Mode of Program Participation
Community Organizing and Educational Programming
Participation Type
Paper
Session Abstract or Summary
Abstract
Tracy Whitaker
Appalachian Roma: The Handprint of the Gypsy
In first half of the 20th century the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia provided a home for traveling enclaves of Roma (Gypsies). These tribes left in their wake a lasting imprint on the residents of communities where they pitched their tents and traded horses, goods, music, medicine, recipes and magic. This article will be a summary of written, pictorial and oral stories shared by elders who knew the Roma families, those whose lives were touched by them, and of descendants who have heard stories of the gypsy camps and created images from their own rich imaginations. We will include artistic renderings and images of artifacts that remain with families in Appalachia decades after these wanderers enriched their lives through sharing their culture. The purpose of the article is to capture the story of the Gypsies of Southwestern Virginia and their impact on the notion of otherness..
Presentation #1 Title
Appalachian Roma: The Handprint of the Gypsy
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Abstract
Tracy Whitaker
Appalachian Roma: The Handprint of the Gypsy
In first half of the 20th century the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia provided a home for traveling enclaves of Roma (Gypsies). These tribes left in their wake a lasting imprint on the residents of communities where they pitched their tents and traded horses, goods, music, medicine, recipes and magic. This article will be a summary of written, pictorial and oral stories shared by elders who knew the Roma families, those whose lives were touched by them, and of descendants who have heard stories of the gypsy camps and created images from their own rich imaginations. We will include artistic renderings and images of artifacts that remain with families in Appalachia decades after these wanderers enriched their lives through sharing their culture. The purpose of the article is to capture the story of the Gypsies of Southwestern Virginia and their impact on the notion of otherness..
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Tracy Whitaker is a licensed clinical social worker and writer from Montgomery County, Virginia? Her childhood home was located across the road from a field in which Roma travellers made their home for more than a decade. Her childhood was filled with stories of the families of Roma who became members of the community and who were integral to her family's circle of friends.
Appalachian Roma: The Handprint of the Gypsy
Abstract
Tracy Whitaker
Appalachian Roma: The Handprint of the Gypsy
In first half of the 20th century the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia provided a home for traveling enclaves of Roma (Gypsies). These tribes left in their wake a lasting imprint on the residents of communities where they pitched their tents and traded horses, goods, music, medicine, recipes and magic. This article will be a summary of written, pictorial and oral stories shared by elders who knew the Roma families, those whose lives were touched by them, and of descendants who have heard stories of the gypsy camps and created images from their own rich imaginations. We will include artistic renderings and images of artifacts that remain with families in Appalachia decades after these wanderers enriched their lives through sharing their culture. The purpose of the article is to capture the story of the Gypsies of Southwestern Virginia and their impact on the notion of otherness..
