Migration

Human migration is movement (physical or psychological) by humans from one district to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. (www.wikipedia.com)

Why do people migrate - there are a number of different reasons why people migrate from one place to another. The need to escape from persecution through war and ethnic cleansing, extreme poverty and hunger, slavery and displacement or financial gain.



Migrant Mother 1936, Dorothea Lange


"Nipomo, Calif. March 1936.
Migrant agricultural worker's family.
Seven hungry children and their mother,aged 32. The father is a native Californian."

Click on link below to read the article by Dorothea Lange about her encounter with the migrant mother.

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/migrantmother.htm



Net migration rates for 2008: positive (blue), negative (orange), stable (green), and no data (gray)


BBC News Article -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/world/04/migration/html/migration_boom.stm

Over the past 15 years, the number of people crossing borders in search of a better life has been rising steadily. At the start of the 21st Century, one in every 35 people is an international migrant. If they all lived in the same place, it would be the world's fifth-largest country.


Many people migrate as a way of life moving from place to place to seek out work during different seasons. They enjoyu this way of life and in many ways it is not dissimilar to that of nomadic cultures.

Folklore & Tradition - Relation Between People and Place

Another element concerning place and the relation between a physical space and its inhabitants is the culture and tradition that develop within an area. This can be based on the geographical and topographical nature of its place and the relation between this nature and those existing within it. Tradition is the amalgamation of routines, much of which consist of a relation between the land and the survival of the people upon it. England's rich history of farming and religion combined with the dependency on the land and the superstition of folklore has produced a wide array of traditions inherently linking the space and the people.

Sir John Benjamin Stone (1836-1914) photographed such folklore and traditions in an attempt to preserve what he considered to be an aspect of our culture that was gradually being forgot ton. These pictures depict age old traditions linked to harvest and superstition that are largely extinct today.


The 'Horn Dance' at Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire - visit to the vicarage, September 1899


Farm Workers at Perry Barr, circa 1990



The 'Kern Bride'

Historically gypsies and travellers would move from place to place in accordance with such traditions of harvest in order to work on the land. This benefited both the farms and the travelling communities. Today however many farms have suffered from international trade and large chain supermarkets and the demand for labour is much lower. Travellers therefore are forced to adopt other methods of work in order to survive and maintain their way of life.

Folklore & Tradition - Tar Barrel Rolling

In my attempt to uncover age old traditions as part of our culture I attended the annual tar barrel rolling in Ottery St Mary. This tradition dates back to the 17th Century and occurs every bonfire night to commemorate Guy Fawkes and burn the spirits of evil. It consists of setting alight wooden barrels containing tar, wood scrapings and paraffin. Once alight the barrels are carried through the streets of the town on the backs of the local men, who pass the barrel between them until it burns out. The event attracts thousands of people each year who fill the streets and square of the town creating a thick crowd that then have to avoid the burning barrels as they dart through the streets. This adrenaline filled event is reminiscent of Spanish bull running due to the collective fear and excitement of the crowd. When partaking in this event the herd like behaviour of the crowd seemed of another time, one that belonged far back in the zeitgeist of history resurrected each year.





The final barrel upon being dropped and becoming mass of embers and smoke is surrounded by the local barrel men who lock arms and sing songs. The smog covered faces and clothing of each man lit only by the red glow of the embers and surrounded by the noise of the crowd connoted some old age ceremony. The men look almost satanic in this moment, separate from the outside world. The hoards of cameras and tourists surrounding them become indifferent to the event. It is in this space that the tradition really lives on.

Road-side Dwellings

This is a large encampment situated next to a dual carriageway. The small plot of land inhabits over fifty mobile camper vans and buses, there is a tree house and what appears to be communal areas incorporated into the layout of the space. These travellers seem to have set up long term living arrangements with more substantial development visible on the land. The area itself is contained within a large fence which surrounds the enclosure. When taking these photos there was little sign of the people themselves but obvious effort had been made to secure the space from outside interference. There was a definite atmosphere that made me feel that they did not want to be approached and preferred to be left alone.





The gateway into the encampment showed further signs of more permanent dwellings; the district council rubbish bins and post box signify that the inhabitants may have legally acquired land rights and were more integrated into society, contributing to some extent. They considered themselves residents of a private community as opposed to the more nomadic travellers who move from lay by to lay by.



This smaller dwelling, not far from the larger one above is similar with regard to the sense of a more permanent dwelling. The gate and other structures are not easily disassembled. Being roadside there is visible effort to create some privacy, beyond the space there is a railway behind so that the space is effective secluded. The gate and use of foliage allow the actual habitat to be secluded out of sight yet unlike other encampments I have discovered there is a sense of homeliness and pride. There has been a conscious effort to establish a aesthetically pleasing and warm feel to the space; a gate itself is a restrictive barrier, yet the sunshine emblem detracts from these cold connotations creating a binary; 'we like to keep our land private, but we are friendly...'



This next space is much more temporary than the two above. Situated in a large lay by on a main road. It consists of three vans that could easily be moved at any time. Unlike the other spaces there has been no attempt to prevent access to the space although the positioning of the vans seem to connote an encampment which I would feel reserved about intruding upon. There is however no apparent attempt to uphold any privacy or make claim to the land.





In this camp a great effort has been made to create a warm homely feel, this has been achieved with the use of the trestle fence and the gents sign... Although like the sunshine gate these still function to create privacy but the same friendly sentiment is ensured. This space has been inhabited for as long as I can remember but by different people at different times. The play equipment suggest that there are probably young children resident and I would guess that this is a small family dwelling, unoffensive yet designed to be humble and private. Simply the character of the various furnishings in each case (this one and the sunshine gate) make them seem much more open to outsiders and friendly, something which is purely speculative and make not even be so.





This last example is situated down a green lane, a 'no through road' for vehicles. There is a small farm house and outbuildings at the end of the lane and various spaces being adapted for something or other at the beginning of the track. Although within walking distance from the town this area is the most secluded from public roads and pathways of all of these dwellings. The path is used by persons on foot alone as a shortcut from local villages into the town. The space did not have such a friendly feel due to large metal fences and barbed wire; symbollic of 'get out, private...'



This message 'pay ur debts paine' refers to a local man of the town who is accused of owing money, this is the second public notice of the accusation and apart from being oddly placed suggests that the person in question is living nearby but also enforces the cold unfriendly aspect of the place. I did not feel comfortable spending much time here as it seemed I was intruding and would be met with aggression if seen. This is also speculative and may not be the case in reality.