Nevi Wesh
2024
This project is about a community of settled Gypsies living in an area disadvantaged by rural isolation and lack of opportunities, in the New Forest in the UK. While there is a lot of photography work on the few remaining travelling Gypsies, the fact is that 95% of Romani Gypsies are actually settled in the UK and do not travel at all. I wanted to address this fact.
These Gypsies face extreme, but generally unreported, prejudice as they seek to retain their own culture and heritage after their ancestors were forcibly settled during the course of the Twentieth Century, having previously been able to camp where they wished in the Forest and throughout the country. While some are happy to remain settled, some wish to take up the travellers’ life again.
I was lucky to have opportunities to build trust with the community, and then photograph with them, over two years, as a group and, eventually, individually, at their homes and in the forest where their recent ancestors would have camped.
The Romani name for the New Forest is Nevi Wesh.
I first learned about the Gypsies of this community when I was researching the changes in land ownership that have occurred over the years since the Enclosure Movement of the 18th Century (and before, in fact). Public land became “privatised” - of course to the detriment of local people. Through this I came to learn about this particular Gypsy community who were removed from the Forest, first into compounds, and later into what were actually called“rehabilitation” centres.
I learned that their descendants were still very much a community and reached out to Jane Peacock, a social worker, having read her Doctorate thesis “From Heathland to Housing”, which is entirely about this community. It took Jane about six months before she would take me to the pub to meet one of the core members of the actual community.
Jane’s thesis discusses many of the possible pitfalls academic researchers can fall into when working with disadvantaged communities and it struck me that photographers often fall into these traps too to the detriment of the finished work, while leaving subjects feeling exploited in some way. Therefore I was cautious in building relationships not to “promise the earth” and then “abruptly leave once the work was complete”. This seemed a way to ensure that the relationships remained equal, with the goal of being able to create a deeper, more honest body of work, less based on my own prejudices.
With this mind, I have spent a lot of non photography time with people in the community. A lot of the time was spent supporting individuals with problems, including one serious civil legal matter - I was pleased to act as a MacKenzie Friend to a litigant from the community. (It was through this in fact that I learned first hand what I had been told already; that is just how incredibly prejudiced the state is against those from gypsy backgrounds.)
Arthur and his running dog, Driller, on the Forest, where gypsies would once have coursed hares. Many of the families still keep fast dogs as their ancestors would have done, but there is no coursing allowed now.
Kids from the community play in the woods beside their homes in what seems an idyllic setting, and one reminiscent of past times.
In accordance with the old ways, a deceased person’s possessions will still be burned in this community, despite their now living in houses.
Jack explores the site of one of the seven compounds where his recent ancestors were forced to live during the 20th Century.
Frankie explores the site of one of the seven compounds where his recent ancestors were forced to live during the 20th Century.
Although families have integrated into wider society, everyone who grows up in the community knows their gypsy heritage. Those growing up Romani still look for modern solutions to problems like how to get to work in the next village in this rural setting.
Some members of the community still strongly feel the urge to travel, despite it being practically hard to do. But they will still take the opportunity to rest outside when they can, and many are tattooed with traditional Gypsy symbols.
In bricks and mortar accommodation, the old ways of living still take centre stage.
Two teenagers, dressed in hoodies and tweed hunting vests, stand side by side at the site of one of the seven compounds.
Heather collecting wood for the family’s annual picnic at the site of her ancestors’ camp site in the Forest.
Animals remain an important part of the community’s life and many homes have chickens and geese in their gardens.