A gypsy was a common term to describe Romani people or Travellers who mostly lived in Europe but originated from India. There were several groups of gypsies such as; Rom, Ludar, Romnichels, "Black Dutch", and Hungarian Gypsies.
The Rom came from Serbia, Russia and Austria-hungary and arrived in the United States during the early 1880s and ended in 1914. They also started the fortune-telling business in urban areas. Many of them were really good in coppersmith work, repairing equipments that were used in bakeries, laundromats, and other businesses.
The Ludar, also known as "Romanian Gypsies" came from the northwestern Bosnia and arrived in the United States between 1880 and 1914. They were really good as animal trainers and show-people. They created a village in Maspeth, Queens , New York that existed from 1925 to 1939.
The Romnichels came from England and arrived in the United States in 1850. Man of them worked as horse-traders. But after horse trading was no longer making any business, they relied on basket-making.
The "Black Dutch", who really called the Chikkeners came from Germany. They were many of them because they soon went along with the Romnichels.
The Hungarian Gypsies came to the United States with the easter Europeans, and they continued being musicians.
Some pictures of Gypsy Caravans & Gypsies (which I had trouble looking for) themselves
I was also a little confused about the gypsies at first. I thought they were murderers or something the way that they described them as being so dangerous. In the end, it's more of a case of high class vs. low class. The girls at Spence feel superior to the gypsies because they have money and stable lives. Whereas the gypsies are poor, often beggars, and remind me of carnies and street vendors (like the ones I researched for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn). The gypsies do not have the stable lives of the girls at Spence. They move from place to place, almost like modern nomads.
ReplyDeleteYeah I guess that's why they don't live in stable homes.
ReplyDeleteSo we all thought differently on what the Gypsies were, Edina thought they were animals, and Danielle thought they were murderes. I also thought they were like really bad people becasue the way they are explained in the book as bad people and stuff. But I guess not since the research you shared with us.
ReplyDeleteI always thought that gyspies were people that stay on the streets and bother people for money. They dont have real homes, and yes Edina, thats why they dont live in stable homes i guess. And i guess that it shows in the book that they are really bad people that are annoying to regular people.
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