Nord-Troms Museum's exhibition ‘Then they came and stole our hessian string’ is now on display at the Centre for Northern Peoples. The exhibition looks at folk memories and prejudices about Romani/Tater in North Troms, and tells the 500-year history of the national minority people in Norway.
In Nord-Troms Museum's collections, there is little documentation of Romani/Tater people or travellers. This is strange, because many people are still alive who remember that Romani/Tater people travelled around annually, and some had visiting homes in the region. What happened to the Romani/Tatars in village books and local history?
A historian set out to create an exhibition about Romani people/Tatars in North Troms. She searched archives and magazines, books, photos and articles - but nothing was to be found. In despair, the historian complained to her boyfriend. He was a carpenter, and the carpenter had a colleague, and when the colleague heard the historian's complaint, he said: Oh yes, half my family are Travellers.».
The tension between folk memory and public administration is sometimes great. In 2020, Ingvild Larsen recorded places of residence and stories associated with travellers in Nordland, Troms and Finnmark. Over 20 places were registered in North Troms. The people here told stories about travelling families and individuals they remembered, about trade and friendship and about prejudices. In this exhibition, we are highlighting the folk memory of Romani/Tatar people in North Troms and exploring the reasons for the invisibility of travellers.
On Thursday 15 December, you will have the opportunity to find out more about the Travellers/Romani when the National Association of Travellers comes to the Centre for Northern Peoples in Manndalen. There will also be singing and music by Øystein Fredriksen and Peter Vang, as well as a tour of the exhibition.
Welcome to a very exciting evening! Free entrance!