the adventure....
the mystery....
Romantic and mysterious....yes, but did you know the
Gypsies were persecuted just like the Jews in WWll?
description of the path
Gypsies'lives have taken ....
For the last few centuries, it has been a matter of
contention just who the Gypsies were, though
modern anthropological research indicates they
descended from a composite population of
non-Aryan Indians. Originating in northwest
India,"Roma" spoke the Romani language,
which is related to Hindi. At the beginning of
the 11th century, Gypsies were driven westward
by a succession of conflicts with the Muslims,
and by the 14th century, they were in virtually
every European country, though they maintained
an isolation from local societies, reinforced
by their culture, including "Romanipe";
their customary laws, which didn't permit them
to interact with non-Romani, other than what
was necessary for business transactions. Along
with the similarities to the Hindi language,
Gypsies also inherited from India the
vigorously maintained belief in "Kinfala";
the cultivation of spiritual harmony or balance
in one's life. For centuries, Europe's Romas
sustained their livlihoods providing services,
such as metalworking, horseshoeing, horse-
trading, furniture restoration and repair, etc.
But the growth of technology decreased demand
for these services, and Romani found them-
selves alienated from the local societies. One
service they sustained, however, and one which
I'm sure you're familiar with, is fortune-
telling, although it was generally frowned
upon, and frequently caused them altercations
with the law, alienating them further from
society. The establishment of European colonies
overseas provided a useful dumping ground for
Europe's Roma, and from the beginning of the
Age Of Empire, the Spanish, Portuguese,
French, Dutch, and British began transporting
"undesireables", including Roma, to America and
elsewhere. In the 17th century, Gypsies were
exported to work as slaves on plantations
in Barbados, Jamaica, and Virginia. Portugal
sent them to Brazil, Africa, and back to India,
while France transported them to Louisiana, and
Germany sent them to Pennsylvania. Even Sweden
had a banishment policy, sending them to its
short-lived colony on Delaware Bay. Eventually,
they were assimilated by force, or exterminated
altogether. The most horrific example happened
in the 20th century, when Gypsies, together with
the Jews, were singled out for annihilation as
part of the Final Solution undertaken by Nazi
Germany.
Approximately the same proportion of
Gypsies as Jews was exterminated
during WWII.
This page is dedicated
to the eleven million people
that lost their lives in
the Holocaust, of which five
million were non-Jews, including
the Gypsies...
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