~Gypsies ~


~Gypsies' lives are hard to trace

Because they roam from place to place ~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Ahhh.....the wanderlust....

the adventure....

the romance....

the mystery....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Romantic and mysterious....yes, but did you know the

Gypsies were persecuted just like the Jews in WWll?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Let me give you a brief

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...

~~~~




Gypsy Links:

Forgotten Victims Of The Holocaust

Gypsies at Auschwitz


Who Were The Five Million?

Gypsy Folk Medicine


Romani Cafe


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