Travellers because of this phenomenon.

Increasingly, many families because of the lack of sites have sought their own provision be buying land to place their caravans on and to apply for planning permission for their own family because they want to remain living in a manner to which they were born to and did not choose. As over 90 percent of planning applications by families are turned down, as they fall into a catch 22 in the planning laws, many families are developing stress related illnesses and nervous disorders.

For some Travellers living in a house, everyday life may have become easier, but new problems arise without knowing the reason behind the problems. For example when a member of the family dies some families will want to move as soon as possible. Assigning new housing will be necessary even if the person did not die in the residence because some families will move out regardless. The customs and practises of the Gypsy and Roma families vary from one family to another.

The Customs of Cleanliness (Mochadi)

Customs have supported the order and togetherness of the community. Many Gypsy and Roma understand cleanliness more deeply than the majority and the customs relating to cleanliness also function as principles of life. They are meaningful in all daily actions. They include all activities from handling the dishes, cutlery and food to washing the laundry, to clothing to the relationship between the generations and to food, dishes and cutlery.

For example, food, dishes and cutlery are never placed anywhere where people might sit, stand or walk. The table rag will not be used to wipe the chairs or the floor. There are different rags for that purpose. The dishcloths, kitchen towels and tablecloths are never washed with the other washing up, not even in the same washer. They are washed either in the kitchen sink or in a separate washbowl. Many families wash the clothes of the children and elders and underwear separately.

Washing one's hands is very important. Prior to handling food or dishes the hands are washed. In the morning the hands are washed right after getting dressed, before going to the kitchen.

The food bags will be put directly on the kitchen table, never on the floor. The things that can occasionally be on the floor, such as handbags and toys, are never put on the table. Even very young children know that feet and things on the floor must not be put on the table. The household pets have their own dishes that are always washed seperately.

The life of the Traveller people as of Gypsies/ Roma has changed remarkably over the last twenty years. Some of the customs of cleanliness have changed and some others are not in use anymore.

The Customs Of Chastity

Traditional Travellers have very traditional values and one of the reasons why many will not send their children to secondary school is because of sex education. The Gypsy community and Irish Travellers of different generations do not discuss sexual issues. Travellers have a bashful attitude towards sexuality.

A pregnancy or any other aspects regarding Roma/Gypsy women’s health is not discussed in the presence of men. This is also true for the traditional Irish Traveller community.

Pregnancy is hidden for as long as possible. Big scarves and loose clothing are used to hide the pregnancy. This does not mean children were unwelcome. Travellers/Roma love their children and grandchildren but they show that visibly only after the child has been born.

Religion

For the most part many Gypsy, Irish Travellers and Roma have adopted the religion of their country of residence and have always accepted a belief in God. Recently many have joined the Born Again Christian Church (Gypsies) and Roma the Pentecostal Church. Some Polish Roma are Jehovah Witnesses. Irish Travellers are traditionally Catholic.

The Concept of Justice

A certain system of norms of justice based on the community's inner views can be found in every community. Traditional Travellers as well as Roma have their norms of justice and morality.

Misconduct within the community is addressed within the community and the person who is found guilty of misconduct will receive a punishment decided by the community. Mostly the punishment is moral, a certain type of a loss of reputation. To some this may seem a petty punishment but in reality it works very effectively. In the Gypsy and Roma community the concept of honour towards other Gypsy/ Roma has been strongly emphasised. The reputation of close relative can also be damaged in case of misconduct. The collective nature of the punishment is due to the norms of the community that oblige one to take responsibility for one's relations and their actions.

The media has labelled some of the brawls between Gypsies and Irish Travellers as feuding. This view is misleading. Avoidance and yielding mechanism has traditionally been in place among Travellers. If serious damage has been caused to another person, the family takes all possible measures to avoid the persons who caused the problem.

At times the Traditional Traveller community have felt that they cannot approach the usual justice systems and this has been due to a lack of trust through the years. Nowadays there is a move to change that belief. Since the McPherson report on Stephen Lawrence Gypsy people need to be a part of police training in their ethnic and diversity issues.

About this section.

Part of the text in this culture and history section comes from "Guidebook for Health and Other Professionals" from Waltham Forest Traveller Education Service, itself modified from the Finnish model “The Roma and health services” - Guide for health professionals, 2nd renewed edition 2000, produced and created by the National Board of Education, Finland.

Our thanks go to London Borough of Waltham Forest and Janette Gronfors in particularly for allowing us to use this information in support of Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month.