So who are these people we call Travellers? They used to live mostly in caravans or mobile homes in which they travelled all over the country or into England. They have Irish surnames – Ward, Connors, Carty, O'Brien, Cash, Coffey, Furey, MacDonagh, Mohan.
What's in a name? The RTFHS website includes lists of surnames that frequently occur in the Gypsy and Traveller community. Gypsy surnames which occur in Surrey include Cooper, Matthews, Ayres, Smith, Green, Taylor, Williams, Brazil, Shepherd, Beaney, Chapman and Scott among others.
Genetic analysis has shown Travellers to be of Irish extraction, and that they likely diverged from the settled Irish population in the 1600s, likely during the time of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Centuries of cultural isolation have led Travellers to become genetically distinct from the settled Irish.
Clues that can suggest Traveller ancestry include: Occupations: tinker, tinman, tinsmith, whitesmith, dealer, pedlar, horse dealer, basket maker, peg maker, knife grinder/ sharpener, hawker, musician, and sometimes labourer.
Irish Travellers are sometimes mistakenly called gypsies. They have no genetic relation with the Roma people. In Ireland Travellers were also commonly known as tinkers, derived from the sound their tools made hitting metal when many Travellers worked as tinsmiths.
Common Gypsy names
You may have Romani, Traveller or Gypsy ancestry if your family tree includes common Romani or Gypsy surnames such as Boss, Boswell, Buckland, Chilcott, Codona, Cooper, Doe, Lee, Gray (or Grey), Harrison, Hearn, Heron, Hodgkins, Holland, Lee, Lovell, Loveridge, Scamp, Smith, Wood and Young.
Throughout Ireland. Cant / Gammon is a traditional language spoken by Irish Travellers. It is considered a creole language developed by Travellers from Irish, Scots Gaelic, and English-speaking backgrounds.
They found that Travellers are of Irish ancestral origin but have significant differences in their genetic make-up compared with the settled community. These differences have arisen because of hundreds of years of isolation combined with a decreasing Traveller population, the researchers say.
Romani communities are dispersed across all Australian states, with significant populations located in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. Around 14,000 Roma live in Western Australia, mostly immigrants from Macedonia and their children. Nearly all lead sedentary lives.
Traveler men are usually over twenty-one years of age when they marry, but their brides may be as young as twelve with the average being between fifteen and eighteen. An exchange of money, up to $200,000 in cash for the young man, is not uncommon among the more affluent Traveler families.
Ethnic status
Travellers are now as genetically different from the settled Irish as are the Spanish, he said. And if the small Traveller population is taken into account, they are still as different from the Irish as are the Scots. “Travellers cluster with the Irish but they are very definitely distinct from the Irish.
majority of Travellers are Roman Catholic and they tend to be devout in religious observance. The community retain beliefs about cures to be found in various natural phenomena, discussed below.
Irish Travellers account for approximately 0.6% of the Irish population, consisting of between 29,000-40,000 individuals. They are a population with a history of nomadism, where cousin marriages (consanguineous marriages) are commonplace and they are socially isolated from 'settled' Irish people.
Mhambi – In Zulu, this surname means “traveler.”
In the UK, it is common in data collections to differentiate between: Gypsies (including English Gypsies, Scottish Gypsies or Travellers, Welsh Gypsies and other Romany people) Irish Travellers (who have specific Irish roots) Roma, understood to be more recent migrants from Central and Eastern Europe.
Gypsum, common sulfate mineral of superb industrial significance, composed of hydrated calcium sulfate (CaSO4 ·2H2O). In properly-developed crystals the mineral normally has been called selenite.
Romani in Australia
There is very little data on Australian Romani; we don't know how many people identify as Romani or practise their culture. It is not known when the first Roma arrived in Australia; some claim that it was as early as the. late 18th century.
Gypsy Roma Travellers are not currently recognised as indigenous, but could be. These communities have distinct cultural practices and experience colonisation. These communities have higher mortality, morbidity and infant mortality.
Accept that the woman may return to her community – she may feel she has little or no choice. The Gypsy and Traveller community firmly believe that “marriage is for life” and divorce is rare.
Until they are engaged, teenage traveller girls are subjected to the 'grabbing' courtship ritual, which sees boys angling for a kiss.
Travellers and Gypsies pay taxes like everyone else. They may seem wealthier, however, this is more likely due to the fact that they are very hard working and invest their money in vehicles, caravans and nice furniture instead of hundreds of thousands on a house.
Irish Travellers are an indigenous minority who, historical sources confirm, have been part of Irish society for centuries. Travellers long shared history, cultural values, language, customs and traditions make them a self-defined group, and one which is recognisable and distinct.
Irish Travellers fiercely preserve their cultural traditions, which includes their distinctive fashion choices. By dressing provocatively, they ensure that their cultural identity remains visible and intact. This act of self-expression allows them to keep their traditions alive and pass them on to future generations.
For Traveller women it is 70.1 years, 11.5 years less than the general population. The life expectancy for Traveller men is 61.7 years, 15.1 years less than the general population.