Whats the difference between a Traveller, Gypsy, Roma, and Wite Irish?
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,
