Gypsy Travellers are largely absent from history or misrepresented and mythologised in our culture and folklore — often in the crudest and most damaging of ways. Their story is often untold or misunderstood, reinforcing their marginalisation in society with denial of identity, visibility and respect.
In 2017 Iriss produced a pictorial history (borne out of an earlier Insight — Gypsy Travellers: Human rights and social work’s role), that set out to tell the story of Gypsy Travellers in Scotland. That story begins in the 10th century with their Indic origins and takes us right through to the present day. The timeline was available in limited numbers as a large fold-out document, designed to be used as an educational resource either in table-top environments or as a wall-chart.
Attached below is a simplified PDF version of the timeline, and above is a short animation covering the main parts of the story. All research and original artwork for this timeline has been produced by Shamus McPhee , a Gypsy Traveller. Preface by Kerry Musselbrook.