The word gypsy brings all kinds of ideas into our mind, many of the images are from fairytales, books and films ranging from the mysterious but helpful tarot reader to the con artist or trickster. Gypsies are thought to live in groups within a colorful caravan or in tents. In reality, the word gypsy meant onlya wandering group of people called the Romani, or Romany, initially of Hindu origin and who appeared in England around the 16th century. The word gyspy itself comes from the misperception that the Romani people were of Egyptian origin.

Since the 16th century, the word gypsy has been applied to any group of wandering people, all of whom are frequently attributed with esoteric knowledge and/or troublemaking. A recent television series titled the Riches followed the trials and tribulations of a group of American Irish Travellers, who are also included under the umbrella term, gypsy. Sometimes, individuals are called gypsies because of interest or knowledge of the occult, or even for something as insignificant as they way they dress. So you see the definition becomes murkier over time as the word is applied to different people for different reasons. While the term, to most modern American ears, may not hold any sting, there was a time in history when it did, such as the English Law of 1960, Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act – which has been attributed with targeting gypsy, or Romani culture by institutionalizing certain prejudice. An episode of the television show House featured a patient from a Romani family – while the show is fictional it seems to show that there are still concerns about discrimination against gypsy culture today.

Later in England’s history, gypsies of Romani origin were recognized as an ethnic group to be included in the Race Relations Act of 1976.

While stories of gypsies and travellers seem like something from the distant past, nothing could be further from the truth. As recently as 1999, there were 329 public gypsy sites, and official counts of gypsy children living in caravans in England and Wales are thought to be hugely underestimated, partly because a portion of the population remains, as ever, perpetually in transit.