Scottish Traveller Education Programme
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Gypsies and Travellers in Scotland: Frequently Asked QuestionsBelow is some guidance in response to frequently asked questions about Gypsies/Travellers.
Visit the education FAQ page to find answers to questions often asked by teachers and schools.
Who are Gypsies and Travellers in Britain?There are several different groups of Travellers in Britain. These include: English Gypsies, sometimes called Romanies or Romanichals Irish Travellers (see Irish Traveller Movement site; Pavee Point Travellers Centre site) Travellers from other parts of the world, in particular from Europe. Many of these, such as Scottish Gypsies/Travellers and English Gypsies have been Travellers here for centuries. Others, for example, European Roma/Gypsies may have come in the 2Oth Century as a result of persecution in their countries. Hundreds of thousands, even approaching a million European Gypsies were subjected to medical research and killed in the Holocaust. In more recent years Gypsies in Europe have continued to be persecuted. In Eastern Europe during Communism many were forcibly housed and employed; their children were educated inappropriately in special schools and their culture disparaged. Since then although some governments in Eastern Europe are developing more progressive educational policies there has been a sharp rise in public hostility and violence towards Roma. Who are Gypsies and Travellers in Scotland?
Are you still a Traveller if you live in a house?Many Gypsies and Travellers in Scotland live all or most of the year in houses but still feel themselves to be Travellers. Many Travellers found that they could not sustain their livelihood on the road any more as patterns of countryside employment changed. Others live in houses because of access to health services or education. What is the difference between a Gypsy and a Traveller?Travellers in Britain use different names to describe themselves. See the "Gypsies and Travellers in Scotland" page.
Are some people 'real' Gypsies?There is no difference between groups of Gypsies/Travellers that make some more 'real' or authentic than others. [Scottish Gypsies/Travellers] are like other British and European groups an ethnic minority group which share some common history and culture and whose ancestors probably include travellers from India who came to Europe in the 16th century but who married and worked with those such as Scottish 'tinklers', who were already working and living on the road in the countries they came to. These itinerant workers may have included people driven from the land during the 18th century Clearances. Some Scottish Gypsies /Travellers believe that they are partly descended from Egyptian slaves who were abandoned when the Romans left Britain.
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| STEP: Scottish Traveller Education Programme tel: 0131 651
6444; fax: 0131 651 6511
page updated 21 July 2004 |