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The Travellers ABC

‘Ye canny forget the Cant’

‘Ye canny forget the Cant’ is an alphabet of Travellers’ words created by Kelly Stewart and Jo Waterhouse with contributions from the Traveller community. We hope it will encourage children, their families and education staff to explore, enjoy and share the Cant language.

The Cant is said to mean ‘speech’ and comes from the Gaelic word ‘cainnt’. It is a vibrant, varied language, spoken by many Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities across the UK. It draws upon Gaelic, Sanskrit, Scots and Romany and there are different versions in Scotland, Wales, England and Ireland. It also varies between Highland and Lowland communities across Scotland.

A is for Adam’s bairns

A is for Adam’s bairns

A is for Adam’s bairns< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet Book QUESTIONSIn this picture Jo Waterhouse, the artist, has created a collage. The word collage comes from the French word coller which means to stick different things together. We usually do...

B is for Bow tent

B is for Bow tent

B is for Bow tent< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSHave you ever been inside a bow tent? Ask your family what they know about bow tents.  What were the good things about a bow tent? What might have been the challenges? What things do...

C is for Chavvies

C is for Chavvies

C is for Chavvies< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSWhat is a chavvie? The artist has put all the chavvies on a white background. Can you imagine where each of the chavvies might be (home, school, travelling)? Each of the chavvies in...

D is for Dilly

D is for Dilly

D is for Dilly < Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSWhat other words do you use to say dilly? How many dillies are in your family? ACTIVITIESCan you make a drawing or write a short story about your favourite dilly? ABOUT Dilly Dilly is...

E is for Eerie

E is for Eerie

E is for Eerie < Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSWhen do you feel eerie? Are there particular places that make you feel afraid? What about old or abandoned buildings or the woods at night-time? What do you do to help yourself feel...

F is for famels

F is for famels

F is for famels< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSThe artist Jo Waterhouse has created this beautiful illustration of famels. Can you tell how she has created the illustration? Do you like the purple background? Do you like the colour...

G is for Gadgie

G is for Gadgie

G is for Gadgie< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSWhat other names do we use for males? Do you know the Cant word for woman? What words do your family use for females? What words do your family use for boys and girls?ACTIVITIESDraw a...

H is for Horse

H is for Horse

H is for Horse< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSHorses have been used by Travellers for hundreds of years. Can you guess all the things that they have been used for?ACTIVITIESIf you owned a horse what would you do? Draw a picture of...

I is for Ill-tricket

I is for Ill-tricket

I is for Ill-tricket < Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSDid you know what ill-tricket means? Does anyone in your family use the word? Is there a character in a book who is an ill-tricket? What about a brother or a sister or even a pet?...

J is for jockey stick

J is for jockey stick

J is for jockey stick< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSWater is precious when you camp. Sometimes it needs to be carried from a burn, river or coo’s (cow’s) trough if the camp is not near running water. Where does water come from? What...

K is for Kinchins

K is for Kinchins

K is for Kinchins < Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSWhat other names do we use to say boy? How many kinchins are in your family? ACTIVITIESLook at the picture of a kinchin created by Jo Waterhouse.   What kind of kinchin do you...

L is for Learning

L is for Learning

L is for Learning< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSThink about what you learn in different places. What things do you learn at home, in school and outdoors? Who do you learn from at home? What things do they teach you? What is your...

M is for Manshie

M is for Manshie

M is for Manshie< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSLook at the illustration above by the artist Jo Waterhouse. Do you like the way the manshie looks? What kind of person do you think she is? How would you describe her.ACTIVITIESDraw...

N is for Neighbours

N is for Neighbours

N is for Neighbours < Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookABOUT NEIGHBOURS Neighbours are the folk we live near to. Neighbours can live in the house next door or they can have the pitch beside you on a camp or on a site. Neighbours are important to...

O is for Ockto

O is for Ockto

O is for Ockto < Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSSay the word ockto out loud. Does it sound like the word eight in any way? Can you count ockto using your famels? Can you trace ockto using your finger in the air? Can you find ockto...

P is for Plunkies

P is for Plunkies

P is for Plunkies< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSCan you guess what plunkies are from the picture?Do you have a favourite plunkie? What happens if we eat too many plunkies? Are you good at sharing your plunkies? Why is it good to...

Q is for Queen Esther Faa Blythe

Q is for Queen Esther Faa Blythe

Q is for Queen Esther Faa Blythe < Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSHave you ever heard of Queen Esther Faa Blythe? Do you know of any other famous Queens in Scotland? If you could rule for a day what would you do, change or improve?...

R is for Rag and Bone

R is for Rag and Bone

R is for Rag and Bone< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSWhat do people do nowadays with things that they no longer need or want? Have you ever changed something to make it look better or give it a better use? Has anyone in your family...

S is for strods

S is for strods

S is for strods < Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSDo you know any other words for shoes? Can you have a look at all the different types of strods that people in your house own. Do they have different purposes? What are they used for?...

T is for Tramplers

T is for Tramplers

T is for Tramplers < Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSWhy do you need your tramplers?What can your tramplers help you to do?     ACTIVITIESDraw a picture of your own tramplers. You could take a pencil and draw round them then...

U is for Uzin Rock

U is for Uzin Rock

U is for Uzin Rock < Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSWhat do you know about the elder tree? Ask an older person in your family about elder trees and find out if you knew that they were useful for making things. ACTIVITIESBecome an...

V is for Vardo

V is for Vardo

V is for Vardo< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSJo, the artist, has created three vardos and they each have different doors. Which vardo would you like to stay in? Can you find out more about vardos? Ask an older family member what...

W is for Weaving baskets

W is for Weaving baskets

W is for Weaving baskets< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSAre there any woven baskets in your home? What are they used for? Look at all of the baskets that have been painted by the illustrator Jo Waterhouse. Think about the shapes and...

X is for X Marks the Spot

X is for X Marks the Spot

X is for X Marks the Spot< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSWhere is your favourite place to travel to? Do you go camping or travelling? How do you choose where to go? Ask an older relative where they liked to travel to when they were...

Y is for yaffin

Y is for yaffin

Y is for Yaffin< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSCome back in September and see this new pageACTIVITIESCome back in September and see this new pageABOUT ADAM’S YaffinCome back in September and see this new page

Z is for Zzzzz

Z is for Zzzzz

Z is for Zzzzz< Back to The travellers ABCThe Traveller Alphabet BookQUESTIONSBedtime routines are different for everyone. For some, it means locking all doors and windows and ensuring anything electrical is switched off. For others, such as Travellers, it could...