Touched by a Gypsy - Rom

Because recorded history of the Roma prior to their first documented appearances in Europe in the early 15th century is non-existent, there has been much debate as to their origins and early migration. Based on linguistic evidence (the similarity of the Romany language to Hindi, Panjabi, and related languages of Northern India) and anthropological evidence (body habitus and ABO blood group distributions closely approximating those of the warrior classes of northern India), there is now a clear consensus of opinion that the modern day Roma of the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the Americas originated in Northwestern India. There is also a general consensus regarding the approximate timing of their emigration, or at least the bulk of it if you believe in more than one wave of emigration - ie in the 11th century.

The route(s) and even the number(s) of emigrations are less well agreed upon, although this too is becoming clearer. Some allude to at least several waves of emigration from northern India. There is a persistent belief that several migrations took place between the 10th and 13th centuries, with the first potential migration identified going back to the 5th century. Often quoted and perpetuated is the story of the receipt by Persian monarch, Behram Gour, of 12,000 musicians (called Zott, arabicized from Jatt - ancestors of the modern Persian Luris or Lulis) from an Indian king. This story is reported in both Pott's introduction quoting Firdousi and confirmed by Arabian historian Hamsa of Isfahan. This story is attractive to many because even to this day the Roma are perhaps best known for their music and dance. Others point to a major wave of emigration taking place at the time of Muslim invasions of Northern India in the early 800's. Several further invasions during the 10th to 13th centuries resulted in subsequent emigrations.




The most recent evidence, some of which is not yet published, will suggest a mixed population (warriors and their "camps") leaving Northern India in the 11th century over the first 25 to 30 years of the century. Linguistic evidence points to a northerly exodus through the upper Indus Valley. After crossing the Himalayas, it is likely that they followed the Silk Road west to the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, up along the west coast to the foothills of the Caucasus range, through Armenia and into the Byzantime Empire. This proposed route of migration is based on the numbers and types of words in Romani - Persian, Armenian, and Greek.
Many attempts to summarize their appearances in Europe are available, most of which report them in Southeastern Europe sometime in the early 1300's, Central/Eastern Europe in the 1400's and in Western and Northern Europe later in the 1400's into the early 1500's (3,5). The Patrin, a great internet learning resource, has summarized the history and provided a timeline as well. Although we might disagree with the route and a few of the details, this is a very useful history, certainly more comprehensive than the present page, and certainly accurate in spirit. Also extremely useful is the sumary provided by the Union Romani Espagnole.

Since that time, their history is one of attempts at banishment, forced assimilation, persecution, deportation, slavery, and attempted extermination. As recently as the 1930's and 1940's the Nazis of the Third Reich imprisoned and murdered on the order of 500,000 Roma. They continue to be victims of persecution, especially in the eastern European countries of the former "soviet block".

If any one single aspect of their history has been dominant, it must, unfortunately, be that of their persecution, forced assimilation, enslavement, and yes, even genocide carried out against them by the Nazi's. The recorded, discernable history of "anti-gypsyism" goes back to their first appearance in Europe in the 1400's where they were at times welcomed, but far more often confused with Muslims from the east. Laws were enacted against them everywhere they went. The history of the response of the countries in which they have lived has been uniformly one of rejection, mistrust, fear, banishment, enslavement, torture, and murder. Current estimates are that roughly 600,000 Roma were exterminated by the Nazi's, roughly "1/4 to 1/3 of their numbers in all of Europe and as much as 70% of those in areas where Nazi control had been established the longest".

Details of their past and present persecution and torture are too painful to reproduce here. The resurgence of anti-gypsyism in the eastern European countries of the former communist block is alarming, as is their situation in the remainder of the world.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• romani
• Rom
• Gypsy
• Gypsies
• communications
• humanities
• language
• social
• science

[TheMedicineHawk]

@VladimirovichViktor

DO YOU BELIEVE ONLY O.N.E AFRICAN OR ASIAN OR

NATIVE AMERICAN WANTS TO SEE YOU AND YOUR

SCUM IN THEiRE COUNTRYS?

IDIOT!

[chaiyah12]

Any one who calls gypsies bad should take a look at their own society. All the words you call gypsies - thieves, untrusted, dishonest, unclean all are in non gypsy society. Gypsies are not bad they just have differant traditions. Maybe their manners and way of speaking etc are more ''raw'', or more free but that doesnt make them bad if you would take a moment to look outside of the stereotype you would see this. I am 1/4 gypsy and i am proud of it . Gypsy people are beautifull !!

[sladancccc]

stfu man say something in romanian and i will translate im not sayin g i will get it write 100percent but i will know what you said coz i can speak "rumunski" ruminige ill understand go on and ill prove my point ROMANIAN IS a pussy country gipsies should be ashamed they are there not the other way around

[gogoasacenusie]

@sladancccc , lol idiot, the Gypsies/Rroma have a totally different language because they come from India. Romanian is Latin language how idiot can you be? Gypsies and Romanians are 2 different people

[sladancccc]

ROMANIA IS SHIT AND SHOULD BE BOMBED I WISHH MUSLIM TERRORIST ATACK YOU

[sladancccc]

@Popovici78 omg why do you think that there is roma in romania the most becauset they belong their they aint from india some are but there is " rumun " who speak like romanians same as serbs and russians can uderstand each other so fuck you be proud your country is shitttt your romanian girls dont fuck you they fuck monkey niggers how does that make you feel FUCK ROMANIA

[sladancccc]

@waffenSSkrieg and you will remain with a dick in ur mouth

[sladancccc]

@gogoasacenusie they are ROM you stupid fuck i can speak rom "rumunski" and its very similar to romanian same as serbia and russia can understand slitely this is the same so fuck yourself your romanians are related you stupid fuc romanian is shit ur romanin women fuck with monkey niggers thats all your country is good for die romanian scum

[TheMedicineHawk]

@Imanuelization

Nazi scum like most of the eastern Europeans. They should die in ahole slowly from cancer.

[gogoasacenusie]

Why was the gypsy name changed to "rom" since they were called during entire history for hundreds of years as "gypsies"? Who wanted to create this stupid confussion with Romania?

Stop calling Gypsies as "rom" they are Gypsies and they were Gypsies for entire history!

[Imanuelization]

@thegreatfearblog You are just a bulgarian slut, who cares what you think?

[Imanuelization]

@waffenSSkrieg Go fuck ya mother!