Help learn more about the origins of Scottish Gypsy/Travellers

If you have traveller connections in Scotland, this University of Edinburgh project may be of interest:

Help learn more about the origins of Scottish Gypsy/Travellers

People with at least two grandparents from the Traveller community are being asked to take part in a new genetic study, which aims to shed light on their origins.

The research will provide a unique opportunity to understand how Scottish Travellers relate to Irish Travellers, English Gypsies and Welsh Kale, as well as their settled neighbours. Some 400 people are being invited to join the study (from any of these communities), which will also seek to understand patterns of health – including any genetic risk factors  - in the Traveller communities.

Representatives of the community asked researchers at the University of Edinburgh to carry out the study, as there has been no genetic research involving Scottish Travellers.

Everyone who takes part in the University of Edinburgh study will complete an online questionnaire about their health and lifestyle. They will also be asked to return a saliva sample by post, which will be used for genetic analysis by researchers.

People who would like to take part can register their interest by visiting the study website: www.ed.ac.uk/travellergenes.

More details are available on the project webpage. https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2021/study-seeks-to-better-understand-traveller-heritag

(Thanks to Ali MacDonald via the Scottish Genealogy Network)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month 2021

This month is Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month 2021, which has the following aims:

Every June since 2008, people from across the UK have celebrated Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month. Through celebration, education and raising awareness, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month helps to tackle prejudice, challenge myths and to amplify the voices of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers in wider society. 

This year, we plan to mark Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month using the theme #MakeSomeSpace. For example, we’re asking:

- Councils to make some space for Gypsies and Travellers to stop in their area
- Teachers to make some space in their teaching time to focus on the histories, cultures or present realities of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people
- People working in TV and the media to make some space in TV and film for authentic portrayals of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people
- Allies to make some space in their days to educate themselves on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller histories and cultures and how to support Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people to uphold their rights

We would love if you would join with us in this! 

A range of teaching resources for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month 2021 is available at https://www.gypsy-traveller.org/heritage/gypsy-roma-and-traveller-history-month-2021/. These include education packs for the general public and schools, but also of language and key dates. 

For Scotland and Ireland, for example, there is an interesting section on the use of the Irish Cant (the Mincéir Thari of the Irish travelling community) and Scottish Cant (spoken between Scottish Gypsy Traveller or Nacken people), as well as one on the Romani language, available at https://www.gypsy-traveller.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GRTHM-Language-cards-2.pdf. 

A dedicated history poster is also available at https://www.gypsy-traveller.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GRTHM-History-timeline-2-1.pdf.

Miro nav si Chris !

Mydil munika Chris !

Update: Don't forget also that there is a Romany & Traveller Family History Society at http://rtfhs.org.uk !

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.