Energía eólica

Whatever their origins, Gypsies and Travellers have retained very strong cultural traditions which differ from those of the sedentary population. Romanies have a tradition of extreme “internal cleanliness” – internal to the dwelling place and internal in relation to the body. Mochadi laws on cleanliness dictate that cooking and washing utensils are kept separate. Hands cannot be washed in the same bowl as crockery. Lavatories and baths cannot be shared with Gaujos11_{. Trailers are spotless and must be kept clean like the inner body.}

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Gypsy’s personal communication on Oct. 4 2009.

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Neither death nor childbirth, which are considered polluting, should take place inside a trailer, but preferably in hospital. In the past the trailers of those who died were burnt to ensure the spirit of the dead person did not linger to haunt the living. Animals are judged clean or unclean by the way they wash or eat (Okely, 1983; Hancock, 2008).

2.3.1. Patriarchal society

Gypsy and Traveller society is patriarchal. Greenfields states:

Within traditional Travelling communities, men and women occupy distinct roles. A couple do not regard themselves as being in competition, but part of a mutually complementary relationship, with the men being primarily responsible for supporting the family financially and practically – and women taking overall responsibility for the home and children (Greenfields, 2006:40).

As a Traveller stated,”In my culture the woman is the heart of the family, the man is at the head – what he says goes,” (Guardian, Aug. 14 2009). Siobhan, an Irish Traveller I interviewed in February 2009, said that women are strictly supervised and traditionally do not meet men unaccompanied, that it was inappropriate for a woman to be seen with a group of males and they may be embarrassed in the presence of Gaujo men. Unmarried women are often chaperoned by other women and at social events and gatherings are frequently informally segregated12_.

Women should dress modestly and abstain from sex until marriage13_{. Early marriage is the}

norm. A Gypsy or Traveller can take a Gaujo spouse but, though accepted, they remain Gaujo. The children of such marriages are considered Gypsies or Travellers (Okely, 1983). There are some indications that, as in other patriarchal societies, the power relationship between husband and wife is unbalanced and this can on occasion lead to domestic violence.“He’d just flip out, slapping me, kicking me. I just accepted it as normal” (Kay, Guardian, Aug. 14 2009). The first ever conferences on domestic violence in the

community were held in 2009. Solas Anois (Comfort Now), is the UK’s only refuge for

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Observations at Lewes Crown Court, June 2 2008 and Horsmonden Horse Fair on Sept. 12 2009.

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Gypsy and Traveller women but support groups are developing and“Women feel more empowered: change is coming” (Guardian, Aug 14 2009).

2.3.2. English / Irish differences

As well as origins, religion and traditions among the groups are different. Evangelical and Baptist missionaries, such as “Gypsies for Christ”, have been active among English

Romanies and Roma in Europe. Irish Travellers are predominantly Catholic. This can cause tension. When an English Gypsy played evangelical songs instead of traditional music at a conference, a senior Catholic Traveller walked out14_.

During my research, several English Gypsies to whom I spoke in Northshire, Southshire and Westborough indicated feelings of resentment towards Irish Travellers. English Gypsies prefer to live and travel in small family units whereas Irish Travellers tend to travel in large convoys. The large convoys cause greater antagonism with the mainstream settled population and the Romani Gypsies feel this makes their own acceptance by the settled community harder (Northshire, TES officer: July 29 2005).

The two groups tend to avoid sharing sites. If, in one area of Northshire, local Gypsies see Irish Travellers looking around for somewhere to stop, “an old man who is a very

traditional Gypsy will see them off” (Northshire, TES officer: July 29 2005). The dislike of the Irish by the English Gypsies does not appear to be reciprocated. Evidence from families stopping temporarily in Westborough suggests this antagonism may be changing and there is some intermixing and intermarriage.

Key principles of nomadism are self-employment, adaptability, flexibility and knowledge of a multitude of trades (Okely, 1983; Kenrick and Clark, 1999). Traditionally the family is the economic unit, which rarely employs others. Gypsies and Travellers also avoid being employees, though poverty or wealth can bring exceptions. Interviewing Gypsies in Cambridgeshire, Bowers (2004) found that aspirations tended to be for material wealth rather than social status. Nearly half those he interviewed wanted to be self-employed.

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Romani English Gypsy girls were more likely to think in vocational terms than Irish Traveller girls who anticipated a life caring for family and children. Diversity and a multiplicity of occupations have been Gypsy and Traveller strengths, but the economic advantages of mobility and employment are counter balanced by political and legal

constraints on travelling (Okely, 1983; Kenrick and Bakewell, 1995). The increased tension over the last few decades has, in part, been the result of increased industrialisation. Fruit picking and seasonal farm work has declined, necessitating moving into urban areas to find work. Current trades are tarmacking, scrap metal collecting, tree cutting and “calling” – door to door selling. “Calling” is now threatened due to new legislation requiring callers to register. Until recently Gypsies and Travellers rarely fell back on the state preferring to “look after their own”; however many of those on official sites now draw benefit

(Interview, Forrest: 2004).

Belton (2010:39) maintains that Gypsy identity is not a “one dimensional social or ethnic type” but complex and “ever changing as ideas and people themselves adapt to, develop and incorporate and their environment over time.” Most settled people assume all Gypsies and Travellers travel. For many Gypsies and Travellers travelling is deeply embedded as a way of life and an emotional, psychological and cultural imperative (OPM, 2010) and if they have an authorised pitch many park up in the winter months and travel in the summer, but Gypsies and Travellers cannot be identified solely by their travelling status. While some adapt to housing, others find living in houses claustrophobic and, for some, sedentarism is associated with assimilation (Levinson, 2004:712-714). Others who move into housing maintain their distinctive cultural beliefs and practices and continue to identify as Gypsies or Travellers. Though they may have travelled, many have long standing links to particular geographical areas and they refer to each other as from particular counties. A family from Australia returned recently to the area in Northshire where they had previously lived and had local connections. An ex-policeman remarked that there were 200 Gypsy families in Southshire. A family of Irish Traveller heritage named their private site after their place of birth in Ireland.

An issue of major importance is health. Gypsies and Travellers have the lowest health and education indices of any group in the UK. They have a higher incidence of long term

illness, a higher number of miscarriages and greater child mortality. The mortality rate of Gypsy and Traveller children under one is twice that of children in the mainstream settled community (Johnson and Willers, 2004). Lack of proper site provision, overcrowding and lack of basic hygiene lead to poor health; yet statistics show higher rates of ill health among housed Gypsies and Travellers than those on sites. In Ireland, the life expectancy of women is 11.9 years less than the average and 9.9 years less for men (Parry, 2004). The statistics are supported by anecdotal evidence. In the few years I have been involved, three Gypsies I knew died and another has a sister of thirty-five dying of septicaemia. There was a still birth on one of the permanent sites. Close relatives of two people I know committed suicide and the son of one was killed.