| Group: | Kale |
| Native Name: | Kalé, Kalá, Valshanange |
| Total: | 700 to 1,000 |
| Total Year: | 1991 |
| Total Source: | estimate |
| Total Ref: | [1] |
| Regions: | Northwestern Wales |
| Languages: | Welsh, Welsh Romani and English |
| Religions: | Christianity |
| Related Groups: | Romanichal |
The Kale pronounced as /[kɑː leɪ]/ (also Kalé, Kalá, Valshanange; Welsh: Roma yng Nghymru, Sipsiwn Cymreig, Cale) are a Romani subgroup predominantly found in northwestern Wales, specifically in the Welsh-speaking areas. Many Kale claim to be descendants of Abram Wood, the first Rom to reside permanently and exclusively in Wales in the early 18th century, although Romanichal have appeared in Wales since the 16th century.[2] Romanichal inhabit South Wales (in and around Cardiff, Swansea and Newport) and North East Wales (in and around Wrexham as well as in parts of Wales close to Liverpool and Chester).
The Kale were traditionally renowned musicians, and are reported to have introduced the fiddle to Wales.[3] [4] They were also known for their distinctive styles of clothing, dance, poetry and storytelling.[5] [6]
Generally speaking, the Kale have employed a tribal structure in which a group of several family units would be under the authority of a male chieftain. However some Kale families are matriarchal with a senior woman being chosen by consensus among the other women of the family to take the leadership role.
The Welsh Kale are closely related to Romanichal, Scottish Lowland Roma, Romanisael and Finnish Kale.[7] They are considered part of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community.[8]
The Kale spoke the traditional Welsh Romani language until at least the 1950s, when the language became a pidgin language.[9] The traditional language was primarily composed of Sanskrit words, but among others also had Iranian, Arabic, Greek, Romanian, German and French influences.
Welsh Romani is closely related to Angloromani, Scottish Cant, Finnish Kalo and Scandoromani. Originally the variants of Welsh Romani and Angloromani constituted a common Romani dialect.[10] Roma in England, Scotland, Wales, Sweden, Norway and Finland are thought to share a common ancestry from a wave of Roma who arrived in Britain in the 16th century.[11]
Kale traditionally participated in regional and national eisteddfodau. John Robert Lewis, the husband of Abram Wood's granddaughter, would win prizes for harping in 1842, 1848, and 1850.[12] Another descendant, (1816–1894),[13] earned the sobriquet "Telynor Cymru", and taught his whole family various instruments. His illustrious career culminated in a performance before Queen Victoria at Palé Hall in Llandderfel near Bala on 24 August 1889, on the occasion of the Royal Visit to Wales. John Roberts played with his nine sons, all of them on the harp.[14] The Kale often adopted Welsh surnames.
Traditionally, the Kale were nomadic, living in wagons and tents. Each tribe was headed by a sero rom.