What are gypies?

Question

What are gypies?

Answer 1

they are nomadic people who liked to earn money by fortune telling and performing fake pagan-satanic rituals for show (sick-os) they are from middle eastern asia and africa, like in egypt and saudi arabia and often hung around europe, especially france, but they arent around much anymore

Answer 2

Gypsies are an ethnic group of people who got their name because people used to think they were of Egyptian origin. However, that has since been disproven. The name they call themselves is Roma and their traditional language is Romany, most likely based on Sanskrit. They most likely came from India. They have received a bad reputation because they have been pushed into the margins of society.



They still exist. And most have converted to Christianity I believe. Please be careful about stereotyping Gypsies, for they do still exist and are an ethnic group like any other.



They were severely persecuted along with Jews during the Holocaust.

Answer 3

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It is a typical enough story: one partner leaves, the other stays. One remains 'in love', the other is uncertain. Whatever it is that has caused a couple to be apart, the one person who remains bears the prospect, fear, doubt, desire, hope of saving his or her marriage' alone.

Answer 4

Do your grocery shopping with a list and a period of time limit; that way, you're not as likely to stray into the highly processed foods section.

Answer 5

Decaf coffee is a superb low-calorie fluid when you're having cravings (and a terrific source of antioxidants).

Answer 6

The term 'Gypsie' doesnt only refer to Romany travallers. It is just a general term for travelling communities.

Answer 7

Decaf coffee is a wonderful low-calorie fluid when you're having cravings (and an incredible source of antioxidants).

Answer 8

The Gypsies are a race of nomads. The Gypsies of nineteenth-century England travelled the countryside, carrying all their belongings in covered wagons and pitching tents wherever they stopped. For Gypsies, travelling is not a pastime or leisure activity, but a way of life. In fact, a common belief of the latter part of the nineteenth century suggested that the inclination to travel, called "wanderlust," was a product of genetic determinants. This view was the basis for the claim that "it was as natural for [the Gypsies] to move as it was for the majority of the population to stay in one place" (Mayall, "Gypsy-Travellers" 15). Another argument of this time period was that itinerancy resulted from socialization to a travelling way of life. Therefore, "being raised as a nomad and being accustomed to the rigors of travelling from an early age would undoubtedly have increased the likelihood of inter-generational itinerancy" (Mayall, "Gypsy-Travellers" 15-16). Whatever its source, the Gypsies' itinerant lifestyle naturally made it necessary that their occupations involve mobility (Mayall, "Gypsy-Travellers 16"). It was in the economic sphere, then, that Gypsies interacted with settled society.





Both in the nineteenth century and today, Gypsies have played an important economic role in society. In nineteenth-century England, they made their living primarily by hawking (selling small homemade goods) and tinkering (repairing pots and pans) (Mayall, "Gypsy-Travellers" 42). In this way, Gypsies filled the small-scale and irregular demands for goods and services in the non-Gypsy population (Gmelch 52). Gypsies also met the high demand for seasonal employment on farms. During the late summer and early fall, Gypsies harvested fruits and vegetables. This kind of employment was "plentiful, regular, and temporary" (Mayall, "Gypsy-Travellers" 32) and thus perfectly suited to the Gypsy lifestyle. They also followed a diverse number of other trades, such as chair-bottoming, basket-making, rat-catching, wire-working, grinding, fiddling, selling fruit, fish, and earthenware, and mending bellows (Mayall, "Gypsy-Travellers" 42). However, the Gypsy lifestyle was not all work and no play.





Aside from these labor-oriented functions, another activity in which the Gypsies have participated is entertaining. They danced, sang, and played musical instruments. However, the form of entertainment for which the Gypsies are perhaps the best known is fortune-telling. Taking advantage of the superstitious belief that they possessed magical powers which enabled them to see into the future (Mayall, "Gypsy-Travellers" 49), Gypsy women sold fortunes at fairs and made considerable profits. They read palms and tarot cards, and cast charms and spells. In nineteenth-century England, fortune-telling was the equivalent of the modern-day horoscope (Mayall, "Gypsy-Travellers" 50) and taken as seriously by many.

Answer 9

Eating liquid-based foods such because natural smoothies and low-sodium soup will help you cut back on calories nevertheless feel full.

Answer 10

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Answer 11

Enroll in an active art class, such as sculpture or maybe ceramics.

Answer 12

Purchase a plant for your office—watering it will eventually make you more active.

Answer 13

Keep a small water glass, which you ought to refill often, instead of a huge water bottle on your workplace.

Answer 14

You enable you to fried foods but there are other, sometimes healthier, ways for you to cook including: roasting, steaming, poaching, the baking, braising and broiling.

Answer 15

They're like traveling fortune tellers. I dont really think they are around anymore like they were years ago.

Answer 16

Drink lots associated with water. (You'll stand up for refills and trips to the bathroom. )

Answer 17

I do believe in case you reduce in size the stomach in addition to get accustomed to eating fewer, it helps.

Answer 18

Stand up each time you talk around the phone.

Answer 19

Stand up each time you talk for the phone.

Answer 20

ROMA ARE ALSO KNOWN AS GYPSIES,

ROM, RROMA, and ROMANI



History of the Roma:

The Roma people originally lived in north west India, and migrated to Persia from 224 to 642 CE. They lived under Arab rule in the Middle East from 642 to 900 CE, and eventually arrived in Constantinople. 17 Some authorities believe that there may have been additional migrations at a later date. By the 14th and 15th centuries, they had drifted into western Europe. Some emigrated from Europe to the US and Canada in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Following World War II, and lately the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, there has been an additional westward migration.

Most Roma settle down in a single location. Only about 5% of European Romanies are believed to be nomads.

There are three language groups within the Roma:



the Domari in the Middle East and Eastern Europe,



the Lomarvren in Central Europe,



the Romani of Western Europe.

Within these groups, the Roma are organized into 4 main and about 10 smaller tribes or nations.



Names of the Romani people:

Many names have been used to refer to the Romani people, including: Cigano, Gypsies, Gipsies, Rom, Roma, Romani, Tsigani, Tzigane, Zigeuner, and others. Most Roma identify themselves either by their tribal name or by one of the names beginning with the prefix "Rom". Frequently, a prefix with a double "R" is used, as in "Rrom". "...the Council of Europe has approved the use of "Rroma (Gypsies)" in its official documents (CLRAE Recommendation 11 - June 1995)" 5 Because of centuries of hatred, the name "Gypsy" has become a "derogatory, pejorative and offensive" name. It was invented by Europeans, who incorrectly believed that the Roma had their origin in Egypt.



Persecution of the Roma:

They have suffered severe persecution throughout their history, particularly in Europe:



Rumors were spread in medieval times that the Roma were descended from a sexual encounter between a Roma woman and Satan. Christians believed that a conspiracy of blacksmiths, wizards and women had been organized to attack the Church. Since many Roma were blacksmiths, the conspiracy theory expanded to involve the Romani. Another belief was that Roma forged the nails used in Christ's crucifixion. The Roma countered with the rumor that a Roma attempted to steal the nails so that Christ could not be crucified, but was only able to grab one.



The Christian genocide against Witches during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance was also directed against the Roma. The courts seized and imprisoned them in Witches' prisons, often without even bothering to record their names.



The Diet of Augsburg ruled that Christians could legally kill Roma. Meanwhile, the courts were closed to the Roma who were injured by Christians



In 1721, Emperor Karl VI of what is now Germany ordered total genocide of the Roma. "Gypsy Hunts" were organized to track down and exterminate them. 7



Roma were rounded up and imprisoned in Spain during 1749. They were considered a danger to society. A pardon was granted in 1763, and the Roma were released in 1765. 18



In 1792, 45 Roma were tortured and executed for the murder of some Hungarians, who were in fact alive and observed the executions.



It is believed that as much as half of the Roma in Europe were enslaved, from the 14th century until Romani slavery was abolished in the mid-19th century.



During the 1920's, during the Weimar Republic, the Roma were seriously oppressed. They were forbidden to use parks or public baths. Roma were all registered with the police. Many were sent to work camps "for reasons of public security." When the Nazis took power, the Roma were further persecuted under the "Nuremberg Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor" In 1937, Heinrich Himmler issued a decree "The Struggle Against the Gypsy Plague," which increased police monitoring of the Roma.



During the Nazi Holocaust, they were declared to be "subhumans". In 1941-JUL, the Einsatzkommandos were instructed to "kill all Jews, Gypsies and mental patients." A few months later, Himmler ordered that all Roma be deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau for extermination. Sybil Milton, a former Senior Historian of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum estimates that 500,000 Roma and Sinti persons were exterminated. This number is supported by the Romas and Sinti Center in Heidelberg.



There are about 5,000 Roma survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. They did not share in the hundreds of millions of dollars given to other survivors. 7



The hatred and physical attacks directed at the Roma within the formerly Communist governments of eastern Europe have intensified in recent years. They are heavily discriminated against in matters of education, employment, health care, and social services. They are a prime target of neo-Nazis and skinheads. Often the governments have done little to guarantee them basic human rights.



The situation in Bulgaria in recent years is probably typical of the fate of the Roma in eastern Europe. During the Communist era, Roma culture was suppressed by the government. Their Newspapers and clubs were closed; their language was outlawed. 6 The situation has worsened since the overthrow of Communism. The unemployment rate amongst the Roma is many times the national average. A poll of ethnic Bulgarian adults shows that discrimination and bigotry is widespread: 91% believe that the Roma are predisposed to criminal behavior; 83 that the are "lazy and irresponsible." 59% would not live in the same locale as the Roma; 94% said they would not marry a Roma; 69% would not have a Roma as a friend. The latter two numbers have increased by 5 percentage points since 1992.



The situation is similar in Romania. 10



The situation in Serbia is particularly critical. During the 1990's, Serbian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Muslim religious groups fueled racial and religious hatred as a means of promoting their own status. The Gypsies have no affinity with any of the political-religious groups. They were attacked by all. Since mid-1997, neo-Nazi skinhead street gangs have been active in the cities. Random beatings and killing of Roma men, women and children have become common. Dragan Stankovic, head of the Roma community in Belgrade said:

"The discrimination begins as soon as our children enter school. Gypsy kids are made to sit in the back rows or sent to special-education classes. Many are tossed out of school. They are frequently ostracized and insulted by other children and teachers. Our young people cannot find jobs and our complaints to the police are ignored. We have always lived as second-class citizens, but we are not willing now to die because we are second-class citizens." 12



The Roma in Kosovo may be the most oppressed of all. They appear to be hated by both the Albanian/Muslim majority and the Serbian/Christian minority. A series of articles about the Roma in Kosovo has been published by an anti-cult site. 15,16 This web site claims that the Roma totaled at least 10% of the population of Kosovo. Yet they have been essentially invisible and have not been included in population figures.



The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe describe the Roma as "the poorest, least healthy, least educated and most discriminated sector of...society." 6



In 1997-MAY, President Clinton decided to not reappoint a Roma representative to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. In effect, the many hundreds of thousands of Roma exterminated during the Holocaust have been killed twice: once by the Nazis using poison gas; and a second time by subsequent generations in the West, who have allowed the memory of the victims to fade into oblivion.

There are believed to be about 12 million Roma scattered throughout the world. It is impossible to estimate the total population with accuracy since many governments do not record Roma in their census figures. Also, many Roma conceal their ethnic origin out of fear of discrimination.

Beliefs and Practices of the Roma

Many centuries in the past, the Roma were some of the last Goddess-worshipers in Europe. Their Goddess, Kali, was viewed as a trinity. Her symbol was a triangle. A male Horned God also played a prominent role. The similarities between ancient Roma belief and that of Wicca are obvious. These beliefs have long been abandoned.

There is today no single Roma culture. Nor is there general agreement on who should qualify to be called a Roma. Romani groups around the world hold different traditions, customs and beliefs. Groups that have settled in one location generally adsorb some of the gajikané (non-Roma) local culture. Most Roma have converted the religions of their host countries, typically Christianity (Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism), and Islam. Their formal religious affiliation is often supplemented by Roma traditional beliefs:



the existence of Del (God)



the existence of beng (Satan)



the existence of bibaxt (bad luck) and of muló (supernatural spirits or ghosts).



the power of good luck charms, amulets and talismans



the power of curses



the power of healing rituals



Marimé is a state of impurity brought on a person by the violation of a purity taboo. It also means a "sentence of expulsion imposed for violation of purity rules or any behavior disruptive to the Roma community." Some Roma consider the part of a woman's body below the waist to be dirty or polluted, because it is associated with menstruation. 8 In many tribes, women wear long skirts, the bottoms of which must not touch a man other than her husband.



A pregnant woman is considered unclean. She must not give birth in the family home because it would then become impure. Sometimes knots are ritually untied as the birth approaches. This is believed to assure that the umbilical cord will not be tangled. After birth, anything that the new mother touches is later destroyed. This quarantine continues at least until the baptism of the baby.



Newborns are baptized, usually in running water, when they are a few weeks old. Often, the infant is massaged with oil; this is believed to make it strong.



A Roma typically has three names. The first is known only by the mother; it is given at the time of birth. Its purpose is to confuse evil spirits by keeping the real name of the child from them. The second name is conferred at the time of baptism, and is the commonly used name within the tribe. A third, different name may be given when the child is re-baptized in a Christian church. It has little importance, except when dealing with non-Roma.



In the past, people were typically married between the ages of 9 to 14. This tradition has changed in many tribes due to the influence of the surrounding culture. Pre-marital sex is strongly forbidden. Marriages to outsiders are heavily discouraged. The wedding ceremony is usually simple. In some tribes, the bride and groom join hands in front of the chief or an elder and promise to be true to each other. In ancient times, they used be married by jumping over a broomstick in the presence of their families.



When a person dies, relatives and friends gather around and ask for forgiveness for any bad deeds that they have done to that person. They are concerned that if such grievances are not settled, then the dead person might come back as an evil spirit and cause trouble. In the past, the widow might commit suicide when her husband died so that she could accompany him during the afterlife. Sometimes, the deceased's nostrils are plugged with wax so that evil spirits cannot enter and occupy the body. Clothing, tools, eating utensils, jewelry, and money may be placed in the coffin in order to help the deceased in the next world. The deceased's possessions are burned, broken or sold to non-Roma.



They believe that a person can be reincarnated as another human or animal. Alternately, they might appear as a muló or "living dead", seeking revenge on anyone who harmed him during his life on earth.



Many Roma rules of behavior relate to the use of water. They normally wash in running water, as in a shower. Baths are not used. Women's and men's clothes are washed separately, because of the impurities of a woman's body. Clothes of a pregnant or menstruating woman are washed furthest downstream from the camp, to avoid contamination.



Women must not expose their legs. They wear long, multi-colored skirts.



Out of respect for the importance of the horse in assuring Roma mobility, the eating of horse meat is prohibited in some tribes.



Many Roma women, called drabardi practice fortune telling. But fortunes are only read for non-Romas.



Other women are drabarni or drabengi and practice natural healing techniques.



The Roma today -- some positive signs:

"On January 8, 1998, New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman signed into law Assembly Bill 2654, repealing that state's anti-Roma law adopted in 1917. Governor Whitman's signature effectively repealed the last anti-Roma law on the books" of any U.S. state. 13

A movement to adopt Christianity within the Roma of the U.S. and Canada started in the late 1970s. It replaced almost all of the original Roma beliefs and rituals. A Roma/Christian church opened up in Los Angeles CA in 1997. Since then more than 50 have been established; there is at least one in every major city in the U.S. 14 As of 2000-MAY, 10 congregations have web sites.

The Western Canadian Romani Alliance held a symposium in Vancouver in 1998-MAY. Ronald Lee reported: "It is significant, that the Romani people who left India almost one thousand years ago have finally come as far west as they can in their westward migration. The Pacific Ocean in western Canada is the limit. It is also significant that Saint Sara, originally the Indian Goddess Kali/Durga/Sara worshipped by the ancestors of the Roma in India, has finally been brought to Canada and immersed in the Pacific Ocean by Roma who have fled the persecution in Eastern Europe to find freedom in Canada. The Roma people can go no further. In Canada, they must stand and proclaim who they are and demand the respect they are entitled to Under the United Nations Charter of Human Rights as an historic and original people. Many of the Roma who took part in the events were initially afraid to reveal their identity as Roma because of the stigma of the stereotyped 'gypsy.' But in Vancouver, they came forward and identified themselves as part of the new Pan-Roma movement which advocates that Roma of all backgrounds are one people with a common origin, a common history, a common persecution and a common destiny." 19

On 2004-MAY-01, ten countries joined the enlarged European Union. Some four million Roma have become citizens of the EU with the right to live and work throughout union.

Answer 21

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_people



Tzigane" redirects here; for the composition by Maurice Ravel, see Tzigane (Ravel).

Roma



Roma girls in Aetolia, Greece



Total population: 8 to 10 million

Significant populations in: Romania, Slovakia, Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, Spain, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, FYROM, Greece, Moldova, Bosnia, Albania, Ukraine

Language: Romany, languages of native country

Religion: Christianity, Islam

Related ethnic groups: Indo-Europeans, Indo-Iranians, Iranians, Indo-Aryans, Punjabis, Sindhi people, Rajputs

The Roma people (singular Rom; sometimes Rroma, Rrom) are an ethnic group mostly living in Europe. They are believed to have originated from various nomadic peoples that travelled north of the deserts of northwestern India and the many mountainous valleys of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Today, Roma do not form a majority in any state.



Many Roma speak some form of Romany, a language closely related to the Indo-European languages of the Iranian plateau and more specifically to Sanskrit and its descendent Indo-Aryan languages found in the Indian Subcontinent [1]. However, most Roma speak the dominant language of the region they live in.



Contents [hide]

1 Name

2 Language

3 History

4 People

5 Genetics

6 Rejection

7 Eastern Europe

8 Roma society

9 Religion

10 Music

11 Fictional representations of Roma

12 Groups with similar lifestyles

13 References

14 See also

15 External links

15.1 Museums







[edit]

Name

In the Romany language, Rom means a man or a a person. However, two other names are often used—English Gypsies and German Zigeuner and its many derivations (e.g. Norwegian Sigøyner or Russian Цыган)—but both are now considered offensive despite common use.



Rom is derived from Sanskrit dom which means a person. In some languages, like Syrian or Armenian, dom is still used.



Gypsies or Gipsies derives from the erroneous belief amongst outsiders that the Roma originated in Egypt. This ethnonym was never used by the Roma to describe themselves. The term Gypsy has long been associated with persecution, and has acquired pejorative connotations.



In Iran they are referred to as کولی (Kowli), in India as Lambani, Lambadi, or Rabari; in Arabic: Ghajar, or Nawar; in Hebrew: צוענים (Tso-a-nim) (pl.) or צועני (Tso-a-ni) (sing.); In Welsh they are known as "Sipsiwn" which is derived from the English "Gypsy".



In recent years, there has been a movement towards use of the "double-R" spellings of "Rroma" for the people and "Rromanes" for the language, as "r" and "rr" represent two different phonemes in Romany. Some Roma say that is a mistaken spelling, never adopted by Roma, and definitively rejected by the last Romany congress that defined the universal Romany alphabet for the Romany language. Other Roma embrace the spelling as politically correct (or at least neutral).



Most Roma refer to themselves by one generic name, Rom.



There is no connection between the names of the Roma or their language, and the city of Rome (Roma in Latin, Italian, and Romanian), the Roman Empire, Romania, the Romanian people or the Romanian language.



[edit]

Language

Main article: Romany language

Analysis of the Romany language has shown that it is related to languages spoken in northern Pakistan like Pothohari and northwest India like Punjabi. This is regarded as strong evidence for locating the geographical origin of the Roma, particularly in light of the fact that loanwords in Romany make it possible to plot a plausible route of westward migration.



Bolstering the linguistic evidence for an Indian sub-continental Romany origin is that ABO blood group distribution is also consistent with that found in northern Indian warrior classes. A study recently published in Nature magazine suggests Romany is related also to Sinhalese (see footnotes).



Some Roma have developed creole languages and/or mixed languages, including:



Caló or Iberian-Romany, which uses the Romany lexicon and Spanish grammar (the calé). It is the source of many words of Spanish cant and slang.

Lomavren or Armenian-Romany

Angloromani or English-Romany

Romano-Greek or Greek-Romany

Traveller Norwegian or Norwegian-Romany

Romano-Serbian or Serbian-Romany

Boyash, a dialect of Romanian with Hungarian and Romany loanwords

Tavringer Romani or Swedish-Romany

[edit]

History

The Roma are believed to have left north India about AD 1000 and to have passed through what is now Afghanistan, Iran, Armenia, and Turkey. People recognized by other Roma as Roma still live as far east as Iran, including some who made the migration to Europe and returned. By the 14th century, the Roma had reached the Balkans, and by the 16th century, Scotland and Sweden. Some Roma migrated south through Syria to North Africa, reaching Europe through the Strait of Gibraltar in the 15th century. Both currents met in today's France.



The cause of the diaspora of the Roma is unknown. It has been proposed that the Roma were originally low-caste Hindus recruited into an army of mercenaries, whereupon they were granted warrior caste status, and sent westwards to resist Islamic military expansion. Another theory is that they were captives taken as slaves by Muslim conquerors of northern India, and that they became a distinct community in their lands of captivity. It is reported that Mahmud of Ghazni took half a million prisoners during a Turk-Persian invasion of Sindh and Punjab in India. Why the Roma did not return to India, choosing instead to travel ever-farther west into the lands of Europe, is an enigma, but may relate to military service under the Muslims.





Roma family in Izmir, Turkey.Wherever they arrived in Europe, initial curiosity was followed with hostility and xenophobia which have persisted ever since. Roma were enslaved for five centuries in Romania until abolition in 1864. Elsewhere in Europe, they faced a variety of hostile treatment, from exclusion or expulsion from many lands to abduction of their children and forced labor.



Roma immigration to the United States began in colonial times, with small groups in Virginia and French Louisiana. Larger-scale immigration began in the 1860s, with groups of Romnichal from Britain. The largest number immigrated in the early 1900s, mainly from the Vlax group of Kalderash. The two groups do not often associate with each other. A large number also moved to Latin America.



Persecution of Roma reached a peak in World War II, when the Nazis murdered large numbers of Roma. Like Jews, homosexuals, Communists and disabled people, Roma were to be exterminated, so they were sentenced to forced labour and imprisonment in a concentration camp or were killed on sight, especially by the Einsatzgruppen on the Eastern Front. It is believed that 200,000 to 800,000 Roma were killed during Porajmos.



[edit]

People



Roma woman, Andrychów (Poland)Estimates suggest that there are approximately 8 to 10 million Roma worldwide [2], of whom between 7 and 10 million Roma live in Europe. The largest numbers of Roma are found in the Balkan peninsula of southeastern Europe, in central Europe, the United States, South America, Russia, and successor republics of the USSR. Smaller numbers are scattered throughout western Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.



Countries where Roma populations exceed half a million are Romania, Hungary, the countries of former Yugoslavia, Spain, the United States, Brazil and Argentina. Among other countries where Roma populations are large are Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Turkey and Slovakia.



The Roma recognize divisions among themselves with some sense of territoriality, emphasized by certain cultural and dialectal differences. Some authorities delineate four main confederations:



the Kalderash (smiths who came from the Balkans and then went to central Europe and North America and are the most numerous),

the Gitanos (also called Calé, mostly in the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, and southern France; associated with entertainment),

the Manush (also known as Sinti, mostly in Alsace and other regions of France and Germany; often travelling showmen and circus people), and

the Romnichal (Rom'nies) (mainly in Britain and North America).

Each of these main divisions was further divided into two or more subgroups distinguished by occupational specialization or territorial origin, or both. Some of these group names include Machvaya (Machwaya), Lovari, Churari, Sinti, Rudari, Boyash, Ludar, Luri, Xoraxai, Ungaritza, Bashaldé, Ursari and Romungro.



A stereotype that Roma people have psychic powers (e.g. fortune-teller) is still sometimes present, and some romantics attribute the invention of the Tarot cards to them. This may reflect the belief that the Roma, being of alleged Egyptian origin, had knowledge of lost arts and sciences of the ancient Egyptians.



[edit]

Genetics



Gipsy Encampment - facsimile of a copper-plate by Callot.Studies of Bulgarian, Baltic and Vlax Roma genetics suggest that about 50% of observed Y chromosomes and mitochondrial DNA belong to male haplogroup H and female haplogroup M, respectively. Both of these are widespread across South and Central Asia. In summary, males consist in the main of haplogroups H (50%), I (22%) and J2 (14%), Rlb (7%) approx; females H (35%), M (26%), U3 (10%), X (7%), other (20%). Whereas male haplogroup H and female M are rare in non-Roma European populations, the rest are found throughout Europe. However female haplogroups U2i and U7 are almost absent from female Roma, but are present in South Asia (11%-35% approx). Hence, it can be seen that about half of the gene pool of Roma is similar to surrounding European populations. But male Sinti Roma in Central Asia have H (20%), J2 (20%) and a high frequency of R2 (50%) which is found in India, with high frequencies in West Bengal and amongst the Sinhalese of Sri Lanka. The M217 marker, which accounts for about 1.6% of male Roma, is also found in West Bengal (Kivisild (2003) et al). Haplogroups L which accounts for about 10% of Indians males is absent from Roma (Gresham et al however does not seem to test for haplogroup L), as it is also from West Bengal and Central Asian Sinti (Kivisild (2003) et al). A search on the Yhrd database however, shows that some Roma populations (in Europe) have considerable percentages of male haplogroup R1a1. Yhrd gives few matches with South Asian population, but a large number of matches on haplogroup H, with Asian Londoners, a sample that has a large number of Bengali and South Indian groups.



(Ref: Origins and Divergence of the Roma (Gypsies) David Gresham, Bharti Morar, Peter A. Underhill, et al, Am J Hum (2001); The Eurasian Heartland: A continental perspective on Y-chromosome diversity, Wells et al.)



Luba Kalaydjieva's research has shown that the original group appeared in India some 32-40 generations ago and was small, likely under 1000 people.



[edit]

Rejection



An 1852 Wallachian poster advertising an auction of Roma slaves.This paragraph refers only to the Roma who still choose to live nomadic lives and does not refer to all Roma. Because of nomadic lifestyles and the difficulties with integration that nomadism can present, there has been a great deal of mutual distrust between the Roma and their more settled neighbours. They were, and frequently still are, popularly believed to be tramps, and thieves unfit for work, resulting in their 'persecution'. This belief is often cited as the etymological source of the term gyp, meaning to "cheat", as in "I got gypped by a con man." The German name Zigeuner is often thought through popular etymology to derive from Ziehende Gauner, which means 'travelling thieves'.



During the Enlightenment, Spain briefly sought to eliminate the Roma's outsider status, by attempting to forbid the use of the word gitano, and to assimilate the Roma into the mainstream population, by forcing them to abandon their language and way of life. That effort proved unsuccessful.



Persecution of Roma reached a peak in World War II, when the Nazis murdered large numbers of Roma, as mentioned above. See Porajmos



Today in Eastern Europe, they often choose to live in depressed squatter communities with very high unemployment, while only some are fully integrated in the society. However, in some cases—notably the Kalderash clan in Romania, who work as traditional coppersmiths—they have prospered. Although some Roma still embrace a nomadic lifestyle, most migration is actually forced, as most communities are not accepting Romani settlements in their neighbourhoods.



To this day, there are still tensions between the Roma and the majority population around them. Common complaints are that Roma steal and live off social welfare, and residents often reject Roma encampments. In the UK, travellers (referring to both Irish Travellers and Roma) became a 2005 general election issue, with the leader of the Conservative Party promising to review the Human Rights Act 1998. This law, which absorbs the European Convention on Human Rights into UK primary legislation, is seen by some to permit the granting of retrospective planning permission. Severe population pressures and the paucity of greenfield sites have led to travellers purchasing land, and setting up residential settlements almost overnight, thus subverting the planning restrictions imposed on other members of the community.



[edit]

Eastern Europe



A Roma family travelling (1837 print)Many countries that were formerly part of the Eastern bloc and former Yugoslavia, have substantial populations of Roma. The level of integration of Roma into society remains limited. In these countries, they usually remain on the margins of society, living in isolated ghetto-like settlements (see Chánov). Only a small fraction of Roma children graduate from secondary schools, although during the Communist regime, at least some of these countries forced all children to attend school, and provided them, like other citizens, with all required basics such as textbooks and the compulsory uniform. Usually they feel rejected by the state and the main population, which creates another obstacle to their integration.



According to The Guardian (January 8, 2003):



"In the Czech Republic, 75% of Roma children are educated in schools for people with learning difficulties, and 70% are unemployed (compared with a national rate of 9%). In Hungary, 44% of Roma children are in special schools, while 74% of men and 83% of women are unemployed. In Slovakia, Roma children are 28 times as likely to be sent to a special school than non-Roma; Roma unemployment stands at 80%." [3]

In some countries, dependence on social security systems is part of the problem. For some Roma families, it may be preferable to live on social security, compared to low-paid jobs. That creates many new problems: anger against Roma, conditions that produce crime, and extreme sensitivity to changes in social security. A good example of the latter is Slovakia, where reduction of social security (a family is paid allowance only for the first three children) led to civil disorder in several Roma villages.



In most countries within or applying to join the European Union, Roma people can lead normal lives and may integrate into the larger society. Nevertheless, the Roma most visible to the settled community are those that for various reasons, including traditional avoidance of "pollution" by close contact with non-Roma (cultural standards of cleanliness among the Roma state that non-Roma are 'mahrime', or spiritually unclean, and are therefore avoided as well as out of fear of 'persecution'), still live in shacks (usually built ad hoc, near railways) and beg on the streets, perpetuating the bad image of Roma overall. The local authorities may try to help such people by improving infrastructure in their settlements and subsidizing families further, but such aid is mostly viewed by the Roma as 'superficial' and 'insufficient'. Begging with pre-school children is sometimes practiced by the Roma, despite its illegality in many countries.



In June 2004, Lívia Járóka became the second, and only current, Roma Member of the European Parliament when she was elected as part of the list of the right-wing Fidesz Party in Hungary, following that country's accession to the European Union. The first Roma MEP was Juan de Dios Ramirez-Heredia of Spain.



Seven former Communist Central European and Southeastern European states launched the Decade of Roma Inclusion initiative in 2005 to improve the socio-economic conditions and status of the Roma minority.



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Roma society



A Gipsy Family - Facsimile of a woodcut in the "Cosmographie Universelle" of Munster: in folio, Basle, 1552.The traditional Roma 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 Roma practice of child marriage. In 2003, one of the many self-styled Roma tribal "kings", Ilie Tortică, banned his subjects from entering their children into marriage until they have come of legal age. This ban is seen by some as being in direct conflict with traditional Roma family practices. A rival Roma patriarch, Florin Cioabă, ran afoul of Romanian authorities in late 2003, when he married off his youngest daughter, Ana-Maria, 12 [4], well below the legally marriageable age in Europe.



Romany law establishes that the man’s family must pay the dowry to the bride's parents. Romany social behaviour is strictly regulated by purity laws (“marime”), still respected by most Roma (except Muslims) and among Sinti groups by the elder generations. 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 impure emissions, and the lower body. Fingernails and toenails must be filed with an emery board, as cutting them with a clipper is 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. Death is seen as impure, and affects the whole family of the dead, who remain impure for a period of time. Many of these practices are also present in Hindu cultures such as those of Bengal and the Balinese. However, in contrast to the Hindu practice of burning the dead, Romany dead must be buried, not burned. It is believed the soul of the dead does not officially enter Heaven until after the burial.



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Religion

It has been suggested that while still in India the Roma people belonged to the Hindu religion, this theory being supported by the Romany word for "cross", trushul, which is the word which describes Shiva's trident (Trishul).



Roma have usually adopted the dominant religion of the host country while often preserving their particular belief systems and indigenous religion and worship. Most Eastern European Roma are Catholic, Orthodox or Muslim. Those in Western Europe and the United States are mostly either Catholic or Protestant. Most in Latin America kept their European religion, most of them being Orthodox. In Turkey, Egypt, and the southern Balkans, they are overwhelmingly Muslim. Roma religion has a highly developed sense of morality, taboos, and the supernatural, though it is often denigrated by organized religions.



After the Second World War, a consistent and constantly-growing number of Roma have embraced Evangelical movements, and for the first time in history, Roma have engaged themselves as religious leaders and ministers, creating their own, autonomous churches and missionary organizations. In some countries, the majority of Roma now belong to the Romany churches. This unexpected change has greatly contributed to a better image of Roma in society. The work they perform is seen as more legitimate, and they have begun to obtain legal permits for commercial activities.



Evangelical Romany churches exist today in every country where Roma are settled. Particularly strong is the movement in France and Spain (in this latter State, there are more than one thousand Romany churches, known as "Filadelfia", of which almost one hundred are in Madrid alone). In Germany, the most numerous group is that of Polish Roma, having their main church in Mannheim. Other important and numerous Romany assemblies exist in Los Angeles, Houston, Buenos Aires and Mexico. Some groups in Romania and Chile have joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church.



In the Balkans, the Roma of Macedonia and Kosovo have been particularly active in Islamic mystical brotherhoods (Sufism). Muslim Roma immigrants to Western Europe and America have brought these traditions with them.



[edit]

Music

In addition to their own Roma music, which is very relevant within the Eastern European folk such as the Zards from Hungary, Russia and Romania, the style and performance practices of Roma musicians have influenced European classical music works such as the Hungarian Rhapsodies and other works of Franz Liszt and the Hungarian dances of Johannes Brahms. Georges Cziffra, the pianist, was of Hungarian Roma parentage.



One can hear the Roma inspiration in quick-tempo or tragic weeping Gypsy violins, small mandolins, drums, wooden spoons used as castanets and harmonious cymbaloms are born Eastern European Zards as the basic root of its ancestors in bolero, classic jazz and American cowboy country music that originated in the Southwest. All these rhythms are also brothers of guitar inspired flamenco and Cante Jondo from southern Spain.



The Roma people who came to the Americas had an influence on many structural rhythms like the singing feel, drumming structure to picaresque trumpeting found in salsa, rumba, mambo and guajira from Cuba and Puerto Rico.



They influenced coastal music from Peru played on Creole guitar in dances such as the passionate northern tondero, limeñan zamacueca and marinera. Mexico is famous for its Charro music like mariachi. There is also "llanero" from the borders of Venezuela and Colombia, "morochuco" (morochucan) in Andean Peru and "Piajeno" on the northern coast of Peru and in Chile, "huaso".



Groups that represent the Roma people's passage in the Americas as outsiders, famed for its rebellious nomadic spirit and bohemian musical talents include the cowboys and hippies from central southern U.S.



European-style Gypsy jazz is still widely practised among the original creators (the Roma People); one who acknowledged this artistic debt was Django Reinhardt.



[edit]

Fictional representations of Roma

Notable representations of Roma in fiction include The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo, La Gitanilla by Miguel de Cervantes, Carmen by Georges Bizet or Montoyas y Tarantos by Saura. The Lyre of Orpheus by Robertson Davies features major characters who maintain Gypsy traditions, including the care and repair of musical instruments, in modern Canada. Fires in the Dark by Louise Doughty is a fictionalised account of Roma experience in Central Europe during the Second World War. Canadian contemporary fantasy author Charles de Lint's novel Mulengro presents a portrayal of the Rom and their cultural myths. One of the members of this group, by the name of Borrible Jones, appears in his novel, Spirits in the Wires. Stephen (Barbara) Kyle's novel The Experiment is about an American Roma who is the daughter of a victim of Nazi experimentation. Marvel Comics' Doctor Doom is a Gypsy, and DC Comics' Nightwing (the first Robin) is also Gypsy (Kalderash) on his father's side. Bosnian director Emir Kusturica often used the Roma community as basis of his films; and in the 1937 film classic Heidi starring Shirley Temple, Gypsies appeared in the stereotypical villain role. The Kalderash Clan also cursed the vampire Angel with a soul in TV series Angel. Jenny Calendar, the technopagan computer-science teacher, in the TV series Buffy, the Vampire Slayer was a member of the Kalderash. Stephen King's novel Thinner includes the classic plot device of the gypsy woman's curse. In TSR, Inc.'s fantasy role-playing universe Ravenloft, the Vistani people are clearly based on the Roma.



[edit]

Groups with similar lifestyles

In Europe, where the settled lifestyle has long been the norm, other non-Indo-Iranian nomadic peoples (not originating in India), have also been labelled Gypsies for convenience or by accident. In Germany, Switzerland, France and Austria there also exist so-called white gypsies who are known under the names of Jenische (German spelling), Yéniche (French spelling), and Yenish or Yeniche (English spellings). Their language seems to be grammatically identical with other (Swiss) German dialects; the origin of the lexicon however, incorporates German, Romany, Yiddish and other words. See: Jenische (in German)



In Norway (and to a lesser degree, in Sweden and Denmark) there is a group of people who call themselves Tatere. Confusingly, the term some of their more vocal representatives use to describe themselves today is "rom" or "romani". The links between the Tater people and what is known elsewhere as "rom", is uncertain. The Tater people occasionally worked on roads and railways in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, but were mostly itinerant and provided services that were needed by rural populations, but not needed enough to warrant resident practitioners. Typical examples would be tin-smithing, selling knick-knacks and the neutering of horses. The origin of the "Taters" is unknown. Their name might derive from a belief that they were of the nomadic Tartar people. Distinguished Norwegian rocker Åge Aleksandersen is a Tater, as was evangelist Ludvig Karlsen. On the southern and western coast of Norway, and to some extent on the western coast of Sweden, the tater would live in boats rather than in horse-drawn wagons.



There is also a group of people in Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States called Irish Gypsies or Irish Travellers. In Scotland, they are traditionally known as "tinkers", from the Irish "tinceard", meaning "tinsmith"; as this term became a pejorative amongst the settled community, the term Irish Travellers emerged as a more sensitive name. They are not Roma, but their nomadic culture has been influenced by them. Their language, Shelta, is mainly based on an Irish Gaelic lexicon and an English-based grammar, with influence from Romany.



The quinqui or mercheros of Spain are a minority group, formerly nomadic, that share a lot of the way of life of Spanish Roma. Their origin is unclear, maybe peasants who lost their land in the 16th century. In spite of sharing persecution and mores with the Roma, the quinqui have often set themselves apart from them.



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References

426, 435-439. [5].



Achim, Viorel (2004). "The Roma in Romanian History." Budapest: Central European University Press. ISBN 9639241849.

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.

Genner, Michael. Spartakus, 2 vols. Munich: Trikont, 1979-80

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. [6]

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. [7]

McDowell, Bart (1970). "Gypsies, Wanderers of the World". National Geographic Society. ISBN 0870440888.

"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.

Tebbutt, Susan (Ed., 1998) "Sinti and Roma in German-speaking Society and Literature". Oxford: Berghahn.

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See also

Dazdie

List of Roma, Sinti and mixed people

Irish Travellers

Romany language

Timeline of Roma history

Saint Sarah

Decade of Roma Inclusion

New Age Travellers

Museum of Romani Culture

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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Roma peopleThe Luli of Uzbekistan (Central Asia Roma)

European Roma Rights Centre

The Rom News Network

Voice of Roma (San Francisco Bay Area)

www.rroma.org Rroma Gypsies Organisations Culture and History

ABC Radio National -Walking in the paths of Gypsies Pt 1

ABC Radio National -Walking in the paths of Gypsies Pt 2

The World Bank: Roma Population Map

[edit]

Museums

Museum of Romani Culture in Brno, Czech Republic (in Czech)

Documentation and Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma in Heidelberg, Germany (German, English)

Ethnographic Museum in Tarnów, Poland. Click menu ROMA (CYGANIE) on the left. (Polish, English, Romany)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_people"

Categories: NPOV disputes | Ethnic groups in Bulgaria | Ethnic groups in Europe | Ethnic groups in Hungary | Ethnic groups in Kosovo | Ethnic groups in Montenegro | Ethnic groups in Serbia | Ethnic groups in the Czech Republic | Ethnic groups in Vojvodina | Ethnic groups of Romania | Eurasian nomads | Roma people | Roma



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