ORIGINS

The Roma (Gypsies) are one of the worlds least known and most misunderstood people. Based on linguistic research of the origins of language of the Roma (Sindhi –Multani /Hindi Punjabi) scholars agree the Romany originally came from North Central India in about 300 BC. According prominent scholars in the field, Romani migrated in various time periods out of India and towards Southeastern Europe. In the Persian “Book of Kings” it is said the Indian King Shankel sent 12,000 musicians to the Shah of Persia. It is assumed by some that those musicians were ancestors of the Roma, however other scholars dispute this as not based in fact. Other theories have stated that the Roma were at one time a warrior caste that left India due to “military” jargon in Romanes. Various theories and why they left India are still debated amongst scholars.

As the Roma first entered Europe, they were erroneously called “Gypsies” (from Egypt although some myths say they called themselves “kings of Egypt" perpetrating the myth) in much the same way as the Native people of the Americas were incorrectly referred to as “Indians”. It is believed the Roma first entered Southeastern Europe in the last Quarter of the 13th Century and continued migrations into Europe, Eastern Europe, and Russia. The Rom came across the ocean to the Americas as early as Christopher Columbus third voyage.

THE HOLOCAUST or “DEVOURING”

During WWII a huge percentage (it is currently believed more than half a million) Roma of Europe were murdered in Nazi concentration Camps -the Romany Holocaust or Devouring Romanes (the Romany language). The Roma were the only other peoples besides the Jews targeted for annihilation based on their race. Unlike the Jews, who found a Homeland in Israel, the Roma had nowhere to find refuge after WWII. Roma fought with the Jewish resistance: Simon Avidan, a celebrated Israeli resistance fighter, related his experience fighting with Roma behind enemy lines. Especially in Eastern Europe Roma are still living in countries where they are targets of grave neo –Nazi hate crimes and xenophobic racism with widespread governmental tolerance. Numerous facts of murder, looting and burnings of Romany homes can he found in RNN (Romany National News) and Hate Watch in Washington D.C. as well as RNC (Romany National Congress).

An example of numerous incidents occurred in 1999 where a young Romany mother was pushed into a river in the Czech Republic by a group of young skinheads. The woman drowned, leaving behind her three children orphaned. When asked by police why these young men pushed her, their answer was simply that she was a “dirty Gypsy and needed a bath”. They were convicted to three months. During the Kosovo war where a large settled Romani population lives, the Roma were attacked by both Serbs and Albanians and denied refugee status as other minority groups. These incidents have been documented first hand testimony of journalist/ author Paul Polansky during and after the Kosovo war.

“We never start wars, but we always weep from them.“
Romany saying