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Roma people

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Romani people
Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress
Total population
2–20 million
Regions with significant populations
 Turkey2,750,000
 Romania1,850,000
 Bulgaria750,000[1]
 Spain725,000[2]
 Russia720,000
 Hungary700,000[3]
 Slovakia500,000[4]
 France400,000[5]
 Greece265,000[6]
 Czech Republic250,000[7]
 Italy140,000[8]
 Germany105,000[9]
Languages
Romani, languages of native regions
Religion
mainly Christianity and Islam, minorities practice Buddhism, Judaism and Bahá'í Faith
Encampment of Gypsies with Caravans by Vincent van Gogh (1888)
A Romani settlement/camp in a park in Stockholm (1931)
Three Finnish Romani women in Helsinki, Finland (1930s)
Romani prisoners at Belzec extermination camp (1940)
A Dutch Romani girl is deported to Auschwitz extermination camp (1944)
A Romani camp in Wales (1953)
A Romanichal wagon at the Great Dorset Steam Fair (2007)
Two Romani women dance at the Festival Romani in Portland (2013)
Logo for the World Day of Romani Language (2024)

The Roma, or Romani people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group. The Roma originated from India, but they migrated westward around 500 AD and arrived in Europe around 1000 AD.[10] Today, most Roma live in Europe.[11][better source needed]

In English, they are often called Gypsies. Some – but not all – Roma think Gypsy is a slur. Another slur – now rarely used – for Roma is chingar.[source?]

Genetics

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Genetic studies show that the Roma share ancestry with various groups from the Indian subcontinent. The studies prove this by finding similarities between DNA patterns in the different groups.[12][13]

Gene studies

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Gene studies have found similarities between the DNA of Roma and:

More genetic evidence

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Romani newborns from various countries have a birthmark called the "Mongolian spot", which is common in Asia.[18] Many Romani men from the Zargari tribe in Qazvin Province and Iran are born with a rare condition called aposthia, where the foreskin is missing or very short.[19]

Genetic changes

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After the Ottoman Empire conquered the Balkans and Byzantine Empire, Roma intermarried with Ottoman Turks. When they had children, DNA from the Roma and the Turks mixed together.[20] This is called gene flow. Roma are now scattered across the globe. Much of the DNA in these countries' inhabitants has flowed into the Roma via intermarriages.[21][22]

Early history

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Leaving the Indian subcontinent

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Historians believe that the remnants from the Indo-Greeks, the Atsinganos (Untouchables) left the Indian subcontinent as traders. During the European migration period in the 4th to 6th centuries, they traveled through the Byzantine Empire into Egypt, using the Silk Road. They lived in Egypt for centuries.[23] The Copts named the Roma ⲣⲱⲙⲁ (man or human, also these people there) in Coptic.[source?]

Migrating through Europe

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Around the 12th or 13th centuries – following the Crusades – the Roma reached the Balkans. From there, Roma people spread across Western Europe.[24] They crossed Europe aboard large caravans, which contained all of their belongings.[25][better source needed] At first, Europeans thought the Roma were Christian pilgrims and accepted them. They were fascinated by how the Roma did not have permanent homes. Roma people often worked as musicians, horse trainers, circus artists, lion tamers, blacksmiths, town criers, hawkers,groundskeepers, dish washers, cleaners, lumberjacks, caretakers, locksmiths, and in other low-status jobs.[source?]

Persecution

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The Roma people have been viewed badly and persecuted in Europe for centuries.[26][27] The persecutions were mostly motivated by anti-Romani sentiment, academically known as antiziganism,[28] or colloquially antigypsyism.[28] The Egyptians Act of 1530 forced Roma people to leave England. Around 10,000 of these people went to the Ottoman Empire and became Muslims. Their descendants still call themselves Egyptians.[29]

Genocide

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During the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany committed an ethnic cleansing and a genocide[30] against the Roma people.[31][32] The Romani genocide has been called "the forgotten Holocaust."[31] The Nazis thought the Roma were an 'inferior race' – not as good as other ethnic groups – and they wanted to kill all of the Roma people in Europe.[30][33]

To achieve this, they persecuted Roma people, executed them in large groups, deported them to concentration camps, used them for medical experiments, and killed them in death camps.[30][34][35] Only the Muslim Xoraxane Roma from Bosnia were not deported, because Muslim leaders protected them.[36] 250,000~500,000 Romanis were killed in the Roma genocide.[37][38] Some historians give a higher estimate of the Romani genocide death toll, ranging from 800,000[39] to 1,500,000.[40]

Antiziganism today

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The Roma still experience discrimination and antiziganism. In some countries, Roma are not accepted in workplaces and schools.[41] Their squatting communities also irritate locals.[42] The Roma created an association in 1978 to defend their rights.[43]

Today

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The largest Roma populations today live in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. However, there are populations of Roma all over Europe, including:[44][45]

Culture

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Roma culture differs from country to country, from group to group, and from religion to religion. Roma cuisine[46] also differs from country to country. Music has always been important in Roma culture. Musical instruments like guitars and violins are an important part of Roma traditions. The Roma influenced musical and dance styles in Europe, such as belly dancing, flamenco, rumba and jazz.[25]

Most Roma enter into arranged marriages with other Roma at a very young age. It is rare for Roma to marry gadje (non-Romas). Some groups ban cousin marriage.[47] On 8 April 1971, the Roma nationality was legally recognized in Europe. Since then, 8 April is the International Day of the Roma.[41]

Roma with mixed blood

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Roma people use the word didicoy to describe people who are of mixed Roma ancestry.[48] (Some families of mixed blood call themselves "kyes".) There is conflict between the didicoy and the Romanichal ("full-blooded Roma," whose ancestors are all Roma).[48] Roma people have been stereotyped as criminals for centuries. Many Romanichal believe this reputation comes from didicoys and other nomadic groups that are referred to as "Gypsies".[48] Often, Roma people in the United Kingdom who are not nomadic use the word didicoy as slang for all Roma people.[source?] The "Romano Rai" an old Romani folk song about a mixed-blooded Roma.[49][better source needed]

Language

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The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages made the Romani language an official language in many European countries.[50]

Religion

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In ancient times, Roma people followed Hinduism[51] and Buddhism.[52] Today, most follow Eastern Orthodox Christianity.[53] However, many are Muslim. The Dasikane (Christian Roma) practice baptism, while the Xoraxane, or Muslim Roma, practice male circumcision. Other Romani people around the world practice faiths including:

Other Roma practice Noahidism,[62] a Jewish new religious movement based on Orthodox Judaism.[63].and a set of moral laws called the Noahide Laws[64]). People who live according to the Noahide Laws are called children of Noah (B'nei Noach) Noahids.[65]

Other websites

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Romani people.

References

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  1. ↑ "Bulgaria". commission.europa.eu.
  2. ↑ "Spain". commission.europa.eu.
  3. ↑ "Hungary". commission.europa.eu.
  4. ↑ "Slovakia". commission.europa.eu.
  5. ↑ "France". commission.europa.eu.
  6. ↑ "Greece". commission.europa.eu.
  7. ↑ "Czech Republic". commission.europa.eu.
  8. ↑ "Italy". commission.europa.eu.
  9. ↑ "Germany". commission.europa.eu.
  10. ↑ "The Lost Tribes of India". 2 June 2004.
  11. ↑ Romani People Indo – Aryan ethnic group - Nomadic itinerants.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Nelson, Dean (3 December 2012). "European Roma descended from Indian 'untouchables', genetic study shows". The Telegraph.
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ Nagy, Melinda; Henke, Lotte; Henke, Jürgen; Chatthopadhyay, Prasanta K.; Völgyi, Antónia; Zalán, Andrea; Peterman, Orsolya; Bernasovská, Jarmila; Pamjav, Horolma (June 14, 2007). "Searching for the origin of Romanies: Slovakian Romani, Jats of Haryana and Jat Sikhs Y-STR data in comparison with different Romani populations". Forensic Science International. 169 (1): 19–26. doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2006.07.020. PMID 16950585 – via ScienceDirect.
  15. ↑ Sharma, Swarkar; Rai, Ekta; Sharma, Prithviraj; Jena, Mamata; Singh, Shweta; Darvishi, Katayoon; Bhat, Audesh K.; Bhanwer, A. J. S.; Tiwari, Pramod Kumar; Bamezai, Rameshwar N. K. (January 29, 2009). "The Indian origin of paternal haplogroup R1a1* substantiates the autochthonous origin of Brahmins and the caste system". Journal of Human Genetics. 54 (1): 47–55. doi:10.1038/jhg.2008.2. PMID 19158816. S2CID 22162114 – via www.nature.com.
  16. ↑ Palanichamy, M. G.; Mitra, B.; Debnath, M.; Agrawal, S.; Chaudhuri, T. K.; Zhang, Y. P. (2014). "Tamil Merchant in Ancient Mesopotamia". PLOS ONE. 9 (10): e109331. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...9j9331P. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0109331. PMC 4192148. PMID 25299580.
  17. ↑ "HYDERABAD: Gypsies hail from Sindh, claims Dr Kazi". DAWN.COM. September 25, 2006.
  18. ↑ Gupta, D.; Thappa, D. M. (30 June 2013). "Mongolian spots". Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology. 79 (4): 469–478. doi:10.4103/0378-6323.113074. PMID 23760316.
  19. ↑ Sadeghipour Roudsari, Sadegh; Roudsari, Sadegh Sadeghipour; Esmailzadehha, Neda (2010). "Aposthia: A case report". Journal of Pediatric Surgery. 45 (8): e17–e19. doi:10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2010.05.030. PMID 20713198.
  20. ↑ Bánfai, Zsolt; Melegh, Béla I.; Sümegi, Katalin; Hadzsiev, Kinga; Miseta, Attila; Kásler, Miklós; Melegh, Béla (13 June 2019). "Revealing the Genetic Impact of the Ottoman Occupation on Ethnic Groups of East-Central Europe and on the Roma Population of the Area". Frontiers in Genetics. 10: 558. doi:10.3389/fgene.2019.00558. PMC 6585392. PMID 31263480.
  21. ↑ Martínez-Cruz, Begoña; Mendizabal, Isabel; Harmant, Christine; de Pablo, Rosario; Ioana, Mihai; Angelicheva, Dora; Kouvatsi, Anastasia; Makukh, Halyna; Netea, Mihai G.; Pamjav, Horolma; Zalán, Andrea; Tournev, Ivailo; Marushiakova, Elena; Popov, Vesselin; Bertranpetit, Jaume; Kalaydjieva, Luba; Quintana-Murci, Lluis; Comas, David (June 29, 2016). "Origins, admixture and founder lineages in European Roma". European Journal of Human Genetics. 24 (6): 937–943. doi:10.1038/ejhg.2015.201. PMC 4867443. PMID 26374132.
  22. ↑ Font-Porterias, N.; Arauna, L. R.; Poveda, A.; Bianco, E.; Rebato, E.; Prata, M. J.; Calafell, F.; Comas, D. (2019). "European Roma groups show complex West Eurasian admixture footprints and a common South Asian genetic origin". PLOS Genetics. 15 (9): e1008417. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1008417. PMC 6779411. PMID 31545809.
  23. ↑ Salomon, Richard (1991). "Epigraphic Remains of Indian Traders in Egypt". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 111 (4): 731–736. doi:10.2307/603404. JSTOR 603404 – via JSTOR.
  24. ↑ Pankhurst, Richard (1974). "The "Banyan" or Indian Presence at Massawa, the Dahlak Islands and the Horn of Africa". Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 12 (1): 185–212. JSTOR 44324706.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Gitans, manouches et tsiganes : la route du Rom". Routard.com.
  26. ↑
  27. ↑
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1
  29. ↑ Cressy, David (2016). "Trouble with Gypsies in Early Modern England". The Historical Journal. 59: 45–70. doi:10.1017/S0018246X15000278. S2CID 162837563.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 The Holocaust Encyclopedia. "Genocide of European Roma (Gypsies), 1939–1945". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved 2024-09-27.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Holocaust Memorial Day: 'Forgotten Holocaust' of Roma finally acknowledged in Germany - Telegraph". web.archive.org. 2015-04-02. Archived from the original on 2017-08-07. Retrieved 2024-09-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  32. ↑ "OSCE human rights chief welcomes declaration of official Roma genocide remembrance day in Poland". www.osce.org. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  33. ↑
  34. ↑ Hogan, David J.; Harran, Myrily J., eds. (2000). The Holocaust Chronicle: A History in Words and Pictures. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publ. Intern. p. 384. ISBN 978-0-7853-2963-3.
  35. ↑ "Roma Genocide". Council of Europe. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  36. ↑ "Bosnia and Herzegovina - RomArchive". www.romarchive.eu.
  37. ↑
  38. ↑
  39. ↑ Brzezinski, Zbigniew (2010). Out of Control: Global Turmoil on the Eve of the 21st Century. Simon and Schuster: Touchstone. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-4391-4380-3.
  40. ↑ Stone, Dan, ed. (2005). The Historiography of the Holocaust (Nachdr. ed.). Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 383–396. ISBN 978-1-4039-9927-6.
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 "Compilhistoire - Roms, Gitans, Manouches et Tsiganes". compilhistoire.pagesperso-orange.fr.
  42. ↑ "Expulsions des Roms : fascistes sous Sarkozy, mais humanitaires et normales sous Hollande". Riposte Laïque (in French). 24 August 2012.
  43. ↑ "Union Romani Internationale - Union Romani Internationale". union-romani-internationale.blogg.org (in French).
  44. ↑ Morar, Bharti; Gresham, David; Angelicheva, Dora; Tournev, Ivailo; Gooding, Rebecca; Guergueltcheva, Velina; Schmidt, Carolin; Abicht, Angela; Lochmüller, Hanns; Tordai, Attila; Kalmár, Lajos; Nagy, Melinda; Karcagi, Veronika; Jeanpierre, Marc; Herczegfalvi, Agnes; Beeson, David; Venkataraman, Viswanathan; Warwick Carter, Kim; Reeve, Jeff; De Pablo, Rosario; Kučinskas, Vaidutis; Kalaydjieva, Luba (2004). "Mutation History of the Roma/Gypsies". The American Journal of Human Genetics. 75 (4): 596–609. doi:10.1086/424759. PMC 1182047. PMID 15322984.
  45. ↑ Kalaydjieva, Luba; Gresham, David; Calafell, Francesc (2001). "Genetic studies of the Roma (Gypsies): a review". BMC Medical Genetics. 2 (1): 5. doi:10.1186/1471-2350-2-5. PMC 31389. PMID 11299048.
  46. ↑ "Gypsies | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com.
  47. ↑ "Home".
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 "What does DIDICOY mean?". www.definitions.net. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  49. ↑ Crawford, ~ George (29 March 2014). "Romany Rai". Preindustrial Craftsmanship. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  50. ↑ "Patrin: A Brief History of the Roma". Archived from the original on 2012-03-25. Retrieved 2012-03-28.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 "Meet the Roma: 2,000 years ago, the first 'Indians' to go to Europe". The Indian Express. 23 February 2016.
  52. ↑ "Buddhism and the Romani". 7 March 2010.
  53. ↑ The Columbia Encyclopedia (8th ed.). New York, NY: Columbia University Press. 2018.
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 "RADOC".
  55. ↑ Vishvapani (2011-11-29). "Hungary's Gypsy Buddhists & Religious Discrimination". Vishvapani. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  56. ↑ "Jai Bhim! The Roma Buddhists of Hungary".
  57. ↑ "PERSONALIZING THE ROMANI EVANGELICAL FAITH".
  58. ↑ Lewis, B., ed. (1991). The Encyclopaedia of Islam. 2: C - G / Ed. by B. Lewis (4. impr ed.). Leiden: Brill. pp. 40a–41b. ISBN 978-90-04-07026-4.
  59. ↑ "The Muslim Gypsies in Romania".
  60. ↑ "The making of an order : An ethnography of Romani Sufis in Uskudar". Archived from the original on 2023-06-21. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 Palmer, Michael D.; Burgess, Stanley M., eds. (2020). The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Religion and Social Justice. The Wiley Blackwell Companions to Religion. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-1-119-57210-7.
  62. ↑ "The 7 Noahide Laws: Universal Morality". Chabad. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  63. ↑ Feldman, Rachel Z. (2018-08-01). "The Children of Noah". Nova Religio. 22 (1): 115–128. doi:10.1525/nr.2018.22.1.115. ISSN 1092-6690.
  64. ↑ "Noahide Laws | Obedience, Halakhah, Torah | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  65. ↑ "The Seven Noahide Laws As Practice". Archived from the original on 2022-06-25. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
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