Who are the Roma? - a short introduction www. tikvahedu.ro Images of Roma Some European facts The largest minority in Europe; the largest ethnic group in Europe without a country of its own They are divided into several populations: according to traditional Romani culture, groupings based on the following common elements: traditional trade, social organisation structures, family traditions and holidays: cldrari, argintari, ursari, gabori, lutari, fierari, and others. Some self identify as Travellers. They are to be found in every European country, but most live in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, where they make up between 3% to 10% of the population There are also significant Romani communities in Western Europe, particularly in Spain, France and Greece The European Commission estimates the total number of Roma in Europe to be somewhere between 8 to 12 million people Where did they come from? History Romani history - a history of several groups of people, at various times and in a variety of places As the Romani did not keep written records, all the documented information we have about the early Romani people is based on the accounts and impressions of outsiders However a study of linguistics points to the Romani originating from the north-west of the Indian sub-continent, before being dispersed Original location Northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent They didnt come from Egypt The myth of the Egyptians In Byzantium, and later throughout the Balkans and Europe, the Romanis were associated with the non-European civilization that was at the time most famous and most mystical the Egyptian. In 15 th century Transylvania, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and later Denmark they are identified as originating in a mysterious region called Little Egypt. Spanish, Hungarian and English edicts from the 16 th century continue to refer to them as Egyptians (later becoming known as Gypsies) When did they leave and where did they go? On the move 14 th and early 15 th centuries From Balkans to various parts of Europe 18 th century From Germany to Russia, Hungary and Romania 19 th and early 20 th centuryFrom Russia to North East China Late 19 th century From Romania to Russia, Norway, Sweden, France and Germany; to South America and Australia First half of 20 th centuryFrom Great Britain to the USA Early 1920s From Greece to Turkey and from Turkey to Greece (depending on religion) Post Second World War IIFrom Poland to Sweden and other countries Some migration routes Were they always welcomed? Some examples 1493 the presence of Roms in the city of Milan is made punishable by death 1496 the legislative council of the Holy Roman Empire declared Gypsies to be enemy agents 1499 Ferdinand and Isabella, the new Catholic Monarchs of Spain enacted the first Spanish legislation placing restrictions on Gypsies 1554 under Queen Mary I, death penalty was introduced for Gypsies who refused to leave England 1557 Rome outlawed the presence of Gypsies in the city and ordered them to leave the territory within two days 1637 all Gypsies were declared outlaws in Sweden 1713 Emperor Charles VI of Bavaria declared that Gypsies could be shot to death with impunity Discrimination Restrictions placed on Gypsies made it difficult for them to travel and carry out their professions. For example, sometimes they were not allowed to: cross territorial boundaries sell goods or trade artefacts for food In the absence of any legal means of obtaining basic supplies, many had to turn to theft in order to survive. For this, in turn, Gypsies were persecuted, arrested, banned, expelled and had their movements controlled. A vicious circle of exclusion, criminalization and persecution Leading to Slavery of the Romani in the Romanian Principalities First Romani slaves arriving in the Romanian principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia were from the Bulgarian territories south of the Danube in the 14 th century and by the 15 th century most Romanian monasteries owned Romani slaves Romani slaves were used either for agricultural labour or as craftsmen. The nomadic slaves were primarily blacksmiths, stonemasons or comb-makers. Gradually, different clans became specialized in various trades, passing them on from one generation to another. Romani groups often carried their trade designation as a group name (Cldrari, Ciurari, Aurari, Lingurari). Three main categories of slaves: owned by the state and its princes; owned by the monasteries; and owned by the boyars or landowners. Romani slaves were also sold at markets, a trade that continued well into the 19 th century. Posters of Gypsy slaves for sale Slavery to Emancipation 1843 First abolitionist law 1847 Freedom for slaves in ownership of State or church 1856 Freedom for all slaves Tara Romneasc 1844 Freedom for slaves in the ownership of the church 1844 Freedom for slaves in ownership of State 1855 Freedom for all slaves Moldavia The abolitionist movement slowly made its way in Romanian society and was begun by young boyars educated in the West, who saw in the liberation of Romani slaves an important step in the progress of Romanian society Inter-war Romania Following various economic changes (especially through land reform in 1920) many Romani acquired a social status that was close to that of Romanian peasants. Reforms favoured their integration into the rural community and according to the 1930 Census, 84.5% of all Romani (221,726 people) lived in villages. Social and economic development brought the emergence of a new type of Romani elite, represented by artists, tradesmen and intellectuals who were involved in community life. The 1930s saw the creation of Romani organisations. The most important being the General Union of Roma in Romania which, founded in 1933, formally continued to function during the war. Romani in Bucharest in 1930 Nazi persecution and the Holocaust (Porrajmos) Persecution 1933 forced sterilization of socially undesirable persons in Germany of which the Romani were part 1935 Nuremberg Laws relations are forbidden between Germans and members of alien races Mid-1930s Romani taken into protective custody in concentration camps, so as to improve the German gene pool 1937 onwards preventive arrests as part of a new campaign against criminality and Gypsies excluded from serving in the German military A Roma woman with Nazi psychiatrist and racial scientist Dr Robert Ritter, who studied Gypsies with the aim of establishing detailed family histories to distinguish 'pure' Gypsies from those of 'mixed blood' and to root out assimilated Gypsies from the German population. (Credit: Bundesarchiv / CCBY) The Porrajmos 1938 Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, was put in charge of the Gypsy question thousands of Roms were exterminated in the lands occupied by German forces Roma were sent death camps, such as Auschwitz. In the Gypsy family camp (Zigeunerlager) Roma twins were subjected to horrific medical experiments and on August 2-3, 1944, the camp was liquidated and almost 3,000 Roma were sent to the gas chambers. Romani in a Nazi concentration camp Romanian persecution Ion Antonescu, Prime Minister ( ), advocated the expulsion of Romani from Bucharest and discussed the possibility of deporting all Romani into labour camps within the country 17 May 1942 Antonescu ordered a census of the Romani population. They were required to register and were not allowed to leave the county of residence The Antonescu regime deported more than 26,000 Romanian Romani between 1942 and 1944 to Transnistria in Ukraine. Up to half of the deportees died of starvation and disease. Commemoration days 2 August as from 2015, the European Parliament designated this day as European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day 16 May - Romani Resistance Day (the day Roma resisted their first transportation to the gas chambers in Auschwitz) Berlin's Monument to the Sinti and Roma Murdered Under the National Socialist Regime Romani identity The Romani usually identify themselves and one another based on the external features of language and occupations (in particular men`s occupations). Features include: a distinct language: Romani (the second largest minority language in Europe, behind Catalan) related to the early modern languages of central and northern India a set of community values and beliefs shared customs with peoples of the Indian subcontinent: similarities in dress, food preparation, music, dance, burial customs a specific pattern of family organisation (kin structures) a particular outlook on the relations between their own community and the outside world (Gadje pronounced Ga-je) a service economy finally Roma culture is influenced by contacts with their respective host nations The extended family in traditional communities Romani society is based around the extended family which forms a single household. It is the most important social and economic framework The extended family might contain up to four generations all sharing living quarters, with the father as the head of the household T he elderly are the most respected persons in the household and there is a collective responsibility towards young children; both men and women taking care of children G enders are separated in ceremonies and celebrations When travelling, extended families travel together and share resting sites Beyond the extended kin group, m ost Romani identify as belonging to a nation or specific ethnic sub-group Traditional occupations Women are in charge of preparing food and cleaning the household (food preparation, washing of laundry and rinsing of cooking and eating utensils is often performed outdoors) Women sometimes collect materials which they then trade or sell (small artefacts, fruit, vegetables and jewellery) Men are in charge of: - manufacturing of items (copperware, baskets) carpets, household wares, plastic flowers, linen, brushes and combs) that are sold to customers - trading in second-hand goods such as cars, caravans, furniture and antiques - trading in horses - specialised household services (installing gutters, windows; roof repairs; cutting trees) - supplying seasonal labour in agriculture Both men and women entertain and perform (both within the household and professionally as storytellers, singers, and dancers), though only men tend to play musical instruments Bibliography Yaron Matras, I Met Lucky Peopleculture-an-introductionculture-an-introductionvictims#sthash.8H0fPeXC.dpufvictims#sthash.8H0fPeXC.dpuf Delia Grigore, Petre Petcu, Mariana Sandu, Istoria i tradiiile minoritii rromani (Manual pentru clasele a VI-a i a VII-a) i-rituala/i-rituala/ Resource produced by Asociatia Tikvah With financial support from: Joods Humanitair Fonds Bernard Charitable Trust