Nomads
In the Walkabout setting there are nomads who derive a lot of their culture from the ways of the gypsy people and travellers who have existed on the fringes of society throughout history. Have these people simply appropriated the culture of a lost people, or are they proud of an ancient heritage? It's hard to tell...but the settled survivors of the world view them with distrust in much the same way that modern settled people view travellers with distrust. They aren't subject to the same laws as everyone else, they are free spirits.
I know a Hungarian, if you mention the word 'Gypsy' to him, he starts on a five minute monologue about how they are the scum of the earth, criminals who don't deserve to live, and far worse. I know other people who view gypsies with a romantic eye. The truth is probably somewhere between these, and the stereotypes are clearly only a fragment of the whole (like every other stereotype).
I've just found an interesting article about a modern culture that takes a spin on the gypsy/traveller mythos...
...certainly food for thought.
.png)
Comments