Kale (Welsh Roma)
Kalá, Valshanange | |
|---|---|
 A Welsh Kale family, 1951 | |
| Total population | |
| 700 to 1,000[1](1991, est.) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Northwestern Wales | |
| Languages | |
| Welsh,English; historicallyWelsh Romani | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Romanichal |
TheKale(alsoKalá,Valshanange;Welsh:Roma yng Nghymru, Sipsiwn Cymreig, Cale) are a group ofRomani peopleinWales.Many claim to be descendants ofAbram Wood,who was the first Rom to reside permanently and exclusively in Wales in the early 18th century, althoughRomanichal Travellershave appeared in Wales since the 16th century.[2]Welsh Kale are almost exclusively found in Northwest Wales, specifically the Welsh-speaking areas. Romanichal Travellers inhabit South Wales (in and around Cardiff, Swansea and Newport) and North East Wales (in and around Wrexham as well as in parts of Wales close to Liverpool and Chester).
Generally speaking, the Kale have employed a tribal structure in which a group of several family units would be under the authority of a male chieftain. However some Kale families are matriarchal with a senior woman being chosen by consensus among the other women of the family to take the leadership role.
The Welsh Kale are extremely closely related toEnglish Romanichal Travellers,Scottish Lowland Romany Travellers,Norwegian and Swedish Romanisæl TravellersandFinnish Kale.[3]They are considered part of theGypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community.[4]
Language[edit]
Historically the Kale spokeWelsh Romani,though they were also (and remain) an important part of theWelsh-speaking societies of the areas they have traditionally inhabited.[5]
Originally the variants of Welsh Romani and theAngloromaniof theRomanichalconstituted a common "British Romani" language.[6]Both Welsh Romani and Angloromani share characteristics and are closely related to each other and to Romani dialects spoken in Scotland (Scottish Cant), Finland (Finnish Kalo) and Norway and Sweden (Scandoromani). Welsh, English, Scottish, Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish Romani share common ancestry from a wave of Romani immigrants who came to England in the 16th century.[7]
Integration into Welsh culture[edit]
While preserving their travelling lifestyle, the Kale grew to claim several aspects of Welsh culture, including theWelsh language,conversion to Christianity, taking on Welsh surnames, and participating in regional and nationaleisteddfodau.Notably, John Robert Lewis, the husband of Abram Wood's granddaughter, would win prizes for harping in 1842, 1848, and 1850.[8]
Another descendant,John Roberts(1816–1894),[9]earned the sobriquet "Telynor Cymru", and taught his whole family various instruments. His illustrious career culminated in a performance beforeQueen Victoriaat Palé Hall inLlandderfelnear Bala on 24 August 1889, on the occasion of the Royal Visit to Wales. John Roberts played with his nine sons, all of them on the harp.[10]
See also[edit]
- Romanichal Travellers(English Travellers)
- Romanisæl Travellers(Norwegian and Swedish Travellers)
- Finnish Kale
- Scottish Travellers
- Irish Travellers
Notes[edit]
- ^Jarman, Eldra; Jarman, A. O. H. (1991).The Welsh Gypsies: Children of Abram Wood(1st ed.). Cardiff: University of Wales Press.ISBN9780708311066.cited inClark, Colin Robert (2001).Invisible Lives': the Gypsies and Travellers of Britain(PDF)(PhD). University of Edinburgh. p. 109.
- ^"Welsh Gypsy, Welsh Gypsies, Kale, Wales".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-06-21.Retrieved2008-06-10.
- ^"International Traveller and Roma Day 2019".Parish of the Travelling People.Retrieved13 July2020.
- ^Acton, Thomas; Acton, Jennifer; Cemlyn, Sara; Ryder, Andrew (2016)."Why we need to up our Numbers Game: A non-parametric approach to the methodology and politics of the demography of Roma, Gypsy, Traveller and other ethnic populations"(PDF).Radical Statistics(114).Retrieved7 January2024.
- ^Brooks, Simon (2021)Hanes Cymry.University of Wales Press.
- ^Sampson. J. (1926)The Dialect of the Gypsies of Wales.Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- ^Bakker (1997) Review of McGowan,The Winchester Confessions,Journal of theGypsy Lore Society,Fifth series 7(1): 49-50.
- ^"Welsh Gypsy, Welsh Gypsies, Kale, John Roberts, Telynor Cymru".www.valleystream.co.uk.Retrieved8 July2021.
- ^Griffith, Robert David (1959)."ROBERTS, JOHN (Alaw Elwy, also called ' Telynor Cymru '; 1816 - 1894), harpist".Dictionary of Welsh Biography.National Library of Wales.Retrieved9 November2017.
- ^Roberts, E. Ernest (1978).John Roberts, Telynor Cymru(in Welsh).Dinbych:Gwasg Gee.OCLC4957891.
References[edit]
- The Welsh Gypsies: Children of Abram Wood,Eldra Jarman,A. O. H. Jarman,University of Wales Press,2011,ISBN978-0708323984