The Roma of Europe:Culture, Crisis &

OpportunityMarch 17, 2015

Outline Introduction

DevotionI. Who are the Roma?

II. Roma Family LifeIII. A Modern Roma Woman

IV. Walking in FaithDiscussion

Prayer

Who are the Roma?

The Romani Flag Blue: sky & heavens

Green : earthSpoked wheel: migration & movement

Origins

• Roma (sometimes called Rroma) are often called Gypsies. In UK, called “Travellers”

• Belief if Roma migrated from India between 600 & 1000 CE

Mahmud of Ghazni was the Muslim leader of the Ghaznavid Dynasty. His armies invaded Hindu Shahi Kingdom many times and took prisoners of war. Many became artisans, elephant drivers, crafters. 1040 Ghaznavids conquered by Turkish Seljuqs and prisoners forced to either fight for Seljuqs or escape to Armenia. Some came to be known as “Doms” which means human beings. As they moved to Europe and the curl of the tongue made “Dom” sound like “Rom”

Migration

• 14th & 15th century ~ migrated to Europe• 16th century to England, Denmark & Scotland• Late 19th century to North America from Russia and the Balkans • In the United States, Roma traveled about in rural areas until the Great Depression

of the 1930s, when most settled in large cities on both coasts.

Estimated Roma Population

• Between 15 and 30 million Roma worldwide

• Some 10 million Roma live in Europe, and they make up that continent`s largest minority population

• 1 million in United States

Exclusion & Persecution• Shortly after arriving in Europe, the Romani were enslaved in many regions, a

cultural heritage that continued into the 19th century in countries like Romania. In England, Switzerland and Denmark, the Romani were put to death throughout the medieval era. Many countries, such as Germany, Italy and Portugal, ordered the expulsion of all Romani.

• Persecution of the Romani occurred during World War II, when they were among the first targets of Nazi atrocities, An estimated 2 million Romani died in concentration camps and through other means of extermination.

• In the post-war era, the Romani remained an oppressed group, especially in the Soviet Union. As recently as the 1980s, Roma women in Czechoslovakia were forced to undergo sterilization to limit the Romani population.

Roma Family Life

Customs & Values

• Virginity is essential in unmarried women. • Romani law establishes that the man's

family must pay a bride’s price the bride's parents, but only traditional families still follow this rule.

• Main role is caring for husband's and her children's needs, as well as to take care of her in-laws.

• Women gain respect and authority as they get older Young wives begin gaining authority once they have children

• Strictly regulated by Hindu Purity & affects many aspects of life:

• The entire lower body is considered impure

• Clothes for the lower body, as well as the clothes of menstruating women, are washed separately.

• Childbirth is considered impure, and must occur outside the dwelling place. The mother is considered impure for forty days after giving birth.

• Death is considered impure, and affects the whole family of the dead, who remain impure for a period of time.

• Romani dead must be buried, not cremated.

Cycles of Poverty

• In all Roma households, household members suffer from hunger.

• The odds of graduating secondary school are 29 percent at the highest, and much lower in some of the countries in the region, especially among girls.

• Less than half of all Roma men and a quarter or less of all Roma women can find jobs. At the root of these unequal outcomes lies a fundamentally unfair playing field, starting at birth and continuing throughout the lives of most Roma individuals.

This spurs a self-perpetuating cycle of unequal opportunities, ethnic discrimination and stifled aspirations.

Language

Most Romani speak one of several dialects of the Romani language in an Indo-Aryan language, with

roots in Sanskrit• Romani speakers are bilingual and are

accustomed to borrowing words or phrases from a second language; makes it difficult when trying to communicate with Romani's from different countries

• Romani was traditionally shared between extended family and a close-knit community. This has resulted in the inability to comprehend dialects from other countries. This is the reason Romani is sometimes associated as being a number of different languages.

• There is no tradition or example of a literary Standard for Romani speakers to use as a guideline for their language use

“Hello” in RomaniTe aves baxtalo(i) (Kalderash)

Sar san tu (Gurbeti)T'aves baxtalo/baxtali! (Lovari)

Te aven baxtale (Xoraxane)

Modern Roma Woman

Walking in Faith

Faith

• Roma adopt the religious faith of the countries in which they live.

• Some Roma are Roman Catholic, while others embrace the Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, or Islamic faiths.

• Generally the Roma prefer to carry out religious rituals in their own homes or as part of folk observances.

United Methodists & the Roma

• Active since 1920s • 33,500 United Methodists in Central

& S Europe Episcopal area • 7 annual conferences• 16 countries• 35 churches in central conference

Discussion & Action Items

• Pray for the Roma• Continue Learning• In Mission Togetherwww.umcmission.org/Get-Involved/Partnerships/In-Mission-Together• The Advance #3020676• Befriend a Romani family• Be an advocate• Apply what you learned to other

minorities

Resources Gypsies –Howard Greenfield History of the Gypsies of E Europe & Russian- David CroweThe Gypsy Trail: The history and legacy of Rom Culture in Chicago –Mike WitterOn the Road: Centuries of Roma History-BBC NewsWe are the Romani People-Ian HancockRoma People in Europe: A Long History of Discrimination-Laura RenziPower of the Word-ww.Rroma.orgReligion & Beliefs-www.Rroma.orgThe Roma of Eastern Europe: Still Searching for Inclusion-Arno TannerBreaking the Cycle of Exclusion: Roma Children in South East Europe-UNICEFOn Romani Origins & Identity-Ian Hancock