Lost and found at Auchindrain: finding evidence of Gypsy/Traveller objects and agency in a place without stuff

Citation

Ramsay R (2017) Lost and found at Auchindrain: finding evidence of Gypsy/Traveller objects and agency in a place without stuff. The Stuff of Research, Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, 12.06.2017-12.06.2017.

Abstract
The aim of my research is to uncover the presence of Gypsy/Travellers objects and agency within Scottish museums, to examine the value of this presence and to discuss possible models for ongoing Gypsy/Traveller agency and representation within museums. Although there is much potential in discovering Gypsy/Traveller objects hidden in museum collections and stores, sometimes the losses and absences are just as interesting. When The Auchindrain Trust was asked in 2010, as part of a national survey, what Roma, Gypsy and Traveller artefacts it had its collection its collection, the Trust answered: ‘No Roma items as such, but three well-provenanced factual accounts of Roma involvement. The “tinkers”, as the people of the township called them, were much-valued and very welcome. They left memories which we’re happy to share, but no objects.’ This paper will look at the reasons for the absence of these objects and, from available evidence, the sorts of artefacts that may have been present. The paper will also look at the creative ways in which The Auchindrain Trust is working to ensure Gypsy/Traveller agency and representation within the museum. From interpretation to replicas, and oral history projects to the employment of Gypsy/Travellers, the Trust is rediscovering and reactivating the much-valued involvement that Gypsy/Travellers had in the township and translating it into the work that the museum does today.