Gypsies and Travelers

The term gypsies is a misnomer, based on the erroneous belief that Egypt is their country of origin. A more appropriate term is the Romani people. The Roma left northern India about one thousand years ago, and they still speak a language called Romani, related to Sanskrit. They arrived in Europe in the fifteenth century, and some have migrated to the Western Hemisphere.

Who exactly is a “gypsy” is a matter of controversy. Outsiders coined the term, which embraces various groups that share characteristics but do not have the same historical origin. England, for example, has tried to police migratory populations by designating them “gypsies or travelers.” Migratory people were in Ireland and Scotland prior to the Roma. Irish or Scottish travelers were known as tinkers as well as gypsies because of their occupation as tinsmiths. They developed their own language, called cant, which is a mixture of Gaelic, English, and Romani.

Even among Roma, uniformity of characterization is missing. The German Sinti insist that Sinti and Roma are separate groups, although they share with Roma an Indian origin. These complexities make it difficult to determine how many Roma live in any country. Census figures are unreliable. To avoid persecution, Roma may refer to their nationality of recent origin—German, Romanian, or English—rather than their identity as Roma. Population estimates within the United States range between one and two million.

The Kalderash are the largest Romani subgroup in the United States. They belong to the Vlach, a category created by linguists to refer to an area of Wallachia in Romania where the Roma were enslaved for about 500 years. Roma of Vlach origin adhere to a distinct code or legal system based on oral tradition that is administered by a court, called Kris, and judges who are elected for individual controversies. These courts, although not officially recognized, function autonomously and mostly unknown to authorities.

Dominant cultures have discriminated against Roma and persecuted them throughout the centuries, most severely under the Nazi regime. Hundreds of thousands perished in concentration camps or were summarily executed in occupied countries. Opinion polls in the United States persistently rate the Roma below any other ethnic group in social status. Police may suspect them of criminal behavior, such as fraud and theft, and authorities may prosecute Roma regardless of guilt. They hardly ever commit crimes of violence.

Although the Roma have resisted assimilation, they have adapted to prevailing cultures. Most are settled and pay taxes. Some have distinguished themselves as entertainers, professionals, businesspeople, and academics. Their cultural contributions to the dominant societies are substantial, although their identity as Roma may not be widely known.