If you know any prairie gypsy history, then freelance writer Linda Ungar wants to talk to you.
Ungar wants to write a book on the subject, but there’s only one problem. While some older residents remember gypsies coming through town and setting up camps, no one knows much about the people themselves.
“My parents can vividly remember when the gypsies would camp outside,” said Ungar, recalling how her stepfather would get animated when recalling them, and how she could “almost see them in his eyes” when he talked about them.
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“He remembers the women with long flowing dresses and long dark hair, and that sometimes they would trade,” Ungar said.
Other than these descriptions, she doesn’t have much to go on. She received one callback after placing an ad for information in The Western Producer. That person had a vague memory of going to school with children who may have belonged to a family of homesteading gypsies. She has also contacted First Nations to see if their elders can remember anything, but has so far come up empty-handed.
“I’ve got lots of feelers out, and some people who remember, but nothing solid,” she said.
For Ungar, the biggest questions are “Where did they go and where are their descendants?”
To provide information on gypsies, call Ungar at 306-529-9937 or e-mail lindaungar@hotmail.com.
