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Romani people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Romani. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani
Romani people
Rromane dźene
Romani flag proposed by the 1971 World Romani Congress
(left to right):
Grigoraş Dinicu, Drafi Deutscher, Charles Chaplin, Isabel Pantoja,
Ricardo Quaresma, Ceija Stojka, Džej Ramadanovski, Irini Merkouri
Total population
Up to 5 million in the world[1]
or
6-11 million in the world[2]
See Romani people by country for the entire list of countries and
other estimations.
The following list uses official data, the unofficial estmation might
differ substantially.
Regions with significant populations
Spain 650,000
(1.62%) [3]
Romania 535,140
(2.46%) [4]
Turkey 500,000
(0.72%) [5]
France 500,000
(0.79%) [6]
Bulgaria 370,908
(4.67%) [7]
Hungary 205,720
(2.02%) [8]
Greece 200,000
(1.82%) [9]
Russia 182,766
(0.13%) [10]
Italy 130,000
(0.22%) [11]
Serbia 108,193
(1.44%) [12]
Slovakia 89,920
(1.71%) [13]
Germany 70,000
(0.09%) [14]
R. Macedonia 53,879
(2.85%) [15]
Languages
Romani, languages of native region
Religion
Christianity
(Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism),
Islam,
Shaktism[16]
Related ethnic groups
Dom people, Lom people, other Indo-Aryans
The Romani (also Romany, Romanies, Romanis, Roma or Roms; exonym:
Gypsies; Romani: Romane or Rromane, depending on the dialect) are an
ethnic group living mostly in Europe, who trace their origins to
medieval India.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_kingdoms_of_India
The Romani are widely dispersed with their largest concentrated
populations in Europe, especially the Roma of Central and Eastern
Europe and Anatolia, followed by the Iberian Kale in Southwestern
Europe and Southern France, with more recent diaspora populations in
the Americas and, to a lesser extent, in other parts of the world.
Their Romani language is divided into several dialects, which add up
to an estimated number of speakers larger than two million.[17] The
total number of Romani people is at least twice as large (several
times as large according to high estimates), and many Romani are
native speakers of the language current in their country of residence,
or of mixed languages combining the two.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_language
Terminology
Main article: Names of the Romani people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_the_Romani_people
Distribution of the Romanies in Europe based on self-designation.Rom,
Romani
Romani usage
In the Romani language, rom is a masculine noun, meaning "man,
husband", with the plural roma. Romani is the feminine adjective,
while romano is the masculine adjective. Some Romanies use Rom / Roma
as an ethnic name, while others (such as the Sinti, or the Romanichal)
do not use this term as a self-ascription for the entire ethnic group.
[18]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinti
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanichal
Sometimes, rom and romani are spelled with a double r, i.e., rrom and
rromani. In this case rr is used to represent the phoneme /ʀ/ (also
written as ř and rh), which in some Romani dialects has remained
different from the one written with a single r. The rr spelling is
common particularly in Romania, in order to distinguish from the
endonym for Romanians (sg. român, pl. români).[19]
English usage
In the English language (according to OED), Rom is a noun (with the
plural Roma or Roms) and an adjective, while Romani (Romany) is also a
noun (with the plural Romanies or Romanis) and an adjective. Both Rom
and Romani have been in use in English since the 19th century as an
alternative for Gypsy. Romani was initially spelled Rommany, then
Romany, while today the Romani spelling is the most popular spelling.
Occasionally, the double r spelling (e.g., Rroma, Rromani) mentioned
above is also encountered in English texts.
Although Roma is used as a designation for the branch of the Romani
people with historic concentrations in Eastern Europe and the Balkans,
it is increasingly encountered during recent decades[20][21] as a
generic term for the Romani people as a whole.[22]
Because all Romanies use the word Romani as an adjective, the term
began to be used as a noun for the entire ethnic group.[23]
Today, the term Romani is used by most organizations—including the
United Nations, the Council of Europe, and the US Library of Congress.
[19]
The standard assumption is that the demonyms of the Romani people, Lom
and Dom share the same origin.[24][25]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lom_people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dom_people
Gypsy
Further information: Gypsy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsy
The English term Gypsy (or Gipsy) originates from the Greek word
Αιγύπτοι (Aigyptoi, whence modern Greek γύφτοι gifti), in the
erroneous belief that the Romanies originated in Egypt, and were
exiled as punishment for allegedly harboring the infant Jesus.[26]
This exonym is sometimes written with capital letter, to show that it
designates an ethnic group.[27]
As described in Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the
medieval French referred to the Romanies as egyptiens. The term has
come to bear pejorative connotations. The word "Gypsy" in English has
become so pervasive that many Romani organizations use it in their own
organizational names.
In North America, the word "Gypsy" is commonly used as a reference to
lifestyle[citation needed] or fashion, and not to the Romani
ethnicity. The Spanish term gitano and the French term gitan may have
the same origin[clarification needed].[28]
Population and subgroups
Main article: Romani populations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_populations
Distribution of the Romani people in Europe (2007 Council of Europe
"average estimates", totalling 9.8 million)[29]
* The size of the wheel symbols reflects absolute population size
* The gradient reflects the percent in the country's population:
0% 10%.Many Romanies for a variety of
reasons choose not to register their ethnic identity in official
censuses. There are an estimated four million Romani people in Europe
and Asia Minor (as of 2002),[30] although some high estimates by
Romani organizations give numbers as high as 14 million.[31]
Significant Romani populations are found in the Balkan peninsula, in
some Central European states, in Spain, France, Russia, and Ukraine.
Several more million Romanies may live out of Europe, in particular in
the Middle East and in the Americas.
The Romani people recognize divisions among themselves based in part
on territorial, cultural and dialectal differences and self-
designation. The main branches are:[32][33][34][35]
Roma, crystallized in Eastern Europe and Central Italy, emigrated also
(mostly from the 19th century onwards), in the rest of Europe, but
also on the other continents;
Iberian Kale, mostly in Spain (see Romani people in Spain), but also
in Portugal, Southern France and Latin America;
Finnish Kale, in Finland, emigrated also in Sweden;
Welsh Kale, in Wales;
Romanichal, in the United Kingdom, emigrated also to the United States
and Australia;
Sinti, in German-speaking areas of Central Europe and some neighboring
countries;
Manush, in French-speaking areas of Central Europe;
Romanisæl, in Sweden and Norway.
Among Romanies there are further internal differentiations, like
Bashaldé; Churari; Luri; Ungaritza; Lovari (Lovara) from Hungary;
Machvaya (Machavaya, Machwaya, or Macwaia) from Serbia; Romungro
(Modyar or Modgar) from Hungary and neighbouring carpathian countries;
Erlides (also Yerlii or Arli); Xoraxai (Horahane) from Greece/Turkey;
Boyash (Lingurari, Ludar, Ludari, Rudari, or Zlătari) from Romanian
words for various crafts: (Lingurari - spoon makers, Rudari - wood
crafters; Zlătari - goldsmiths); Ursari from Romanian/Moldovan bear-
trainers; Argintari from silversmiths; Aurari from goldsmiths; Florari
from florists; and Lăutari from musicians.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luri
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovari_(Roma)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlax_Romani
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machvaya
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romungro
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xoraxai
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyash
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursari
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silversmith
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldsmith
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florist
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C4%83utari
History
Main article: History of the Romani people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Romani_people
This section requires expansion.
Origins
Main article: Origin of the Romani people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_Romani_people#Origin
Linguistic and genetic evidence indicates the Romanies originated from
the Indian subcontinent, emigrating from India towards the northwest
no earlier than the 11th century. The Romani are generally believed to
have originated in central India, possibly in the modern Indian state
of Rajasthan, migrating to northwest India (the Punjab region) around
250 B.C. In the centuries spent here, there may have been close
interaction with such established groups as the Rajputs and the Jats.
Their subsequent westward migration, possibly in waves, is believed to
have occurred between 500 A.D. and 1000 A.D. Contemporary populations
sometimes suggested as sharing a close relationship to the Romani are
the Dom people of Central Asia and the Banjara of India.[36]
The emigration from India likely took place in the context of the
raids by Mahmud of Ghazni[37] As these soldiers were defeated, they
were moved west with their families into the Byzantine Empire. The
11th century terminus post quem is due to the Romani language showing
unambiguous features of the Modern Indo-Aryan languages,[38]
precluding an emigration during the Middle Indic period.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajasthan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjab_region
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajputs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jats
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dom_people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banjara
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmud_of_Ghazni
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Indo-Aryan#Modern_dialect_continuum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Indic
Genetic evidence supports the medieval migration from India. The
Romanies have been described as "a conglomerate of genetically
isolated founder populations",[39] while a number of common Mendelian
disorders among Romanies from all over Europe indicates "a common
origin and founder effect".[39][40] A study from 2001 by Gresham et
al. suggests "a limited number of related founders, compatible with a
small group of migrants splitting from a distinct caste or tribal
group".[41] The same study found that "a single lineage ... found
across Romani populations, accounts for almost one-third of Romani
males."[41] A 2004 study by Morar et al. concluded that the Romani
population "was founded approximately 32–40 generations ago, with
secondary and tertiary founder events occurring approximately 16–25
generations ago".[42]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mendelian_traits_in_humans
Possible connection with the Jat people
While the South Asian origin of the Romani people has been long
considered a certitude, the exact South Asian group from whom the
Romanies have descended has been a matter of debate. The recent
discovery of the "Jat mutation" that causes a type of glaucoma in
Romani populations suggests that the Romani people are the descendants
of the Jat people found in Northern India and Pakistan.[43]
This contradicted an earlier study that compared the most common
haplotypes found in Romani groups with those found in Jatt Sikhs and
Jats from Haryana and found no matches.[44] The haplogroup H, which is
the most common haplogroup in Romanis is far more prevalent in central
India and south India than it is in northern India, where haplogroup
R1a lineages makes up at least half of male ancestries, and haplogroup
H is rare.
Appearance in Europe
The migration of the Romanies through the Middle East and Northern
Africa to Europe
First arrival of the Romanies outside Berne in the 15th century,
described by the chronicler as getoufte heiden ("baptized heathens")
and drawn with dark skin and wearing Saracen-style clothing and
weapons (Spiezer Schilling, p. 749).
An 1852 Wallachian poster advertising an auction of Romani slaves in
Bucharest.In 1322 CE a Franciscan monk named Symon Semeonis described
people resembling these "atsinganoi" living in Crete and in 1350 CE
Ludolphus of Sudheim mentioned a similar people with a unique language
whom he called Mandapolos, a word which some theorize was possibly
derived from the Greek word mantes (meaning prophet or fortune teller).
[45]
Around 1360, an independent Romani fiefdom (called the Feudum
Acinganorum) was established in Corfu and became "a settled community
and an important and established part of the economy."[46]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symon_Semeonis
By the 14th century, the Romanies had reached the Balkans; by 1424 CE,
Germany; and by the 16th century, Scotland and Sweden. Some Romanies
migrated from Persia through North Africa, reaching the Iberian
Peninsula in the 15th century. The two currents met in France.
Romanies began immigrating to the United States in colonial times,
with small groups in Virginia and French Louisiana. Larger-scale
immigration began in the 1860s, with groups of Romnaichal from
Britain. The largest number immigrated in the early 1900s, mainly from
the Vlax group of Kalderash. Many Romanies also settled in South
America.
When the Romani people arrived in Europe, curiosity was soon followed
by hostility and xenophobia. Romanies were enslaved for five centuries
in Wallachia and Moldavia until abolition in 1856.[47] Elsewhere in
Europe, they were subject to ethnic cleansing, abduction of their
children, and forced labor. In England, there were hangings and
expulsions of the Romani; in France, branding and the shaving of
heads; in Moravia and Bohemia severing of ears of women. As a result,
large groups of the Romani travelled back East, towards Poland, which
was more tolerant, and Russia, where the Romani were also treated less
heavy-handedly, as long as they paid the annual taxes.[48]
Sinti and Roma about to be deported in Germany, May 22, 1940World War
II
Main article: Porajmos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porajmos
During World War II, the Nazis embarked on systematic attempt at
genocide of the Romanies, known as the Porajmos.[49] They were marked
for extermination and sentenced to forced labor and imprisonment in
concentration camps. They were often killed on sight, especially by
the Einsatzgruppen (essentially mobile killing units) on the Eastern
Front. The total number of victims has been variously estimated at
between 220,000 to 1,500,000; even the lowest number would count as
one of the largest mass murders in history.
Post-1945
In Communist Eastern Europe, Romanies experienced assimilation schemes
and restrictions of cultural freedom.[citation needed] The Romani
language and Romani music were banned from public performance in
Bulgaria.[dubious – discuss] In Czechoslovakia, they were labeled a
"socially degraded stratum,"[citation needed] and Romani women were
sterilized as part of a state policy to reduce their population. This
policy was implemented with large financial incentives, threats of
denying future welfare payments, with misinformation, or after
administering drugs (Silverman 1995; Helsinki Watch 1991). An official
inquiry from the Czech Republic, resulting in a report (December
2005), concluded that the Communist authorities had practiced an
assimilation policy towards Romanies, which "included efforts by
social services to control the birth rate in the Romani community" and
that "the problem of sexual sterilization carried out in the Czech
Republic, either with improper motivation or illegally, exists"[50]
with new revealed cases up until 2004, in both the Czech Republic and
Slovakia.[51]
Society and culture
Main article: Romani society and culture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_society_and_culture
A Gipsy Family - Facsimile of a woodcut in the "Cosmographie
Universelle" of Munster: in folio, Basle, 1552.The traditional
Romanies place a high value on the extended family. Virginity is
essential in unmarried women. Both men and women often marry young;
there has been controversy in several countries over the Romani
practice of child marriage. Romani law establishes that the man's
family must pay a bride price to the bride's parents, but only
traditional families still follow this rule.
Once married, the woman joins the husband's family, where her main job
is to tend to her husband's and her children's needs, as well as to
take care of her in-laws. The power structure in the traditional
Romani household has at its top the oldest man or grandfather, and men
in general have more authority than women. Women gain respect and
authority as they get older. Young wives begin gaining authority once
they have children.
Romani social behavior is strictly regulated by Hindu purity laws
("marime" or "marhime"), still respected by most Roma (and by most
older generations of Sinti). This regulation affects many aspects of
life, and is applied to actions, people and things: parts of the human
body are considered impure: the genital organs (because they produce
emissions), as well as the rest of the lower body. Fingernails and
toenails must be filed with an emery board, as cutting them with a
clipper is a taboo. Clothes for the lower body, as well as the clothes
of menstruating women, are washed separately. Items used for eating
are also washed in a different place. Childbirth is considered impure,
and must occur outside the dwelling place. The mother is considered
impure for forty days after giving birth. Death is considered impure,
and affects the whole family of the dead, who remain impure for a
period of time. In contrast to the practice of cremating the dead,
Romani dead must be buried.[52] Cremation and burial are both known
from the time of the Rigveda, and both are widely practiced in
Hinduism today (although the tendency for higher caste groups is to
burn, while lower caste groups in South India tend to bury their dead).
[53] Some animals are also considered impure, for instance cats
because they lick themselves.[54]
Religion
Muslim Romanies in Bosnia and Herzegovina (around 1900)Migrant Romani
populations have adopted the dominant religion of their country of
residence, while often preserving aspects of older belief systems and
forms of worship. Most Eastern European Romanies are Roman Catholic or
Orthodox Christian or Muslim. Those in western Europe and the United
States are mostly Roman Catholic or Protestant. In Turkey, Egypt, and
the Balkans, the Romanies are split into Christian and Muslim
populations.
Music
Main article: Romani music
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_music
Young Hungarian Romani performing a traditional danceRomani music
plays an important role in Eastern European countries such as Croatia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, the Republic of
Macedonia, Albania, Hungary, and Romania, and the style and
performance practices of Romani musicians have influenced European
classical composers such as Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms. The
lăutari who perform at traditional Romanian weddings are virtually all
Romani. Probably the most internationally prominent contemporary
performers in the lăutari tradition are Taraful Haiducilor. Bulgaria's
popular "wedding music", too, is almost exclusively performed by
Romani musicians such as Ivo Papasov, a virtuoso clarinetist closely
associated with this genre and Bulgarian pop-folk singer Azis. Many
famous classical musicians, such as the Hungarian pianist Georges
Cziffra, are Romani, as are many prominent performers of manele. Zdob
şi Zdub, one of the most prominent rock bands in Moldova, although not
Romanies themselves, draw heavily on Romani music, as do Spitalul de
Urgenţă in Romania, Goran Bregović in Serbia, Darko Rundek in Croatia,
Beirut and Gogol Bordello in the United States.
Another tradition of Romani music is the genre of the Romani brass
band, with such notable practitioners as Boban Marković of Serbia, and
the brass lăutari groups Fanfare Ciocărlia and Fanfare din Cozmesti of
Romania.
The distinctive sound of Romani music has also strongly influenced
bolero, jazz, and flamenco (especially cante jondo) in Europe.
European-style Gypsy jazz ("jazz Manouche" or "Sinti jazz") is still
widely practiced among the original creators (the Romanie People); one
who acknowledged this artistic debt was guitarist Django Reinhardt.
Contemporary artists in this tradition known internationally include
Stochelo Rosenberg, Biréli Lagrène, Jimmy Rosenberg, and Tchavolo
Schmitt.
The Romanies of Turkey have achieved musical acclaim from national and
local audiences. Local performers usually perform for special
holidays. Their music is usually performed on instruments such as the
darbuka and gırnata. A number of nationwide best seller performers are
said to be of Romani origin.[citation needed]
Language
Main article: Romani language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_language
Most Romanies speak one of several dialects of Romani,[55][not in
citation given] an Indo-Aryan language. They also will often speak the
languages of the countries they live in. Typically, they also
incorporate loanwords and calques into Romani from the languages of
those countries, especially words for terms that the Romani language
does not have. Most of the Ciganos of Portugal, the Gitanos of Spain,
the Romanichal of the UK, and Scandinavian Travellers have lost their
knowledge of pure Romani, and respectively speak the mixed languages
Caló,[56] Angloromany, and Scandoromani.
There are independent groups currently working toward standardizing
the language, including groups in Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, the
USA, and Sweden. Romani is not currently spoken in India.[citation
needed]
Persecutions
Main article: Antiziganism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiziganism
Historical persecution
The first and one of the most enduring persecutions against the Romani
people was the enslaving of the Romanies who arrived on the territory
of the historical Romanian states of Wallachia and Moldavia, which
lasted from the 14th century until the second half of the 19th
century. Legislation decreed that all the Romanies living in these
states, as well as any others who would immigrate there, were slaves.
[57]
The arrival of some branches of the Romani people in Western Europe in
the 15th century was precipitated by the Ottoman conquest of the
Balkans. Although the Romanies themselves were refugees from the
conflicts in southeastern Europe, they were mistaken by the local
population in the West, because of their foreign appearance, as part
of the Ottoman invasion (the German Reichstags at Landau and Freiburg
in 1496-1498 declared the Romanies as spies of the Turks). In Western
Europe, this resulted in a violent history of persecution and attempts
of ethnic cleansing until the modern era. As time passed, other
accusations were added against local Romanies (accusations specific to
this area, against non-assimilated minorities), like that of bringing
the plague, usually sharing their burden together with the local Jews.
[58]
One example of official persecution of the Romani is exemplified by
the The Great Roundup of Spanish Romanies (Gitanos) in 1749. The
Spanish monarchy ordered a nationwide raid that led to separation of
families and placement of all able-bodied men into forced labor camps.
Later in the 19th century, Romani immigration was forbidden on a
racial basis in areas outside Europe, mostly in the English speaking
world (in 1885 the United States outlawed the entry of the Roma) and
also in some South American countries (in 1880 Argentina adopted a
similar policy).[58]
Holocaust
Main article: Porajmos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porajmos
Romani arrivals at the Belzec death camp await instructions.The
persecution of the Romanies reached a peak during World War II in the
Porajmos, the genocide perpetrated by the Nazis during the Holocaust.
In 1935, the Nuremberg laws stripped the Romani people living in Nazi
Germany of their citizenship, after which they were subjected to
violence, imprisonment in concentration camps and later genocide in
extermination camps. The policy was extended in areas occupied by the
Nazis during the war, and it was also applied by their allies, notably
the Independent State of Croatia, Romania and Hungary.
Because no accurate pre-war census figures exist for the Romanis, it
is impossible to accurately assess the actual number of victims. Ian
Hancock, director of the Program of Romani Studies at The University
of Texas at Austin, proposes a figure of up to a million and a half,
while an estimate of between 220,000 and 500,000 was made by Sybil
Milton, formerly senior historian of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial
Museum.[59] In Central Europe, the extermination in the Protectorate
of Bohemia and Moravia was so thorough that the Bohemian Romani
language became extinct.[citation needed]
Forced assimilation
In the Habsburg Monarchy under Maria Theresia (1740–1780), a series of
decrees tried to force the Romanies to sedentarize, removed rights to
horse and wagon ownership (1754), renamed them as "New Citizens" and
forced Romani boys into military service if they had no trade (1761),
forced them to register with the local authorities (1767), and
prohibited marriage between Romanies (1773). Her successor Josef II
prohibited the wearing of traditional Romani clothing and the use of
the Romani language, punishable by flogging.[60]
In Spain, attempts to assimilate the Gitanos were under way as early
as 1619, when Gitanos were forcibly sedentarized, the use of the
Romani language was prohibited, Gitano men and women were sent to
separate workhouses and their children sent to orphanages. Similar
prohibitions took place in 1783 under King Charles III, who prohibited
the nomadic lifestyle, the use of the Calo language, Romani clothing,
their trade in horses and other itinerant trades. The use of the word
gitano was also forbidden to further assimilation. Ultimately these
measures failed, as the rest of the population rejected the
integration of the Gitanos.[60][61]
Other examples of forced assimilation include Norway, where a law was
passed in 1896 permitting the state to remove children from their
parents and place them in state institutions.[62] This resulted in
some 1,500 Romani children being taken from their parents in the 20th
century.[63]
Contemporary issues
Main article: Modern Antiziganism
Amnesty International reports continued instances of Antizigan
discrimination during the 2000s, particularly in Bulgaria, Romania,
Slovakia,[64] Hungary,[65] Slovenia,[66] and Kosovo.[67]
Czechoslovakia carried out a policy of sterilization of Romani women,
starting in 1973.[68] The dissidents of the Charter 77 denounced it in
1977-78 as a "genocide", but the practice continued through the Velvet
Revolution of 1989.[69] A 2005 report by the Czech government's
independent ombudsman, Otakar Motejl, identified dozens of cases of
coercive sterilization between 1979 and 2001, and called for criminal
investigations and possible prosecution against several health care
workers and administrators.[70]
In 2008, the Italian government declared that Italy's Romani
population represented a national security risk and that swift action
was required to address the emergenza nomadi (gypsy emergency)[71]
Specifically officials in the Italian government accused the Romanies
of being responsible for rising crime rates in urban areas. Mario
Marazziti, spokesperson of the Community of Sant'Egidio human rights
organization said "There is no national emergency ... What is an
emergency is that in the 21st century the life expectancy of a gypsy
living in Italy is under 60 years of age."[72]
Fictional representations
Main article: Fictional representations of Romani people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictional_representations_of_Romani_people
Vincent van Gogh: The Caravans - Gypsy Camp near Arles (1888, Oil on
canvas)Many fictional depictions of the Romani in literature and art
present Romanticized narratives of their supposed mystical powers of
fortune telling, and their supposed irascible or passionate temper
paired with an indomitable love of freedom and a habit of criminality.
Particularly notable are classics like Carmen by Prosper Mérimée and
adapted by Georges Bizet, Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame
and Miguel de Cervantes' La Gitanilla. The Romani were also heavily
romanticized in the Soviet Union, a classic example being the 1975
Tabor ukhodit v Nebo. A more realistic depiction of contemporary
Romani in the Balkans, featuring Romani lay actors speaking in their
native dialects, although still playing with established clichés of a
Romani penchant for both magic and crime, was presented by Emir
Kusturica in his Time of the Gypsies (1988) and Black Cat, White Cat
(1998).
In contemporary literature
The Romani ethnicity is often used for characters in contemporary
fantasy literature. In such literature, the Romani are often portrayed
as possessing archaic occult knowledge passed down through the ages.
This frequent use of the ethnicity has given rise to Gypsy archetypes
in popular contemporary literature. One example of such a use is the
character Jilly Coppercorn in the seminal urban fantasy novel Dreams
Under Foot by Charles de Lint.
See also
Antiziganism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiziganism
Cem Romengo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cem_Romengo#Iulian_R.C4.83dulescu
Decade of Roma Inclusion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decade_of_Roma_Inclusion
European Roma Rights Centre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Roma_Rights_Centre
Gypsy Lore Society http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsy_Lore_Society
International Romani Union http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Romani_Union
King of the Gypsies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_the_Gypsies
List of Romani groups http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Romani_groups
List of Romani people http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Romani_people
List of Romani settlements http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Romani_settlements
Nomadic peoples of Europe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomadic_peoples_of_Europe
R. v. Krymowski http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._v._Krymowski
Timeline of Romani history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Romani_history
References
Notes
^ According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, estimates of the total world
Romani population range from two million to five million.[1]
^ Ian Hancock's 1987 estimate for "all Gypsies in the world" was 6 to
11 million [2].
^ [3] The Spanish government estimates the number of Gitanos at a
maximum of 650,000
^ [4] Census 2001 in Romania: 535,140 Roma
^ [5] There are officially about 500,000 Roma in Turkey.
^ [6] The Romani population in France is officially estimated at
around 500,000
^ [7] Census 2001 in Bulgaria: 370,908 Roma
^ [8] Census 2001 in Hungary: 205,720 Roma/Bea
^ [9] The Romani population in Greece is officially estimated at
200,000
^ [10] Census 2002 in Russia: 182,766 Roma
^ Demographics_of_Italy#Languages Estimated by Ministero degli Interni
del Governo Italiano.
^ [11] Census 2002 in Serbia: 108,193 Romanies
^ [12] Census 2001 in Slovakia: 89,920 Roma
^ [13] 70,000 Roma/Sinti estimated by the German Ministry of Internal
Affairs
^ [14] The 2002-census reported 53,879 Roma and 3,843 "Egyptians"
^ Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily
Life: Vol. 4 - Europe. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications
Development (1998); pg. 316, 318 : "Religion: An underlay of Hinduism
with an overlay of either Christianity or Islam (host country
religion) "; "Roma religious beliefs are rooted in Hinduism. Roma
believe in a universal balance, called kuntari... Despite a 1,000-year
separation from India, Roma still practice shaktism, the worship of a
god through his female consort... ""
^ Matras, Yaron (2002). Romani: a linguistic introduction. Cambridge
University Press. pp. 239. ISBN 9780521631655.
http://books.google.com/books?id=D4IIi0Ha3V4C&pg=PA238&dq=number+speakers+of+Romani.
Retrieved 2009-07-16.
^ We Are the Romani People, Pg XIX,
http://books.google.ro/books?id=MG0ahVw-kdwC&pg=PP1&ots=PiPKTLplWa&sig=Ly3TAfbjs6FqhS7h0e1Yz44qaIk&hl=ro&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPR19,M1,
retrieved 2008-07-31
^ a b We Are the Romani People, Pg XXI,
http://books.google.ro/books?id=MG0ahVw-kdwC&pg=PP1&ots=PiPKTLplWa&sig=Ly3TAfbjs6FqhS7h0e1Yz44qaIk&hl=ro&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPR21,M1,
retrieved 2008-07-31
^ p. 52 in Elena Marushiakova and Vesselin Popov's "Historical and
ethnographic background; Gypsies, Roma, Sinti" in Will Guy [ed.]
Between Past and Future: The Roma of Central and Eastern Europe [with
a Foreword by Dr. Ian Hancock], 2001, UK: University of Hertfordshire
Press
^ p. 13 in Illona Klimova-Alexander's The Romani Voice in World
Politics: The United Nations and Non-State Actors (2005, Burlington,
VT.: Ashgate
^ Rothéa, Xavier. "Les Roms, une nation sans territoire?" (in
French).
http://www.theyliewedie.org/ressources/biblio/fr/Rothea_Xavier_-_Les_roms.html.
Retrieved 2008-07-31.
^ We Are the Romani People, Pg XX,
http://books.google.ro/books?id=MG0ahVw-kdwC&pg=PP1&ots=PiPKTLplWa&sig=Ly3TAfbjs6FqhS7h0e1Yz44qaIk&hl=ro&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPR20,M1,
retrieved 2008-07-31
^ The Institute for Middle East Understanding
^ Online Etymology Dictionary - Douglas Harper
^ Fraser 1992.
^ Hancock, Ian (1995). A Handbook of Vlax Romani. Slavica Publishers.
p. 17.
^ "gitan" (in French). Dictionnaire de l'Académie française.
http://www.academie-francaise.fr/dictionnaire/. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
"Nom donné aux bohémiens d'Espagne ; par ext., synonyme de Bohémien,
Tzigane. Adjt. Une robe gitane."
^ Council of Europe website, European Roma and Travellers Forum
(ERTF)
^ 3.8 million according to Pan and Pfeil, National Minotiries in
Europe (2004), ISBN 978-3700314431, p. 27f.
^ Council of Europe compilation of population estimates
^ Hancock, Ian, 2001, Ame sam e rromane džene / We are the Romani
People, The Open Society Institute, New York, page 2
^ Matras, Yaron, Romani: A linguistic introduction, Cambridge
University Press, 2002, page 5
^ "Names of the Romani People",
http://desicritics.org/2007/12/24/012125.php, retrieved 2009-01-30
^ N.Bessonov, N.Demeter "Ethnic groups of Gypsies"
^ Hancock, Ian. Ame Sam e Rromane Džene/We are the Romani people. p.
13. ISBN 1902806190.
^ Hancock, Ian F.; Dowd, Siobhan; Djurić, Rajko (2004). The roads of
the Roma: a PEN anthology of gypsy writers.. Hatfield, United Kingdom:
University of Hertforshire Press. pp. 14–15. ISBN 0900458909.
^ ""Romani"". Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics. Oxford:
Elsevier.
http://romani.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/downloads/2/Matras_Rmni_ELL.pdf.
Retrieved 30 August 2009.
^ a b Kalaydjieva, Luba (2001). "Genetic studies of the Roma
(Gypsies): A review". BMC Medical Genetics 2: 5. doi:
10.1186/1471-2350-2-5. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2350/2/5.
Retrieved 2008-06-16.
^ "Figure 4". Biomedcentral.com. doi:10.1186/1471-2350-2-5.
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2350/2/5/figure/F4. Retrieved
2009-05-06.
^ a b Origins and Divergence of the Roma (Gypsies), PMID 11704928,
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1235543,
retrieved 2008-06-16
^ Mutation history of the Roma-Gypsies, http://lib.bioinfo.pl/pmid:15322984,
retrieved 2008-06-16
^ Jatt mutation found in Romani populations
^ Searching for the origin of Romanies http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=18768723
^ Linda Anfuso (1994-02-24). "[at tinhat.stonemarche.org gypsies]".
rec.org.sca. (Web link). Retrieved on 2007-08-26.
^ "A Chronology of significant dates in Romani history". Archived from
the original on 2004-12-04.
http://web.archive.org/web/20041204203106/radoc.net/chronology.html.
^ Hancock, Ian, 2001, Ame sam e rromane džene / We are the Romani
People, The Open Society Institute, New York, page 25
^ On the road: Centuries of Roma history, Delia Radu, BBC World
Service, 8 July 2009
^ ROMANIES AND THE HOLOCAUST: A REEVALUATION AND AN OVERVIEW
^ Denysenko, Marina (2007-03-12). "Sterilised Roma accuse Czechs". BBC
News.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6409699.stm.
^ Thomas, Jeffrey (2006-08-16). "Coercive Sterilization of Romani
Women Examined at Hearing: New report focuses on Czech Republic and
Slovakia". Washington File. Bureau of International Information
Programs, U.S. Department of State.
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=August&x=200608171045451CJsamohT0.678158.
^ "Romani Customs and Traditions: Death Rituals and Customs". Patrin
Web Journal.
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/5121/death.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
[dead link]
^ David M. Knipe. "The Journey of a Lifebody".
http://www.hindugateway.com/library/rituals/. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
^ Hancock, Ian, 2001, Ame sam e rromane džene / We are the Romani
People, The Open Society Institute, New York, page 81
^ Dieter W. Halwachs. "Speakers and Numbers (distribution of Romani-
speaking Romani population by country)" (PDF). Rombase.
http://romani.uni-graz.at/rombase/cd/data/lang/gen/data/numbers.en.pdf.
^ Raymond G. Gordon Jr., ed (2005). "Caló: A language of Spain".
Ethnologue: Languages of the World (15th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL
International. ISBN 9781556711596.
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=rmr.
^ Delia Grigore, Petre Petcuţ and Mariana Sandu (2005) (in Romanian).
Istoria şi tradiţiile minorităţii rromani. Bucharest: Sigma. p. 36.
^ a b "Timeline of Romani History". Patrin Web Journal.
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/5121/timeline.htm. Retrieved
2007-08-26. [dead link]
^ Most estimates for numbers of Romani victims of the Holocaust fall
between 200,000 and 500,000, although figures ranging between 90,000
and 4 million have been proposed. Lower estimates do not include those
killed in all Axis-controlled countries. A detailed study by Sybil
Milton, formerly senior historian at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
gave a figure of at least a minimum of 220,000, probably higher,
possibly closer to 500,000 (cited in Re. Holocaust Victim Assets
Litigation (Swiss Banks) Special Master's Proposals, September 11,
2000). Ian Hancock, Director of the Program of Romani Studies and the
Romani Archives and Documentation Center at the University of Texas at
Austin, argues in favour of a higher figure of between 500,000 and
1,500,000 in his 2004 article, Romanies and the Holocaust: A
Reevaluation and an Overview as published in Stone, D. (ed.) (2004)
The Historiography of the Holocaust. Palgrave, Basingstoke and New
York.
^ a b Samer, Helmut (December 2001). "Maria Theresia and Joseph II:
Policies of Assimilation in the Age of Enlightened Absolutism.".
Rombase. Karl-Franzens-Universitaet Graz.
http://romani.uni-graz.at/rombase/cgi-bin/art.cgi?src=data/hist/modern/maria.en.xml.
^ "Gitanos. History and Cultural Relations.". World Culture
Encyclopedia.
http://www.everyculture.com/Europe/Gitanos-History-and-Cultural-Relations.html.
Retrieved 2007-08-26.
^ "Roma (Gypsies) in Norway".
http://www.geocities.com/~Patrin/norway.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
[dead link]
^ "The Church of Norway and the Roma of Norway". World Council of
Churches. 2002-09-03.
http://www2.wcc-coe.org/ccdocuments.nsf/index/plen-4.4-en.html.
^ "Amnesty International". Web.amnesty.org. 2009-04-20.
http://web.amnesty.org/wire/February2002/Europe_Roma. Retrieved
2009-05-06.
^ Woodard, Colin (2008-02-13). "Hungary's anti-Roma militia grows |
csmonitor.com". csmonitor.com<!.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0213/p07s02-woeu.html. Retrieved
2009-05-06.
^ "roma | Human Rights Press Point". Humanrightspoint.si.
http://www.humanrightspoint.si/node/12. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
^ Gesellschaft fuer bedrohte Voelker - Society for Threatened Peoples.
"Roma and Ashkali in Kosovo: Persecuted, driven out, poisoned".
Gfbv.de.
http://www.gfbv.de/inhaltsDok.php?id=612. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
^ Sterilised Roma accuse Czechs, BBC, 12 March 2007 (English)
^ For Gypsies, Eugenics is a Modern Problem - Czech Practice Dates to
Soviet Era, Newsdesk, June 12, 2006 (English)
^ http://www.ochrance.cz/en/dokumenty/dokument.php?doc=400
^ "Italy's new ghetto?". The Guardian. March 30, 2009.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/mar/30/roma-italy.
^ Italy assailed over plan to fingerprint Gypsies | International
Herald Tribune
Bibliography
Viorel Achim (2004). "The Roma in Romanian History." Budapest: Central
European University Press. ISBN 963-9241-84-9.
Auzias, Claire. Les funambules de l'histoire. Baye: Éditions la
Digitale, 2002.
De Soto, Hermine. Roma and Egyptians in Albania: From Social Exclusion
to Social Inclusion. Washington, DC, USA: World Bank Publications,
2005.
Fonseca, Isabel. Bury me standing: the Gypsies and their journey. New
York: A.A. Knopf, 1995.
Fraser, Angus The Gypsies : Blackwell Publishers, Oxford UK, 1992 ISBN
0-631-15967-3.
Genner, Michael. Spartakus, 2 vols. Munich: Trikont, 1979-80.
"Germany Reaches Deal to Deport Thousands of Gypsies to Romania,"
Migration World Magazine, Nov-December 1992.
Gray, RD; Atkinson, QD (2003). "Language-tree divergence times support
the Anatolian theory of Indo-European origin." Nature.
Gresham, D; et al. (2001). "Origins and divergence of the Roma
(Gypsies)." American Journal of Human Genetics. 69(6), 1314-1331.
[15]
Hackl, Erich. (1991). Farewell Sidonia, New York: Fromm International
Pub. ISBN 0-88064-124-X. (Translated from the German, Abschied von
Sidonie 1989)
Helsinki Watch. Struggling for Ethnic Identity: Czechoslovakia's
Endangered Gypsies. New York, 1991.
Leland, Charles G. The English Gipsies and Their Language. London:
Trübner & Co., 1873.
Lemon, Alaina (2000). Between Two Fires: Gypsy Performance and Romani
Memory from Pushkin to Post-Socialism. Durham: Duke University Press.
ISBN 0-8223-2456-3
Luba Kalaydjieva; et al. (2001). "Patterns of inter- and intra-group
genetic diversity in the Vlax Roma as revealed by Y chromosome and
mitochondrial DNA lineages." European Journal of Human Genetics. 9,
97-104. [16]
Marushiakova, Elena; Popov, Vesselin. (2001) "Gypsies in the Ottoman
Empire." Hatfield: University of Hertfordshire Press.
Matras, Yaron (2002). Romani: A Linguistic Introduction, Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-512-02330-0.
McDowell, Bart (1970). "Gypsies, Wanderers of the World". National
Geographic Society. ISBN 0-87044-088-8.
"Gypsies, The World's Outsiders." National Geographic, April 2001,
72-101.
Ringold, Dena. Roma & the Transition in Central & Eastern Europe:
Trends & Challenges. Washington, DC, USA: World Bank, 2000. pg. 3,5, &
7.
Roberts, Samuel. The Gypsies: Their Origin, Continuance, and
Destination. London: Longman, 4th edition, 1842.
Silverman, Carol. "Persecution and Politicization: Roma (Gypsies) of
Eastern Europe." Cultural Survival Quarterly, Summer 1995.
Simson, Walter. History of the Gipsies. London: S. Low, 1865.
Tebbutt, Susan (Ed., 1998) Sinti and Roma in German-speaking Society
and Literature. Oxford: Berghahn.
Turner, Ralph L. (1926) The Position of Romani in Indo-Aryan. In:
Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society 3rd Ser. 5/4, pp. 145–188.
Danish Broadcasting Corporation A page in Danish about Romani
treatment in Denmark
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roma people
European Parliament resolution on the situation of the Roma in the
European Union - April 28, 2005
Final report on the human rights situation of the Roma, Sinti and
travellers in Europe by the European Commissioner for Human Rights
(Council of Europe) - February 15, 2006
Non-governmental organisations
European Roma Rights Centre - European Romani NGO
Roma Rights Network - Romani INGO
Museums and libraries
Museum of Romani Culture in Brno, Czech Republic (in Czech)[17]
Specialized Library with Archive "Studii Romani" in Sofia, Bulgaria
(Bulgarian, English)
Documentation and Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma in
Heidelberg, Germany (German, English)
Ethnographic Museum in Tarnów, Poland. Click "ROMA (CYGANIE)" on the
menu at left. (Polish, English, Romani)
Who we Were, Who we Are: Kosovo Roma Oral History Collection. The most
comprehensive collection of information on Kosovo's Roma in existence.
(English)
v • d • eRomani people around the world
Cultural groups
Roma (Boyash • Kalderash • Lovari • Machvaya • Ruska Roma • Servitko
Roma • Ursari • Muslim Roma) • Ashkali • Cascarots • Erromintxela •
Gitanos • Finnish Kale • Welsh Kale • Romanichal • Sinti • Manouche •
Scandinavian Travellers (Tavinger, Romanisæl) • Kawliya
(sometimes considered Romani: Dom • Lom • Lyuli • Bosha • Garachi)
By location:
Central and Eastern Europe: Croatia • Bosnia and Herzegovina •
Bulgaria • Greece • Cyprus • Hungary • Kosovo • Macedonia • Romania •
Russia • Serbia • Slovakia • Spain • Ukraine
Western and Northern Europe: Finland • France • Spain
Near East: Armenia • Syria • Turkey
Americas: Black Dutch
Settlements and communities
Sulukule • Agia Varvara • Mitrovica refugee camps • Stolipinovo •
Rudolice nad Bílinou • Šuto Orizari Municipality • Bangladeš • Budeşti
• Jatagan Mala • Zanea
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Pages in category "Roma"
The following 39 pages are in this category, out of 39 total. This
list may not reflect recent changes (learn more).
Romani people
A
Antiziganism
C
Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
Roma (Romani subgroup)
D
Romani dance
Didem (Belly Dancer)
F
Fictional representations of Romani people
Flag of the Romani people
G
Gypsy
Gypsy Scourge
K
Ketani Association
L
Lavengro
List of Romani settlements
M
M50 Roma Emcampment Ireland
Kurt May
N
Ranjit Naik
Names of the Romani people
O
Opera Nomadi
R
Rayito
Relations between ethnic Czechs and Roma
Rokker Radio
Roma Special School
Roma in United Nations refugee camps, Kosovska Mitrovica
Romani people of Vojvodina
Romani studies
Romany crucifixion legend
R cont.
Romska Inteligencia za Spolunazivanie
Rudolice nad Bílinou
S
Sapera
The Scholar Gipsy
Selamsız
Sinti
Stolipinovo
Sulukule
U
United Roma Party of Kosovo
Ústí nad Labem
Y
Yeniche language
Z
Zargari people
Zoli
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people
The Lost Tribes of India
By Jeetan Sareen
Aug 29, 2005
The history of the ethnic group, known collectively as the "Gypsies,"
is a long and muddled one. For a long time, no one knew their origins.
Now as we’re beginning to unravel their past, their future is
uncertain. But what is certain is an underlying culture that connects
Gypsies regardless of what part of the world they are settled in.
Who are you and whence do you come?
Why have you forgotten yourself? Oh, my darling!
These lice-ridden Gorgios gave you dirty and false names as Lubni and
Mugni, Xorasani and Osmani,
But you are Mother India's forgotten child Ramni, now called Romni.
In fact you are the flowing Ganges water mixed with the waters of the
river Nile, Euphrates and Danube.
- J.S. Pathania (re-translated from the Romani original)
It is well accepted now that the Gypsies probably originated from
India. There are many legends that attest to this, as well as
linguistic ties that make this conclusion all but guaranteed.
Moreover, cultural similarities have led most scholars to agree with
this theory. The Gypsies, or as they call themselves Roma, are a
curious ethnicity that "never sleep twice in the same place never
drink water twice from the same well, and never cross the same river
twice in one year." I would like to explain a very brief history of
the Gypsies, and show the underlying Indian connection to this ethnic
group. In recent years (especially since the fall of the Easter Bloc),
the Romani have attempted to connect with their Indian past, and
perhaps we should know more about these lost relatives, so we can
forge closer ties. Since most Romani live in Eastern Europe, it may
help Indians, and India solidify stronger ties with Eastern Europeans
as well. This can be a connection with large ramifications. At the
very least, we will learn more about an ethnic group that has forever
been dismissed, ridiculed and downright denigrated.
The term "Gypsies" is an historical aberration, and actually
originated in the region of Armenia. A few hundred years ago the
Gypsies had settled into this region and formed camps in and on the
outskirts of cities. One major camp was known as "Little Egypt",
because the locals believed the people were from Egypt. Thus the term
Gypsies is derived from Egyptian. However, the connection to Egypt is
all but completely non-existent.
There are many legends in Roma culture. Roma culture is filled with
exquisite stories, and is very art-oriented, something I have always
found true with our great Hindu/Indian culture. Roma culture is also
very music-oriented, and there is reason to believe that there is an
Indian connection to this. One very popular Roma myth explains how the
Romani were forced out of India:
From Konrad Bercovici, STORY OF THE GYPSIES [1]:
We were then living on the Ganges. And our chief was a powerful chief…
a man whose voice was heard over all the land and whose judgments were
final. This chief had an only son whose name was Tchen.
In the land of the Hind there ruled a powerful king whose favorite
wife had borne him an only child, a daughter, whom he named Gan. One
day a sorcerer told this king that a man was to invade the Hind, at
the head of a numerous horde and overrun the land and destroy the king
and his family, and become the master of the country. The sorcerer
also told him that this conqueror should be immune from every form of
death, but that it was written that he would perish if he should do
violence to the Gypsy.
To save his newly-born daughter, the king called our chief, Tchen's
father, whose friend he was, and it was agreed between them that the
child was to be taken secretly to the tent of the Gypsy chief and only
the chief's wife would know who the child really was. Three days later
our Barrosan announced to his people that his wife had given birth to
a girl, and that her name was Gan...and so it was that Tchen and Gan
grew up in the same tent.
When Tchen was to be wived, they asked him to choose from the girls of
his tribe, but there was no one he desired. Again and again, the most
beautiful girls danced before him, but he found none to his liking. In
the meantime, the old chief died. Tchen threatened to kill himself,
for he realized that he loved his own sister. So his mother told him
that Gan was the daughter of the king of the Hind and not his sister.
The people were torn in two; those who agreed that everything the
young chief did was right, and the other which swore not to live under
a chief who married his own sister. Tchen dared not tell the truth,
lest the invader destroy Gan.
Meanwhile one of Skender's generals came down like a cyclone upon the
land of the Hind, devastating and destroying everything. As the
sorcerer had foretold, the king of the Hind was killed with all his
wives...their bones left under a pile of stones at the ruined palace.
One of the Gypsies approached this great conqueror to ask him for a
judgment on a sister marrying a brother… but the conqueror looked at
him with scorn and hit him a fatal blow on the head. At that moment,
the great general and his horse burst and crumbled like a clay pot
tossed on a rock. The wind blew his remains into the desert.
Those who opposed Tchen pursued him and his followers to the end of
the land and beyond. Those who had remained faithful to their chief
were called "Tchen-Gans" ...meaning brothers who married their
sisters. And a great sorcerer cursed Tchen and those following him,
saying that they should forever wander over the face of the earth,
never sleep twice in the same place never drink water twice from the
same well, and never cross the same river twice in one year.
Though this particular legend suggests the Roma are from the Ganges
region of India, the veracity of such legends is tough to measure. For
centuries the origins of the Gypsies were shrouded in mystery. Here
today and gone tomorrow, these banks of dark-skinned nomads with
strange habits aroused the curiosity of sedentary populations, and
many writers constructed a variety of often far-fetched hypotheses in
an attempt to explain the enigma.
In the nineteenth century, although scientific investigation had
already provided the answer, the most fantastic myths were still being
made.
This jumble of ingenious superstitions and shaky hypotheses did not
survive serious study of the language of the Gypsies. As early as
during the Renaissance scholars had some notions of this language, but
they did not connect it to any linguistic group nor locate the area in
which it originated. At the end of the eighteenth century, however,
scholars were able to determine the origin of the Gypsies on the basis
of scientific evidence.
Since then eminent linguists have confirmed the analyses of these
early scholars. The grammar and vocabulary of the language of the
Gypsies are close to those of Sanskrit and to such living languages as
Kashmiri, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and Nepali. Modern scholars no
longer doubt that the Gypsies originated in India, but many problems
concerning ethnic group, social class, and the period of their
earliest migrations still need to be elucidated.
Linguistics is the discipline best able to locate the origin of the
Gypsies, but anthropology, medical science and ethnology also have a
contribution to make.
Documentation on the period that may be called "the prehistory of the
Gypsies" is extremely limited. The writers of ancient India were only
interested in gods and kings, and paid scant attention to the people
known as the Zott, the Jat, the Luli, the Nuri, or the Dom. [2]
Today it is known that Romani, the language of the Gypsies, is a
sister language of Sanskrit. This was first proven by a German
philologist, H.M.G. Grellman, in the late eighteenth century, who
conducted a study of Romani words (later consolidated in a fifteen
page catalogue) and compared it to Sanskrit, finding at least a third
of them to be of Hindu origin. Future comparisons yielded the
discovery that the grammatical construction and vocabulary of Romani
very closely resembles that of the language spoken by the Jats, a
nomadic tribe of northwestern India. [3]
Many now believe that the Roma were a group from NorthWest India,
mainly low-caste Sudra, who left India. Many legends suggest they were
banished. These people traveled through the Mid-East, and eventually
reached Europe. There are three main migration periods. The first is
the exodus from India. The second is the movement from the Mid-East to
Europe (mainly the Armenian "Little Egypt" Region). The third has been
post-World War II. The Roma were absolutely destroyed by the Nazi's
who killed them en masse (in fact the death penalty was less stringent
for Jews than for the Roma. If you were 1/4 Jewish, you would be
killed, but if you were 1/16th Roma, you would be put to death). This
was not new, the persecution of the Gypsies began centuries prior to
the 1940's, and was a part of the Northern Europe's cultural heritage
so to speak.
Today, the Roma are dispersed into three categories, based on
geography the Rom (European Roma), Lom (specifically the Armenians),
and Dom (in the Mid-east, specifically Iran). These terms are all
phonetically correspondent to Sanskrit's "domba", or modern Indian
terms like dom or dum.
In Sanskrit domba means “man of low caste living by singing and
music.” In modern Indian tongues the corresponding words have similar
or related meanings: in Lahnda it is “menial”; in Sindhi, “caste of
wandering musician”; in Panjabi, “strolling musician”; in West Pahari
it means “low-caste man.” There are references to the Dom as musicians
from the sixteenth century. The Dom still exist in India; they are
nomads who do a number of jobs: basket-making, smithing, metalworking,
scavenging, music-making. Not surprisingly, many people have leapt on
a Dom theory of origins for the Gypsies.
This also makes sense in a cultural sense, since the Roma have
traditionally been known for two types of work: either art/music
related, or metallurgy. [3] In fact, it is the Roma's metallurgy
ability that has led many to believe they helped educate the world
about the ancient Indian techniques.
By 400 A.D., we see the first mention of the group that would one day
be called the Gypsies. Bahram Gur, Shah of Persia, sends for 10,000
Luri (or Zotts, depending on which translation) to be brought from the
borders of India into his court. These Zotts were renowned musicians
and dancers at this time. They became favorites of the Persian court,
to the point that once the Caliphs took over, the Zotts (derivation of
Jatts perhaps) were moved to Antioch to keep them away from the courts
in case they were still sympathetic to the deposed Shah.
When they went to Antioch, they took their music, and their cattle.
They were a settled people there, until c. 820 A.D., when they were
forcibly moved from the area to Baghdad, then separated into smaller
groups so as not to cause any more trouble for the Arabs over their
cattle-grazing rights.
By 1050 A.D., the gypsies had made their way to Constantinople and the
rest of the Byzantine Empire. Emperor Monomachus asked the Adsincani
(derived from the Greek "Atsinganoi" which is the root word for
various names that the gypsies are called now, such as Tzigane,
Zincali, etc.) to rid his forests of the wild animals which were
killing off his stock in his hunting preserve. These people were well
known for their ability with animals, along with their proficiency at
metalwork and music.
As the Ottoman Empire spread, so did the gypsies. They are recorded in
Serbia in 1348, Bulgaria in 1378 and can be documented in Hungary in
1383. The Ottomans were actually the first to refer to the gypsies as
"Egyptians" in 1396 in what is now Bulgaria. These were a useful and
well-received people in the Middle East and Eastern Europe during this
time on the whole. The only place that this could not be said was true
was in Romania. In 1385 there is the first record of gypsy slaves. But
even then, they were coveted all over for their abilities in
metalwork, music and animal handling. They also became well known as
proficient mercenaries for hire, their prowess on the field legendary
in Hungary and Romania, both fighting for the Turks and against them.
In 1407, everything changed for the gypsies. Historians are divided as
to how they came up with the idea to go to Western Europe as penitent
pilgrims. To the gypsies, this "pilgrimage" is known as the Hakko
Baro, or the Great Game/Scam [4]. They appeared outside of the gates
of Hildesheim, Germany, with letters from King Sigismund, the Holy
Roman Emperor, granting them safe passage through all lands under his
domain. From there, they traveled to Italy, telling their story to the
Pope, who in turn gave them letters of safe passage and a letter
stating that all dioceses that these people come across would give
them money and food.
When they showed up with these letters outside the gates of Paris in
1427, they caused quite a commotion. An alderman wrote in his journal
of their approach to the gates, with the "barely clad women" telling
people’s fortunes, and their men dressed in scarlet, daring you to
ignore them. All in their traveling group stayed outside the gates but
for their leaders, who presented the letters to the authorities in the
city.
Once they appeared in Western Europe, opinions began to change on how
useful and alike to others the Gypsies were. In Eastern Europe and
Germany, you see legislation begin to be passed forbidding gypsies
entry into certain towns. The reasoning behind these laws was to quell
the idea that they gypsies were Turkish spies and traitors to whatever
country they were in at the time. Unfortunately, all this seemed to do
was incite more and more suspicion, which eventually made the Gypsies
second-class citizens in most Europeans eyes.
By the mid-16th century, the gypsies were not even safe in Turkish-
controlled lands. What was different here was the fact that the
settled Gypsies were the ones being persecuted here, instead of the
nomadic Gypsies. They were taxed heavily, and "persuaded" to convert
to Islam, sometimes being imprisoned and/or killed for not converting.
From this time period on, Gypsies become outcasts, with the peak of
dehumanization and torture appearing during World War II with the
Final Solution encompassing Gypsies along with Jews. Along with the
human loss from that time, we also lost many of the people who
actually may have been able to answer some of the questions that
historians still pose today as to the origins of this people. [4]
To the Roma the persecution during the 1940's is as important as it is
to the Jews. The Romani Anthem (International Roma organizations have
attempted to codify Roma culture in an attempt to unite the various
groups. The Roma now have an anthem, as well as a flag that contains a
16 spoke -as opposed to the Indian 24 spoke- Chakra) articulates the
troubled history of these people [5]:
I went, I went on long roads
I met happy Roma
O Roma where do you come from,
With tents on happy roads?
O Roma, O fellow Roma
I once had a great family,
The Black Legions* murdered them
Come with me Roma from all the world
For the Romani roads have opened
Now is the time, rise up Roma now,
We will rise high if we act
O Roma, O fellow Roma
*(the Black Legions refers to the Black uniformed SS, Gestapo as well
as the "Death's Head Battalion" concentration camp units).
Today the Roma are trying to reach out to their past, and understand
themselves better. Freedom after the fall of the Soviet Bloc has
created an impetus to learn more about themselves. Clearly this has
led them to turn their sights and hearts towards India. It is
important for us Indians, and specifically us Hindus, to reach out to
this community. They are a great example of the plight of Indians
around the world. They have endured persecution from the Arabs, the
Nazis and have been sent on Slave-ships to the Americas. They have
inhabited most of the world at some point, and have been ambassadors
of Indian culture and science. They are known for their metallurgy,
and their music, two talents India has always been known for as well.
For many Roma a new identity, which one might call “Hindupen” is
growing out of an unprecedented pride in origins. [3]
In conclusion, I would like to suggest we have an appreciation for
these people, who even today, are ridiculed and derided. The term
"Gypsy" has a bad connotation, and is of ill-repute. It is best to
know more about them, if for nothing at least to learn more about our
own ancient land, which they proudly believe to be their own as well.
References:
[1] http://www.dancers-archive.com/med-dance/legends.txt
[2] http://www.geocities.com/Paris/5121/homeland.htm
[3] http://pages.slc.edu/~badams/GIFandJPEG/Hindupenpage.htm
[4] http://www.florilegium.org/files/CULTURES/Gypsies-art.html
[5] http://www.geocities.com/Paris/5121/gelem.htm
http://www.swaveda.com/articles.php?action=show&id=31
http://thetruthwholetruthandnothingbuttruth.blogspot.com/2010/04/not-required-indian-nri-sid-harth.html
...and I am Sid Harth
