Difference Between Nomad and Gypsy (With Table)

Nomad and Gypsy are both a group of people who travel from place to place and never stays at one place for a long time. Nomads move in a pattern, but a gypsy moves from place to place in a carnival. Gypsy is normally referred to as a traveler to move with a carnival.

Nomad vs Gypsy

The main difference between Nomad and Gypsy is Nomad moves from place to place but in the same areas, and Gypsy are those people who belong to India but travel to other places with a carnival. Gypsy has fixed habitation, but Nomad does not have a fixed habitation. Nomads are different types. Nomads do travel in the same locations seasonally.

A nomad is a person who belongs to a community that does not have a fixed habitation. They move from one place to another, but they do this in a pattern. They move from the same place to another place. They do this because they give time to the places so that the habitation again grows within the time and the habitation does not go extinct.

Gypsy are Romani people. They have their roots in India. They are the member of the tribe who do not have a permanent location. They are the people who share a wandering lifestyle. They roam around the country. Gypsies belong to the nomadic tribe, Roma. They also worship the goddess Kali.

Comparison Table Between Nomad and Gypsy

Parameters of Comparison

Nomad

Gypsy

Definition

A person who moves from place to place without carnival in the same locations.

A person who moves to different places with a carnival.

Fixed Route

Yes

No

Region

Mountains, green grassy areas

Posh area

Profession

Hunter, gatherers

Play writer, composer

Densely populated

Sometimes

Yes

Carnival

Without

With

What is Nomad?

A nomad is a person who does not settle in one place. They move from one place to another place to find food. They move seasonally. They move on foot or by animal. They travel using camels or horses. Nomads may have homes in different places, and some may be homeless.

Nomads do this in search of food, water, and plants. Some Nomads travel from one camp to another for hunting and collecting wild plants. Pastoral Nomads move with herds so that they get to eat. They move from one pasture to pasture. They raise their living through their animals.

Nomads travel in groups. They may have tied up informal agreements. The Nomad may be in marriage ties. The decisions in the tribe are made by male people only. Some tribal groups have a chief, but predominantly, the decisions are taken by males only. Mongolian nomads are the group who travel only two times a year.

They move only in summer and winter. They move to the mountains during the winter season. These locations are fixed. The shelter is fixed for animals, and the family does not use the shelter. They move to an open area so that their animals can graze on the grass.

What is Gypsy?

Gypsies are the people who travel from one place to different places. They were believed to belong to India. They worship the goddess Kali. The modern-day Gypsies belong to the nomadic tribe, which is called Roma. They are also believed to originate from Egypt when they spread in the European countries.

Roma is the group that believes that their ancestors belong to an ancient warrior class. This warrior class was in Punjab. This highlights that the ancestors of the Punjab warrior class were there during Mohenjo Daro time. It was the first town that was made in the Indus valley civilization.

There was research done through a DNA sample that confirmed that the Gypsies of Europe had genes of Northern India. There is a belief that due to so many invasions in India made the tribe go and settle somewhere else. They spread to Greece, Europe, and Turkey. They even went to Spain, Morocco, and Russia.

They have been amazing poets, composers, and even playwriters. Even Shakespeare created the characters like Cleopatra and the dark lady in his sonnets inspired by Gypsy. They prefer to call Romany, and their language originated from Sanskrit.

Main Differences Between Nomad and Gypsy

  1. Nomad moves from one place to another, but a Gypsy is a group found in America and Europe.
  2. Nomad returns to a fixed place, but Gypsy does not return to a fixed place.
  3. Nomadism is found in infertile regions, but Gypsy is found in a large community place.
  4. Nomads are hunter-gatherers, but Gypsy is Romani.
  5. Nomads can be found in densely populated and are known as Peripatetic Nomads, but Gypsy is normally found in densely populated areas.
  6. Nomads move from place to place without carnival but Gypsy travel with a carnival.  

Conclusion

Nomad returns to a fixed place, but Gypsy does not return to a fixed place. They travel using camels or horses. Nomads move from place to place without the carnival. The decisions are taken by males only. The shelter is fixed for animals, and the family does not use the shelter. Some Nomads travel from one camp to another for hunting and collecting wild plants.

Nomadism is found in infertile regions. They move from one place to another place in search of food. They move seasonally. Nomads are hunter-gatherers. They move from one pasture to pasture. They move only in summer and winter.

The modern-day Gypsies belong to a nomadic tribe which is called Roma. Gypsy is a group found in America and Europe. Gypsy is Romani. Gypsy travel with a carnival. Gypsies are normally found in densely populated areas. Gypsy does not return to a fixed place. Gypsies are found in a large community place.

Mohenjo Daro was the first town during the Indus valley civilization. This highlights that the ancestors of the Punjab warrior class were there during Mohenjo Daro time. There is a belief that due to so many invasions in India made the tribe go and settle somewhere else. They were believed to belong to India.

References

  1. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Greg_Richards3/publication/324972769_1_Drifting_Towards_the_Global_Nomad_Backpacker_Travel_in_Theory_and_Practice/links/5cfcbff592851c874c59a0ed/1-Drifting-Towards-the-Global-Nomad-Backpacker-Travel-in-Theory-and-Practice
  2. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=h9H1Cb_4nTcC&oi=fnd&pg=PA7&dq=gypsy&ots=oCPFa8X-83&sig=fg3jr6a7W3A7HexVx74rzBLQ-cA