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Who can resist the mysterious, romantic and often "bad boy" lure of Gypsies... Hollywood has painted such an iconic picture of this interesting and inaccessible culture.
soul's music, dancing
dressed in freedom and joy
feet caressing earth
In a tiny corner of the United Kingdom, there's another, much smaller kingdom that doesn't appear on any map...a kingdom within a kingdom...a Gypsy kingdom.
This KINGDOM of GIRELLYGOG's royal family is that of the fair-minded, gentle King Yoska Jinnypen.
It's a kingdom that's existed for about 1,000 years and throughout that time, it has been mostly invisible. Even here in their newest location, they continue to be remote and unknown to their British neighbors...they like it that way! They're one of the U.K.'s best kept secrets...this Rom or Gypsy town. (In the U.K., Gypsies are called TRAVELERS.)
They live just west of Givrngreskey, England now, but their roots are actually in the ancient Indian city of Drobwilanty... that's why they call themselves DROBS and call the center of their town, Drobwilanty.
It's a place I just happened upon and was fortunate enough to be welcomed by one of it's younger residents, then 19 year old Layla.
She took me under her wing, invited me into her home to meet her family (and extended family- there seemed to be hundreds of them,) and they've all been family to me ever since!
I'd like to share with you a look at the real Rom or Gypsy life, in Layla's words:
My ancestors called no place their own and everywhere their home. They lived in wagons (vardos) and traveled with the dawn.
They left little trace of themselves as they moved throughout the world. Today, we continue to honor our customs and traditions...our way of life. We dance to the music in our souls,
repeat the stories of our ancestors ...
and we sing the songs of our lives.
We tell fortunes to those who seek our wisdom;
several of us have started up our old repair businesses for the locals within and we just started venturing into neighboring Givengreskey...a major step for us.
Our livestock and horses continue to be healthy and productive
and new permanent homes are sprouting up like weeds all over our fields and valleys...
but many still prefer their tents and vardos. Most of todays Drobs walk in two worlds...our world and the one where houses never move. We're keepers of time lost, happily unconcerned with everything but our own here and now, our relationships and family ties.
Contrary to popular belief, social control is very important to us...justice, fidelity and morality are included in the Gypsy Code of Ethics. But, as with any small population, those who err stand out more than in a large population. Our days and weeks flow into each other without punctuation. The general population of the Kingdom of Girellygog ebbs and flows, but we are an ever-adapting, lasting entity. From the 335 wagons and homes I remember from my childhood, our numbers have dwindled to 97. But we continue to grow as other Rom wayfarers find us, arriving from all corners of the world.
Our kingdom...our community is small but strong. And Drob imaginations still spark with songs and stories of the past, sung and told with the rituals of the present, weaving a vision and language of the future. We're grateful that we're all free to live as we wish, in peace with one another and...little by little...our neighbors.
I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse of Gypsy life...it continues to fascinate me! The Kingdom of Girellygog, (developed for an online art group hosted by Trudi Sissons and based on extensive research on my part,) is a very real place IN MY IMAGINATION. Layla and I remain close and I continue to study and learn all I can about her amazing, colorful culture. Thanks for joining me...
xox,
abbyj
