Irish Travellers are recognised in British law as an ethnic group[10]. The Republic of Ireland, however, does not recognise them as an ethnic group; rather, their legal status is that of a "social group"[11]. An ethnic group is defined as one whose members identify with each other, usually on the basis of a presumed common genealogy or ancestry. Ethnic identity is also marked by the recognition from others of a group's distinctiveness and by common cultural, linguistic, religious, behavioural or biological traits.
In Ireland and in Britain, Travellers are often referred to as "gypsies", "diddycoy", "tinkers" or "knackers" (although many now consider these terms offensive). These terms refer to services that were traditionally provided by the Travellers: tinkering (or tinsmithing) being the mending of tin ware such as pots and pans, and knackering being the acquisition of dead or old horses for slaughter. Irish Travellers are sometimes referred to as Gypsies in Ireland and in Britain (the term more accurately refers to the Roma people, represented in Britain by the Romanichal and Kale). The derogatory terms pikey and gyppo (derived from Gypsy) are also heard in Great Britain whilst the Cockney term creamer (rhyming slang of "cream cracker", hence knacker) is occasionally used in Ireland.
The Traveller lifestyle has often produced friction with local communities, especially in urban areas.
A recent report published in Ireland states that over half of Travellers do not live past the age of 39 years.
没有评论:
发表评论