Both have a nomadic lifestyle but are separate ethnic groups.
There is much debate about their history, however Romany Gypsies are said to have their roots in India and came to Europe in the 13th century, while Travellers are mainly of Irish origin."
In 1970 I took Anthropology 101 from a woman who did her thesis on gypsies. They thought that below the waste was marime [dirty ike non gypsies] https://www.peterleeson.com/Gypsies.pdf
When I was a kid, there was a verb: "gyp".
Google does not call me racist for asking...
gyp1 /jip/ INFORMAL verb past tense: gypped; past participle: gypped cheat or swindle (someone). "that's salesmanship, you have to gyp people into buying stuff they don't like"
It must be because gypsies are white.
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. -Ernest Hemingway The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.-- Edward John Phelps
Early summer 2019 I helped catch a couple Romani shoplifting at the store I was working at. They must have given the rest of the group a pretty good description of me as a week later I was cussed out pretty soundly by three women I ran into at the convenience store across the parking lot. I'm guessing they were cussing based on the tone, looks, and inflection of their words as I understood none of it.
What Travelers we have around are no problem. I'm somewhat related to them through my grandfather and long ago let them know I will have nothing to do with them. The bad blood started when my grandfather died, his cousin stole everything of value from the house while the funeral was going on. That part of the family disappeared for half a century until that generation and much of the next died off. I unknowingly moved into the general area of that cousin's son and he looked me up. I told him to leave and if he ever showed up again he would not be walking away. Thankfully, he died a year or so later and the house he owned was sold to normal people.
I do, but that was about 75/70 years ago in northern Arkansas. They'd come through the tiny rural town in which I grew up, wagons pulled by horses. Camp at the fairgrounds for awhile. Do odd jobs, then move on.
Also, my paternal grandmother who lived outside Shefflield, Alabama, used to talk about the gypsies who'd come through that area.
When I lived in los Angeles, it was not at all unusual to see the Williams gypsies doing their "driveway" repair scam and the women scamming out the drivers at the freeway on ramps, using their kids as shills. .
There was an interesting movie made in 1978 called King of the Gypsies staring Sterling Hayden, Eric Roberts, and Susan Sarandon. Take a look if you can find it.
L.W.
Last edited by Leanwolf; 01/24/22.
"Always go straight forward, and if you meet the devil, cut him in two and go between the pieces." (William Sturgis, clipper ship captain, 1830s.)
I bunch came through our town in the mid 60s, and stole a bunch of stuff from my Dad's store. In the 70s they came through town selling junk, and coming back after dark to steal stuff they'd spotted during the day. That's when Gypsies stopped being quaint with me.
We had the King living near us growing up. All of those families under him lived in and around the same area.
Used car lots on 82nd Ave was their main source of income.
Watched them try to steal from Fred Meyers grocery store. Watched them try and lie about fast food orders, hoping to get more food for free.
Saw the shît cars idiots would buy off their lots, only to be told your SOL, you bought it, you own it now.
Had a Gypsy husband and wife live next to me in my first duplex I rented. They started a fire in their bathroom from a candle in a wall sconce that caught a robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door on fire....Smoke damaged my place.
They weren’t allowed by the King to go to public schools. Our school district threw a legal fit, once. They demanded the kid, who was at least 15 years old attend the 6th grade or face legal action from the district....The kid, who had hair on his face was sitting at a large table where 3 other 6th graders were seated.
The gypsy told the girl, sitting across from him to look under the table.....She did. Then she shrieked when she saw the gypsy had his Dick pulled out and was sticking a #2 pencil into his dick hole.
He was sent to the principals office. He never came back to school after his first day in class.
Like I said....The stories, I could tell.
Lol
🦫
Curiosity Killed the Cat & The Prairie Dog “Molon Labe”
Gypsies came through this area in the 30's, read a newspaper account recently (one of those "on this date" columns) of a couple of incidents of stealing.
The largest group of Travelers in North America not too far from North Augusta, SC (Murphy Village). Some of the houses are huge with several smaller homes on the property.
Early 70s they came through our town. Us kids loved it as the store owners would pay us to follow them around to make sure they didn’t shoplift. Would later also hear stories of the poor roof sealing jobs that they did for farmers.
I don't remember any in SW TN but I lived a sheltered life as a child. I have a friend who lives in a small village of ~2,000 people NW of Zurich, Switzerland (about 20 miles to us 'mericans) asked him about crime. He mentioned "Polish gypsies" who would drive into the village and steal from houses during the middle of the day, of course half the doors were unlocked. Been there several times, amazing place to live - seriously.
Around the time of the state fair there was a general feeling of watch your property.
I had a former carnie working in my department in the late 80's. He turned into a good worker and stayed with us until the plant closed.
Some of the stories were hysterical, knife fights over gambling and women (not much difference from normal mill folks). The rigged games: they went to a lot of trouble to make money and never seemed to make a lot at that. He was quite a character.
Around the time of the state fair there was a general feeling of watch your property.
I had a former carnie working in my department in the late 80's. ... Some of the stories were hysterical, knife fights over gambling and women (not much difference from normal mill folks). The rigged games: they went to a lot of trouble to make money and never seemed to make a lot at that. He was quite a character.
There is a new movie recently released about the carnies in the late 1930s, called Nightmare Alley. it depicts the cons, the shills, the grifters, the rigged games and freak shows, and the dregs of carny people who worked the carnivals. Stars Bradley Cooper as the ultimate carny con man clairvoyant and "mind reader."
Has an interesting twist at the end, too.
L.W.
"Always go straight forward, and if you meet the devil, cut him in two and go between the pieces." (William Sturgis, clipper ship captain, 1830s.)
