#izabesworld

To this who have followed my blog for a while, it has been a while! So hello, and thank you for sticking around 😃.

For those who are new, my name is Izzy and I’m a Rroma woman wanted to educate people on all things Rroma. I focus mainly on educating those on Peaky Blinders misconceptions and fanfic writing tips, but also share things about my culture, about Rromani culture and share traditions.

This time of year is a big part of the year for many Rroma men and women in England as it’s officially the time of the Appleby Horse Fair!

The Appleby Horse Fair, also known as Appleby New Fair, is an annual gathering of Gypsies and Travellers in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland in Cumbria, England.

The horse fair is held each year in early June, attracting roughly 10,000 Gypsies and Travellers, about 1,000 caravans, several hundred horse-drawn vehicles, and about 30,000 visitors. The Gypsy and Traveller attendees include British Romanichal, Irish Travellers, Scottish Gypsy and Traveller groups, Kale (Welsh Romanies) and more!

My family is under the Romanichal section of this list, or if you’re English you’d know us better as Romany due to where we come from.

Appleby was given to us by King James (the second) of England in 1685 - supposedly - and by the 1900’s became a huge thing for English Travellers are it’s a time of year for us to come together, share our culture and even trade with a spit to the hand.

The Appleby Horse Fair, despite being a huge thing in Romani culture, isn’t shown in Peaky Blinders, and would be an amazing thing to show in fan fiction.

At Appleby, we have markets and history, where we see each other vardo’s and horses, tell people family stories and even make family tree connections! We like to call it a big family get together.

There are so many things I could delve into when it regard the Applyby Horse Fair, so let me know if you’re interested in knowing more about it ! 💗 (Even as an anonymous ask).

As someone part of the Roma community, I’m trying my hardest to spread awareness of the struggles the Roma community face, and how to help people make respectful choices when writing pieces about us.

Hey! I have answered this before, but I'm more than happy to answer it again so thank you so much for this question.

History lesson first:

The word "gypsy" has a few origins in relation to Rroma, so I'll go through the ones I know and work through them.

The first one I'm aware of is the idea Rroma individuals come from Egypt. Many were unsure of our origin but knew we had "strong" features and darker skin. These traits are due to us originating in South India. So the first meaning of the word I know us gypsies from Egypt, which is factually incorrect.

Another reason I'm aware of is the breakdown of the words - to gyp means to steal (or in some definitions to gamble). Throughout history, Rroma as a group were deprived of recourses. Many of us were involved in slavery in Eastern Europe for 400 years, and others were sold in the Atlantic Slave Trade to the Americas (leading to the group Afro-Romani).

If you deprive a group of people of the basic necessities to live, they're going to bargain to get them, maybe even steal. During these times in history, we were known for stealing food and fabrics from richer members of society. Therefore, gaining us the name "gypsies"

It's also important to factor in other ethnic groups that also use the name "gypsy" when in referral to themselves:

1-We have Irish Travellers, to start, who are not Rroma. Irish Travellers are from Ireland and are a whole other ethnic minority. People often confuse Irish Travellers with Rroma due to their similar nomadic lifestyle. Irish Travellers allow themselves to be called gypsies as it was a self-given title centuries ago, inspired by the Rroma definition of gypsy.

2-We also have English Travellers, who are often confused with Romanichal. In England, people are often confused with the difference between English Travellers and Romanichal - and so was I (in full admittance) when I began educating myself on the different types of travellers.

While there are marriages and cultural similarities between English Travellers and Romanichal, they're not at all genetically or historically linked. English Travellers come from Cromwellian times. The English Travellers also have their own views on the word gypsy, and doesn't have any historical nor offensive connections to them.

3-British Romany "Gypsies". British Romany Travellers are a very specific type of Rroma. British Romany Travellers have been in England since 1515 when Rroma began migrating to Europe after their migration from India. They're the descendants of Romany migrants who emigrated from India - therefore, the meaning of the word gypsy to them is in relation to the British's (is that a word?) idea of them coming from Egypt.

4-The Romanichal (Romanichal Travellers) are a Romani subgroup in England and other English-speaking countries. These are not English Travellers as they are descendants of the Rroma who once lived in India. Most Romanichal speak Angloromani - which is a mixed language that blends together both Romani vocabulary and English syntax.

There are around 400,000 Romanichal worldwide, 200,000 living in the United Kingdom, 164,000 living in the United States and the rest living in South Africa, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

5-Kale (Welsh Roma). The Kale are a group of Romani people in Wales and are often descendants of Abram Wood who was the first Rom to live in Wales in the 18th century. There are around 700-1,000 Kale members of society and speak their own version of Welsh Romani.

6-Romani (also spelt Romany or Rromani depending on where you come from). Romai people live in predominantly Europe and there are around 2-12million worldwide (shocking 10million confusion I know). The language you speak as a Romani person depends on where you live, where your ancestors lived etc as there are hundreds of Romani dialects.

NOW TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION!

The short answer to your question, which I probably should've put at the start and not the end, is please do not use the word gypsy when relating to travellers as for all "gypsy" groups there is a more specific name used in regard to them.

The word gypsy (also seen as gipsy) is rather ambiguous in dialect use as it doesn't specifically shown who you are in referral to. While some communities such as Irish and English travellers deem the word okay to use, the vast majority of the Rroma community do not.

The word gypsy in reference to the Romani community has connotations of illegality and is known as a racial slur. In 1971, the world Romani Congress unanimously voted to reject the use of the word gypsy due to the stereotypes associated.

The word gypsy was used against the Romani community during significant human parts of history - the Holocaust, the Romani slave trade and the Atlantic slave trade.

HOWEVER

It's also important to keep in regard the use of the word, are you using it to write an 1800s piece? Is your story or piece of text historically accurate, and to use the phrase "Romani People" would be historically inaccurate as that isn't what we were called then.

Are you writing a piece that highlights the issues behind the word, where you aren't calling Romani people it, but instead highlighting the wrong in it.

Are you taking from a place in the early 1900s where Romani people called themselves Romani gypsies because that was the official documentation name given to us.

In summary:

Please don't go about calling Romani people gypsies unless in a historically accurate context.

I spent 20 minutes typing on this post, so thank you so much! I may have to open a window and I'm sweating like a dog in heat and need a break. You definitely gave me a lot of talking points (lol oops), but thank you for that also. All in all, I hope your answer is somewhere in this mess. 💗 May you have a blessed day!

Something in the Peaky Blinders community that has caught mine and a few others’ eyes, in the frequent and so relaxed use of the word “Gypsy” when not in book context.

As someone part of the Rroma community, having once lived in Romania, moving from country to country until we settled in England in 2008, I think it’s important to make it known to people who may not be aware before it becomes a widespread issue.

The word Gypsy has been used since the beginning of our communities in the North of India, where majority of us originated. The word has been used to enslave the Rroma community until the late 1800’s, it was used during the Holocaust to justify the slaughter and eradication the Rroma community endured and wipe out our community.

Between 200,000-500,000 (the records unknown due to the disregard of Rroma life) Roma and Sinti people were murdered by Nazi’s in the 2nd World War. Roma and Sinti people were sent to ghettos, Auchwitz, Dachau and Brikenau, which has a specific “Gypsy Camp”, made specifically for the Roma and Sinti communities.

Romani is not Romany, Romany is not Sinti. Rroma is an Indo-Aryan ethnic group that has a closed language. We wish that for the purpose of fanfiction, you do not attempt to learn that language as it is closed. The language has saved the lives of millions of Rroma through the years - being a symbol of our strength and integrity. If something were to happen to our community again, we would rely on our language to keep us safe once again.

Having Romani, Romany, Sinti or any other Rroma connection does NOT make you ethnically Rroma. Having Great-great grandparent connections to Rroma does not make you Rroma, for you will not be persecuted for living in a Vardo, nor will you be persecuted for the label on your birth certificate.

We want you to celebrate our culture, when you are invited. We want you to celebrate our dished and clothing, when you are invited. If you have a Rroma friend, you will more than likely understand a few basic words of our language.

In fan-fiction, it is expected to see the word Gypsy be used sparsely, giving context to the time period and the lack of regard for our community, despite the hardships. However, we ask you do not use it in reference to us or our people, fiction or not. We ask that when you talk about the Shelby’s as people, you refer to them as Romani, not as Gypsy.

We ask that you do not call yourself Gypsy in your usernames, for that is disregard to our culture and our people. We ask that you do not refer to yourself as a Gypsy in context of you like a person of Rroma descent.

We ask so little, but these changes can change the future of so many Rroma people. It can change the future of my grand-children’s lives, my children’s lives. If we understand now why Rroma are important, why we aren’t thieves, job stealers and lazy, we’ll make a change to the future and what may happen next.

Rroma has had so little rest, and we are still in a constant battle with the engrained systems that disallow us to do certain activities and events due to our heritage.

As authors on this app, we ask YOU to be the first to make that change.

Of course, any reblogs etc are appreciated, or if you choose to illiterate this piece into something else to spread to your friends on this app, we will also be entirely grateful. If the message is spread, maybe the next generation of will not have to be told the message at all.

Roma attitudes and how to present us in your writing.

The top of this piece primarily discusses negative stereotypes in writings, so you can understand why these aren’t really true, and the bottom has a header which you can read to see how to present us as we are.

FOR MORE READ THIS.

Do I think this piece will be groundbreaking? Absolutely not. Do I hope this piece will prevent AT LEAST one writer from making a common mistake in their writing? Absolutely.

I want to start of with Roma Family Loyalty. This is something people are eager to show in their writing, presenting family units as something that is powerful and strong, which is great. However, like all families, we have limits.

A popular mistake in Peaky Blinder fanfiction is the misuse of this loyalty. It’s not shown in celebration, we don’t see Roma characters celebrating character achievements to the small things like better results in school and moving up in a business.

However, what we do see is family loyalty in a way that portrays us as violent. We read about a family member killing a character, and don’t see the backlash the character should receive. We don’t see the distrust you now feel for that person, we don’t see the problems that now arise. Violence committed by Roma is such a common topic in fan-fiction, when in fact, it is very rare.

Of course, the Peaky Blinders series is filled with blood, guns and knives but it’s also filled with Aunt Pol’s love of God, it’s filled with Arthur’s character change, it has Ada’s moving on from old family ways for a better life for herself and her children. All things that would’ve been celebrated.

A Roma family would’ve been ecstatic to see the change in Arthur. It would’ve been celebrated and praised, not pushed off and ignored. It’s not something that happened over night, it required dedication and support from those closest.

You often see scenes in “Shelby Sister” series where the Shelby Sister in question is afraid of Aunt Pol and Tommy because she gets beat. When this too, isn’t a reality.

Of course, it does still happen, and I don’t want to dismiss ANYONE who is a victim of this time of punishment, however, in Roma it’s extremely uncommon. (We are more creative).

When in the series has Aunt Pol been portrayed as someone who beats Finn as punishment? When Finn smoked that cigarette, he received a tap to the head and a word later. He was not beaten, so why is it done in fiction?

Roma families protect their family, they do not beat them. (Still not trying to dismiss anyone who was a child beat by their Roma family, this is just an in general <3). DESPITE the times they lived in where this was considered normal.

We are not genetically violent. We do not grow and and think “guns are okay”. In our world, they are not. At the time, everybody owned a gun, however, we knew the consequences of using one. It wasn’t a first option, nor was it really an option at all.

Selling Family Members?

We do not sell family members. This one is a BIG one for me.

We do not get in debt with another Roma family and offer daughters to solve that debt. We speak to them… Like everyone else? I’m not sure where selling Roma children has come from.

We do not offer out children to random Roma families. We do not meet a wealthy Roma man and think, “yes, I will sell my daughter to him”.

Yes, we do have a history of arranged marriages, and they do still happen today, within reason. We do not marry happy people with happy relationships. We do not marry people who do not want a partner. We do not marry people because they’re “too crazy”.

We marry people with what’s best for them. We ask people what is that family like? Where do they travel? Is there any significant history in that family I should be aware of? Families spend MONTHS even YEARS getting to know the other family beforehand, asking around and getting to know them.

Esme and John was a one off thing, and was a marriage I don’t believe was presented right. The Shelby’s and Lee’s were already familiar with each other, having spent years of connections. Esme needed a husband, and John needed a wife. Esme was not quickly given away at convenience, do you truly think families would allow that??

Our whole lives do not revolve around spirituality and thinking we are being followed by ghosts. We do not live in a constant state of paranoia — it’s unrealistic.

Of course, we dabble into it once in a while, we explore what we can’t see and test the waters, but we are not running around believing there is a bad omen behind us.

Reading People.

Honestly, I do believe this is also something exaggerated in people when writing. We don’t sit and analyse you when we first meet you, but we do try to find out about you before we begin sharing details of ourselves.

We don’t go, “oh, she scratched her nose, she’s a pathological liar”, but we do go, “he’s quite fidgety, perhaps he’s uncomfortable”.

Yet we do still make mistakes, we are not upper beings who know all and do all. We do still make bad friends, and become close with people we do not truly know, despite the fact we thought we knew them.

We do still get in arguments and upsetting conversations, we are not immune to emotions.

Enough of the negative.

I’ll be blunt and honest, we do still make mistakes. We will still get in silly fights, we do still push people a little bit too far, which is normal, we are all human, no?

Roma feel emotions, we get sad when our day isn’t going right, and feel happy when our dinner came out perfectly cooked. We feel love for those closest to us, and feel an intense amount of care for them.

We have friends, lots of friends. Sometimes they’re only Roma friends, other times we meet them in primary school.

We have family celebrations, where we thank musicians by licking money (notes 💴) and sticking them to their foreheads.

We have horses, often not many but us usually a family will have one.

We are not natural riders. Of course we do pick it up quite quickly, having seen those around us do it so often, however we do make mistakes. We do fall off our horses, and we get upset when we do, because it hurts and we’re human. We do have good days with our horses, where we are content and happy.

We make AMAZING meals with cabbage, this could be a whole post in itself. However, we aren’t too good with cooking bread, (for some odd reason?).

We sit with our families and talk about our days. Yes there is secrets, but we do still discuss “why on earth have they changed that shop?”

I don’t do that, because I know the second I open myself up to the world, things become tough. So I stay on Tumblr having a happy little day.

However, with my for you page being Roma content, I often see things like these:

Imagine using racial stereotypes about ANY ethnic minority in 2023. Imagine still, in 2023, thinking it’s justifiable to hate any ethnic group just because… You don’t like them?

To be blank and honest, I really liked Season 6 for the entertainment factor, but didn't think it was all too accurate and played closely on stereotypes of our culture, rather than our culture in itself.