#romanisael

[tinyuglyworld]

Romanisæl woman from Norway smoking a pipe, 2014

[moominlandmamma]

There are some who argue that Roma groups (such as Romanisael and Kaale) did not marry outside of their respective ethnicities, or argue that Saami or Scottish Travellers, likewise, would not.

However, there are quite a few people like me - a product of several such unions. 

Roma have always been pushed to the outskirts of society - forcibly moved and hugely stigmatized. Groups like the Saami, have also experienced similar discrimination and racism. 

My mother’s side is Saami and Romanisael/Kaale (not sure exactly which) and my father’s side is Romani and Scottish Traveller. To me it makes complete sense that these groups would exist in similar spheres and would occasionally intermarry. 

I have yet to find any information or studies or ... anything at all, really, written outside of my own experience with this. 

Hur kan jag lära mig ett språk snabbt?

[moominlandmamma]

Bread / Crumbs

Kristina Johansdotter Påve (daughter of Mikke/Migaš (?) Jonsson Påve and Hilja Nilsdotter Kauura - don't know where the Johansdotter came from, should be Mikkelsdotter) became Kristina Johansdotter Lindgren (took her grandparents name? [she’s listed as barnbarn])

Sailed to UK, became Kristina Åsen.

Her daughter Edit (Ediit?) Åsen Lindgren was adopted by the Sutton family. Kristina disappears (but my grandma said she didn't... so I don't know what happened to her). 

Edít married Matthe Scott (son of Wiljam Scott and Annele Tajala/Tayaler).

Their daughter, Kristiiná Johanna Scott married Matthias/Matthe Sprot (son of Kristoffer Sprot and Ellan Bonta). 

Their daughter, Edit Sutton Sprot is my grandmother.

Benjam Lindqvist Wrigglesworth married Marja/Mary Elzbet Aslak.

Their son, Wiljam A Wrigglesworth (assuming Wiljam Aslak) married Elisabet Izabel Averje and they gave birth to my grandfather:

Robban Lindqvist Wrigglesworth. 

In searching the names, I found locations (sort of) for most of them which make sense given what I know:

Påve = Saami (Sweden)

Lindgren = Romanisael (Sweden/Finland - Lindgren in Sweden and Lindgrén in Finland).

Aslak = Finnish (Saami?)

Lindqvist = Romanisael (Sweden)

Tajala and Bonta = Northern Finland (Enontekiö, Saami?)

It's interesting because my grandmother and grandfather never really talked about their families. I knew they had language, culture, traditions different from my dad's side of the family, but they also tried very hard to be perfectly British. Sunday lunch, watch the cricket, read the paper. I knew, as I got older, that they were probably Scandinavian... but I never saw spellings of their names (and I’m still not sure of Robban and Edit... Roban? maybe Ediit? - but my grandfather went by Robert or Bob and my grandmother was always called Edie) When they did talk about family, they used pet names or nicknames (Will for Wiljam (but it was close enough to William), Ina for Kristina, May for Marja). 

Not that any of this really changes anything... I just want to learn more about where they came from, who they were.... who I am now... is that any different than I was before? I don't know.