Romany Life: Experienced and Observed during many Years of Friendly Intercourse with the GypsiesCuttriss, Frank
History
Romany Life: Experienced and Observed during many Years of Friendly Intercourse with the Gypsies
Cuttriss, Frank
Romanies -- England
Upon another occasion I came upon a Romany woman, who, with several
children and the inevitable lurcher, awaited at their caravan the
return of her husband who had gone into the village near with a basket
of goods. Neither of us had ever seen or heard anything of the other,
and yet within five minutes of entering into conversation with her she
told me she could tell that I was not a native of the district and that
my ancestors had lived in quite another part of the country, which she
described. This occurred as part of a friendly chat, no question of
fortune telling or the handing over of money being thought of on either
side,—the uncanny part of the affair being that her statements were
quite correct.
Telepathy may account for much, but I believe the gypsy employs it
unconsciously, and there is no reason why this faculty should not
be much more fully developed among the true Romanies, who are of
Indian origin, than among, say, the Anglo-Saxons. With the advance
of civilization it would seem that the faculty of telepathic
intercommunication decreases, for we find it highly developed among
certain Indian races, and almost non-existent in the forefront of
civilization. It is not contended that any one, gypsy or otherwise,
can pierce the veil obscuring the future of every one of us, but it
cannot be denied that the true gypsy seems to be able in some way to
gain a more accurate idea of the probable, than the average non-gypsy.
Moreover, the average gypsy has himself a belief that certain specially
favoured individuals of his race have limited powers of seeing into
the future, even I have been asked quite seriously at various times
to “dukker the vast” of some gypsy or other, and have been considered
unkind in refusing to do so.
[Illustration: “LIFE’S EVENTIDE.”]
I asked my friend how she dressed at Boronashimescrutan, and was
informed that she put a kerchief over her head, another upon her
shoulders, and was then ready for business. She said further that
she made a little money by talking Romany, as many of the Rawnies
from the Boro Gav were willing to pay something just to satisfy their
curiosity by hearing it spoken. To my remark that Romany was a very
pleasant-sounding language, she heartily assented.
During our chat, the husband had been occupied with what is known
as “chiving tulipen prey the chokkars.” He held a boot in one hand,
turning it here and there to the fire to get it thoroughly warmed, then
with the other hand he applied a large lump of suet which was stuck
on a stick, repeatedly warming the boot and rubbing on the fat until
the leather appeared saturated; after treating the other boot in like
manner, he rubbed and kneaded the leather to work the grease thoroughly
into it, so making it quite waterproof and supple. He politely handed
over the fat for me to treat my boots, for all of us in that camp had
worn wet boots for at least two days.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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