http://www.discovery-zone.com/between-past-and-future-the-roma-gypsy-legends/
Between past and future: The Roma (Gypsy) Legends
In his studies, Ian Hancock argues that, at global scale, there are about 12 million people belonging to the Roma ethnic group. Of these, the majority (about 10 million) live in Europe. Although in some countries the Roma constitute the largest minority community for a very long time, their origins were unknown.
Worldwide, Roma are appointed by some features that have been attributed by the people with whom they come into contact. For example, the Belgians and the Dutch, they considered “lack of religious feeling”, which is why they have given the name “Heiden”. In other areas, however, the name he was given according to color. That is why sometimes, Roma are called “kalo / Kali” – black. In Serbia, more precisely, we meet with the name “karavalahi” (black Wallachian Romania).
Leaving aside the appointments data by some physical characteristics or other, we can not overlook the fact that in some areas, Roma wearing fake names like “Gypsy”. Like the Spanish and Portuguese, the British thought that this was coming from Egypt ethnic population. Hence, the name “gitano”, derived from “egipciano” and “Gypsy” in “Egyptian”.
In the absence of evidence, the alleged origin replaced the truth for a long time. This explains how in some places, besides their names and find the true distinction of “Pharaoh”. In the novel “pit” of Eugen Barbu, for example, one of the characters is called Roma real name, saying the “Pharaoh”. And this appointment has crept Hungarian people of Pharaoh, telling her, “Pharaon Nepek”.
Also here, but in other parts of Europe (Germany and Denmark), Roma were and still are called “Tatars”. The reason seems to be a theory that argued and historian Ion Nistor and Roma that they belonged to a population of Indian origin but then was enslaved by the Tatars. So they would have entered Europe as slaves of Turkish origin.
According to Mr. Chelcea the term that has become more than in our country was that of “Gypsy” appointment which came to be used in Germany, Italy and Hungary, especially in areas inhabited by Romanian communities. Therefore, bohemians call them today “cinkan” Germans “Zigeuner” Italians “Zingaro” Lithuanians “ciganas” Russians “ţâghan” or “Tehan” Serbs “ciganin” Turks “chinghianes” and the Hungarians “czingany, ciganyioc “.
Between legends and identity
Persian poet Firdusi famous work, “The Book of Kings”, completed in 1011, we find, among other things, a good story reminiscent of Roma story that could explain some of the common preconceptions among many populations.
The story goes that the desire to make people happy, Gur Barhrâm king asks his subjects what they would like and they explained that the poor are unhappy. They complain that, unlike the rich, not able to drink wine in the sound of music. That is Barhrâm Gur sent word to the king of India, his father, to ask him to give 10,000 singers. Once they arrive, singers receive one ox, a donkey and wheat that grow in order to become farmers. Instead, they had to sing free for the poor. Legend says that once were seen with these gifts, singers acted as his cricket Toparceanu: ate cattle and wheat, and the end came back to the king to ask for help. Seeing all this, the driver was not persuaded and drove left, leaving them donkeys to travel. The book also says that since then, these singer roam the world looking for a way of life “shelter attendants of dogs and wolves and always on the move day and night to steal.”
Historian Jean-Pierre Liegelois argues that this, along with other stories could be one of Roma origin attesting witness.
Over time, based on linguistic analysis demonstrated that the Roma language is spoken so much alike with the Indian continent. However, the story appeared in the “Book of Kings” features the Roma as a population not only wasteful and mindless, but as cursed men who are unable to care for, get to travel the world without a purpose.
Basically, writing implies that the 10,000 singers lazy underlying this ethnic group, which for centuries has not learned mind, were not civilized or refined, refusing to obey rules and thus normality.
Other legends claim that Roma had a descendants of Adam and his first wife, who preceded Eve. Therefore, they were not marked, the rest of the people, by original sin, which is why they are exempted from the punishment of God, including the labor.
Some legends try to explain their nomadism, feature heavily discussed and rarely understood by Western civilization. From this point of view it is said that they were victims of divine forces. Namely that Roma would be cursed because of mistakes they committed their ancestors in ancient times. One of the legends of this kind is related to the crucifixion of Jesus. When the Roman soldiers preparing for the crucifixion of Jesus, they ordered a blacksmith to forge nails Jew necessary.
Knowing that the tools will be used to kill an innocent man and the Jew his task blacksmith refused and was killed. The same hardware there is a second blacksmith whose soldiers asked him the same thing, only when the new blacksmith wanted to plunge, he heard the voice of the dying who advised him not to do nails because the accused is innocent. Since neither the blacksmith did not want to make nails, soldiers killed him and finally they turned to a Gypsy blacksmith who just had installed their tent near Jerusalem. When the man had to do just a spike, two blacksmiths dead voices were heard. They begged him not to master the tools soldiers. When they heard the soldiers took to flight, but only with 3 spikes managed to forge blacksmith. Left alone, the man expected to cool spike, and threw cold water on him, but in vain. No matter how much time passed, steadfastly continue to burn and look like a bloody iron. Seeing this, the blacksmith gets scared and went leaving his tent spike close behind. However, no matter how far he went, nailed reappear behind.
Jesus was crucified with three nails only at the fourth following his descendants forever blacksmith who made them. This legend was picked by Jean-Pierre Liégeois in Macedonia, but it seems that in the world there are many variants of them. In one of them says that the character Gypsy blacksmith but was not the thief who had stolen one of the nails. For this reason, he is punished to wander the world without finding the place.
What we see here seems to be the need for Europeans to assign these “unknown”, not just a past, a history, but a home with negative connotation.
Journalist Dan Alexe notes in an article on his blog about a French philologist Nineteenth century, Jean Alexandre Vaillant, Kogalniceanu’s collaborator, who wrote a book (Les Rômes: Histoire Vraie Des Vrais Bohémiens) in an attempt to show that Roma have founded Rome and the Roman Empire.
Other hypotheses were formed in the place of origin of the Roma. Most legends such as Roma ranks them at the boundary between reality and imagination, as a people belonging to mythical areas. For example, there are legends which say that this population originated in Babylon, their ancestors leaving the outside world when the city was destroyed. They were after some descendants of those who lived in ancient times the legendary island of Atlantis. When submerged continent would be before he is swallowed by anger water, some residents were able to survive and decided to take his life migrating around.
These later captions, highlights, more than anything, that Roma are victims of otherness. Wishing place it on the other, the unknown individual in a space Europeans had to resort to imagination. Unable to find a physical place known in stating that pull these people, they called mythology and also the mystery.
In other words, the lack of written records, archives or documents showing their path their lives have fallen prey Roma collective imaginary.
What other never ceases to be interesting, and the game’s similarity and the difference is deeply rooted in the human mind and the collective consciousness of society, Roma were judged mentality that people have met.
Every culture has its own vision and especially their imaginary relation to the realities in which they live (hence the different names you received based on space Roma entering). Imaginary sphere arises, especially where, knowledge is limited. With the evolution of culture, imaginary sphere changes, moving to other areas obscure that arise doubts in people’s minds.
That was where this new generation. People who have entered Europe in the early fourteenth century, the late Middle Ages, when black people were harshly criticized and persecuted. Nobody knew where they came from and what they want, and that newcomers enveloped him in a mysterious aura that aroused curiosity. Of course, it is very unlikely that those who wrote then about her nobles who helped to mold public opinion, nor been in contact with these people.
However, in a 1991 article in History Store, Ioana Ursu and Valeriu Buduru specifies that, at first, Roma were greeted with some curiosity and kindness, especially since some groups are presented as carriers of papal letters or of monarchs. Soon, however, their appearance, how organized and children crowd around them have always made people become reluctant and reject them harshly.
One of the reasons why the local population began to behave so afraid of the unknown that formed and continue to form the products of the imagination, just the lack of information.
Although individual acts and fight imaginary logic, most often seek to demonstrate its feasibility. Thus, the narrative comes to demand sacrifices, sometimes human (as is the case here), or make frequent crossings between reality and fantasy, in order not to create suspicion regarding the existence of others.
Andrei Oişteanu, for example, explains in his book “Identity and Hebrew anti-semitic in Central and South-Eastern Europe” as, like Jews, Gypsies are considered “high foreign representative” being seen and designed as a block compact features of an individual being transposed the entire community. In this way, if a person commits a crime Roma, the whole community will be seen as one fraudulent. Everyone who belongs to the Roma have all the values, but mostly all immoral and vices that ever wore another individual of the same ethnicity.
Collective mentality formed a kind sketch of Roma. Through this process, he is given so many traits acquired through a number of misconceptions, legends, stereotypes and prejudices that we discuss today if we will notice the Roma man as he is now.
Image of Roma, as we see today is very strong precisely because it was preserved in the collective memory through accumulation of prejudices passed down from generation to generation. These preconceived ideas about the Roma are treated by the individual from childhood, which is why they are proving very hard to change even through education and rational thinking.
