A little Gypsy History.
The first Gypsies claimed to be the Christian nobility of Egypt, who had abandoned their possessions in order to retain their faith when the Muslims gained power. They were believed for a good period.
However, linguistic evidence strongly demonstrates that they actually originated in India, and moved west, migrating through the middle east into Europe. Although the Gypsy’s call themselves ‘Rom’ and their language is known ‘Romani’, the Romani language known as Romanian. Romani been shown to be closely related to groups of languages and dialects still spoken in India and the same origin as sans grit.
They were often described as dark-skinned magicians, entertainers, smiths, horse breakers and other skilled trade workers. There is also a good possibility that they originated belly dancing.
Usually living in tents, the Gypsy wagons are a recent introduction. The wagons date from the 18th and 19th century. Before that they traveled by foot and horseback, setting up tents by night.
Reliable periods of information is sadly lacking the only people writing about them were the ones who wanted rid of them at all costs. The 15th Century really saw the ball rolling. Because of this, Gypsy’s have remained very secluded and secretive, ‘cultural tainting’ has been comparatively low, and modern practices may well reflect medieval practices.
In France it was thought that these people cam from Bohemia and thus were called Boheme’s’. There are Elizabethan laws against acting or dressing ‘as an Egyptian’ which from description are what seems to call Gypsy’s. It is quite possible that the word ‘Gypsy’ came into use as an abbreviation of Egyptian somewhat later the arrival of Rom in England.
The Rom began to came to the united states from England, in 1850. Their arrival coincided with an increase in the demand for draught horses in agriculture, and then urban transportation. Many Rom worked as horse traders, both in the travel-intensive acquisition of stock and in long term urban sales stable enterprise. After a rapid decline in the horse trade, following the first world war. Most Rom relied on what was previously secondary enterprises, such as basket making, and including the manufacture and sale of rustic furniture, and fortune telling.
The Rom arrived in the United States and Canada from Serbia, Russia, and Austria-Hungary, beginning in the 1980’s, as [art of the larger wave of immigration restrictions. May in this group specialized in coppersmith work, mainly the repair and refining of industrial equipment used in bakeries, laundries, confectioneries and other business in urban areas.
The Ludar, or “Romanian gypsies” emigrated from North America they specialized as animal trainers, and show people and show bears and monkeys were a common part of their baggage. Only a handful of items have been published, beginning in 1902. The ethnic language of Ludar is a form of Romanian. They are occasionally referred to as Ursari in the literature.
Gypsies from Germany, generally referred to in the literature as Chickener’s, sometimes refer to themselves as ‘Black to have largely assimilated with the Romanicahel culture. In the past, known as horse traders and basket makers, some continue to provide baskets to US Amish and Mennonite communities. The literature on this is very sparse and unreliable.
The Hungarian musicians also came to this country with the Eastern Europe immigration. In the united states they continued as musicians to the Hungarian and Slovak immigrant settlements, and count the musical tradition of a basic cultural element.
The Irish travelers immigrated, like the Romanicahel’s, from the mid to late 19th Century. The Irish travelers specialized in the horse and mule trade, as well as in itinerant sales of goods and services; that latter gained in importance after the demise of the horse and mule trade. The literature also refers to this group as Irish Traders or, sometimes Tinkers. Their Ethnic language is referred to in the literature as Irish Traveler can’t.
The present population of Scottish travelers in North America, from about 1850, although the 18th Century transportation, records appear to refer to this group. Unlike that of other groups. Scottish travelers have continued to travel between Scotland and and north America, as well as between Canada and the united states, after immigration. Scottish travelers also engaged in horse trading but since the first quarter of the 20th Century have specialized in the internet sales and services.