Romani Identity
Romani identity has always been complex but there is one overwhelming factor that determines it. That is our possession of Romani 'rat,' blood.
Particularly among British Roma there has been extensive intermarriage with non-gypsies which obviously dilutes the percentage of Romani geness.
There are pure Romanies, posh-rats - people who are half-Roma- and diddakai - people with some Roma blood in them.
Romanies are divided into two principal groups, Roma and Sinti. The terms Roma and Romani are often used interchangeably but this is a mistake.
Just as there are two separate groups of Romanies, so there are distinct 'vitsas' - tribes - within the groups. In Britain the predominant tribe among the Romanies is Cale but with the growing numbers of Eastern European gypsies arriving that is becoming less true.
There are at least twenty-three subgroups of the Romani people.. The most importan are the Cale, Manush, Kalderash, Lovara and Horahane. In recent years with the collapse of Communism and freer movement across the European Union many of the Rudara (mainly from Bulgaria and Romania) have become highly visible presences in other European countries.
The Cale are widely spread out but are mainly found in Britain (particularly Wales), the Basque region of Spain and France, Spain, Portugal and (perhaps surprisingly) Finland. Cale means 'black' and is directly derived from the Sanscrit word 'kala' meaning black
The Manush are Sinti rather than Roma and they are mainly found in France and Central Europe. 'Manush' means 'people' in Romanes and again the same word is used in Sanscrit with the same meaning.
The Kalderash are mainly found in Romania, Bulgaria, Central Europe and the Ukraine.
The Lovara are mainly found in Hungary, Germany, Austria and Central Europe.
The Horahane are mainly found in Greece, Albania, Bosnia, Kossovo and Turkey. Unlike most European Romanies they are Muslim.
The Rudara are mainly found in Romania, Bulgarian, Hungary and Serbia.
Though they are different with different dialects and customs all these groups are Romanies.
My blood is mainly Cale with some Kalderash but I've got friends who are Lovara, Manush and Horahane as well as Cale and Kalderash.
It is our blood that gives us our identity, more even than our language. Our traditions and the law of the brothers still prevail among us though sadly a combination of persecution and practical difficulties is slowly eroding them which makes me sad.
For all our differences in language, culture and lifestyle it is the blood within us that defines us and makes us Romanies.
We are also bound by the law of the brothers and anyone who violates that risks losing their Romipen.
Our blood and our code of conduct bind us together and define us as Romanies.
None of the other trappings matter.
One of the most common mistakes by gadjes is to assume that gypsies and travellers are the same thing. They point, for example, to the Gypsy and Traveller Council in Britain, cheerfully ignoring the fact there's a conjunction in its title!
Gypsies AND travellers.
NOT the same thing.
As I said when I was talking about Roma identity, to BE a gypsy means you MUST have at least SOME Romani blood in you.
Throughout the history of the Romanies travel has played a huge part in our lives and culture. Sometimes it's been willing - seeking the freedom of the open road; sometimes it's been enforced on them either by escaping from persecution or by deliberate deportation..
But where they have been relatively welcomed they have often chosen to stay.
I was privileged to visit and talk to the Horahane gypsies of Sulukule in Turkey who lived there for a thousand years. A few years after my visit Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister and now President, demolished their homes to make money out of building projects.
There are many different groups of travellers. The Irish tinker speak Shelta Thari which is a debased form of Irish Gaelic as well as English. Other Irish travellers speak a mixture of English, Irish and cant that is sometimes called 'gammon.' Scottish travellers speak a mixture of Gaelic, Scots and English. Welsh travellers speak a mixture of Welsh and English.
There are also 'mumpers' - rural tramps - and 'crusties' - the most visible examples of the last group being the New Age Travellers.
All these groups travel to a greater or lesser extent though many have settled habitations.
A similar group found only in Switzerland are the Yenish. They have no Romani blood but periodically are overcome with wanderlust and travel around the country in the teeth of official persecution.
The Rudara who come mainly from Romania and Bulgaria are perhaps the poorest and most oppressed people in Europe. They also travel extensively but in their case almost entirely to escape persecution or to seek a better economic future.
The Rudara are the only one of these groups who are Romanies but because of their appalling treatment they have become feral and predatory upon gadjes and have all but forgotten the way.
The whole notion that being a gypsy implies the necessity of travel is nonsense.
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