What's the difference between a Traveller, Gypsy, Roma, and Wite Irish?

Question

Pardon my ignorance.... sources I've looked at are confusing me and I'd like to get things straight. :)

Are the words Roma, Traveller, and Gypsy used interchangeably or would that be incorrect? What's the difference?

And what is "White Irish?" Can they be "Gypsies," too, or are they unrelated?

Thanks a lot for any help!

I don't want to stereotype but someone who said they were "White Irish" look just like the "Gypsy Girl" from the Hunchback Disney movie but with lighter skin, lol... they dance, have black hair, blue eyes, and that pretty, exotic face. She sparked my curiosity, lol.

Answer 1

The term Gypsy, based on a mistaken belief that they came from Egypt, and sometimes used derogatorily, is used to refer to several ethnic groups of which the Roma are one. Others are the Jevgjit in Albania, the Rudari in Hungary and the Sinti in Germany.

Roma, which in the Romani language means "people", originate from northern India. "The Romani language is of Indo-Aryan origin and has many spoken dialects, but the root language is ancient Punjabi, or Hindi" The words Roma and Romani have nothing to do with the country Romania in which the Roma are called Tsigani (Gypsy)

Irish Travellers and Scottish Travellers are a distinct group and do not refer to themselves as Gypsies. Irish Travellers have been known as a distinct group since 400AD and have their own language called Cant, Gammon or Shelta.

In Ireland the terms Black/White Irish are not used and Travellers are mostly called Travellers or Itinerants, Tinkers is used derogatorily. The terms Black and White when referring to ethnic, cultural or racial identity in American seems to refer to whether the group or individual conforms to a certain criteria for acceptability into the dominating political or racial category. Others use the term Black Irish to refer to hair and skin colouring. So it depends on what personal definition you have of these words if a group of people fit into it.

If you want to read more on the subject see the sites below.

Answer 2

Roma is the name of the people often called "Gypsies." It is more proper and polite to call them the "Roma" than Gypsy which is often used in a derrogatory sense.

There are some Roma who have sleezy ways--drug and human trafficking, sales on the black market, etc; others who go on the trains and streets begging and stealing (especially pickpocketing and using children for it); but many are also very "normal" law-abiding citzens who just want their children to go to school and be able to participate in the community. However, even these individuals are being greatly discriminated against.

I am not familiar with the terms Traveller (except as a person who travels...a nomad is a person who wanders without a permanant home so some Roma may be nomads) or White Irish so I can't help with that.

Answer 3

By "White Irish," I'm guessing you mean the Tinkers? They were called gypsies, but weren't - they were poor Irish evicted from their lands centuries ago and earned their livings by travelling an trading around Ireland. Many have settled into communities these days.So they had similarities to Gypsies and were sometimes called Gypsies, but weren't.

Roma, or Romany, is a name Gypsies called themselves; implying descent from Romania. Gypsy comes from the word Egypt, where they were once believed to have come from (others say India).

North American Gypsies may not have been of Romany stock, or at least only a percentage. Some unrecognized, non-treaty Native americans, such as the Abenaki in New England, also traveled and traded, and sometimes called themselves Gypsies, especially at times when being an "Indian" could bring a lot more trouble than being a "Gypsy."

I'm not familiar with your use of "Traveller," but it sounds like the lifestyle of landlessness, travel and trade from the road.

Answer 4

This is just my own theory you understand. Back in my childhood of the 1940s sometimes a group of Irish Travellers would come by. Back then, these people were not called 'Travellers' but instead were more commonly called 'tinkers'. A 'tinker' is a trade, general repair and fixing things, including knife sharpening and etc. Back then, being Welsh myself, I saw these people as being very similar to myself - somewhat extravagant and in many ways quite often throwing all caution to the wind. You get this impression in such as "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" that some mad Celtic gathering is taking place. The warriors (the men) are busy fighting with the fists. They also race around on what appear to be very light and fast chariots in some locations. Then there is the massive wedding cake. Just cast your eye over the diamond ring given to Elizabeth Taylor by Welshman Richard Burton. No regard what-so-ever to cost or what may come tomorrow - now is what is important and the ring had better be big, loud and brash. And so it was. Typical Celtic extravagance. Now I thought way back in my youth, that these 'Irish Travellers' may have actually hit the roads way back at the time of the Irish Famine - yes I know, sounds crazy. But there seems to be no tradition of 'travellers' in Ireland before that time, as far as I can find out. So, my way of thinking is that the 'Irish Travellers' are not Gypsies nor are they related to any such. They are in effect pure blood Irish - or if you prefer, directly related to the Basques of Northern Spain as are 90% of the Welsh and about 82% of the English. That's the DNA evidence. But like I say, I am not an expert nor am I an authority. What I do know, from listening carefully to the 'Travellers' is that their way of life is rapidly coming to an end as they are squeezed out of sites and back onto the grass verges of the roads from whence it is easy to evict them. In other words, they will soon be gone forever and no one will know who they are or where they come from. My idea of them is probably close to the truth but we may never know. I do know this, they are Christians and deeply devoted to the Catholic Church where as Gypsies from such as Romania are much less likely to be. that it.

Answer 5

I am what you would call a "Irish Traveler", and my fiance is a dark-skinned Indian Romani girl.

all "gypsies" are similar in almost everything they do, no matter the culture or ethnicity.
There are many different clans and tribes all over the world, depending on the area of the world.
Hungary,Romania,Moldova, areas like these countries are probably Magyar-Rrom, which is what my girlfriend is, however she also has descent from the Banjara/Agnivanshi Roma tribe which is mostly in India.
I am a white "Irish Traveller" which is another form of Roma, except that we are correctly called "Rromanichal."
we all have different dialects, but all in all we are very similar no matter what tribe or ethnicity, religion, or place of birth, skin color, etc.

Many Rromanichal, are based around the area of the UK.
However I am in America.
Because I am white though, most people wouldn't suspect me of being Roma.
On the other hand, my poor fiance, because of her dark skin and clothing, is noticably Roma, and is picked on very often.

Roma is the correct word for anyone who is a "gypsy."
Traveler's,Roma,Gypsy are all the same thing.

Answer 6

I have heard the term traveler used the same as hobo. Hobo is a short version of Hoe beau.(I think I misspelled that) Remember the old pictures of hobos. They always carried their belongings tied in a bandanna on the end of a stick. The stick was actually a hoe that they used as migrant workers. It goes back to the 1870's.
If you read the original Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo, he refers to the Egyptians which was shortened down to Gypsy I don't know when.
I have never heard the term white Irish. My Mom always said she was Black Irish. She was very fair skinned and had jet black hair and very dark brown eyes. I have heard that this can be attributed to Moorish raiding parties on the coast of Ireland.
My wife's family is said to have Gypsy blood. They came from the Eastern part of Germany. I think that's why they left.

Answer 7

What Is A Romanichal Gypsy

Answer 8

they were all originally ,wanderers