The Roma People, Also Known as Gypsies

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A freezing wind sweeps through the countryside, chilling you to the bone. The sweet stench of garbage catches at the back of your throat, and feral dogs chase one another over the heaps of filth. Ramshackle single-story shacks can be seen in every direction. This place is home. Well for a little while, anyways, your family is constantly moving. They are pastoralists, with no real place to call “Home.” Throughout Europe, this nomadic population is known as Roma, otherwise known as Gypsies. It is approximated that about 12 million gypsies exist worldwide. About 620,000, then preside in the country of Romania, which is said to be 15% of the country’s total population of roughly 19 million. Gypsies are such an overlooked, discriminated people group. To understand the gypsy culture, it is critical to study who they are, their religion, and family, educational, economic and governmental institutions. As mentioned above, Gypsies are a very overlooked culture group. Despite their large population, people still fail to notice, or perhaps simply ignore them. Before discussing their discrimination, it is important to understand their identity. People generally know them as Gypsies. However, the more political term is Roma. In France, Romania, and Hungary the Gypsy population are called Tigan. Based on a current Wiki update “the Gypsy community originally began in India, and then immigrated into Europe about 1000 years ago” (Wikipedia 2014). Their home of origination can be traced back through their given language and physical characteristics. Gypsy people look very much like the Indian with dark skin, and common facial structures. Their language is very complex. It is only spoken, and highly relies on picking up words from the various langua... ... middle of paper ... ...sies . Lallanilla, M. (2013, October 23). 5 Intirguing Facts about the Roma. Retrieved March 31, 2014 from www.livescience.com/40652-facts-about-roma-romani-gypsies.html Lee, M. (2014, 24-March). About Gypsy. (B. Kopas, Interviewer) Pascuta, A. (2012). Violence in Gypsy Families. Social Work Review/ Revista de Asistenta Sociala (4), 113-120. Rroma Foundation. (2011). Questions and Answers. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from “A site devoted to Rroma, their History, Culture, Traditions and Current Issues”: www.rroma.org Simib, A. (2009). Gypsies. Funk & Wagnalis New World Encylcopedia . Taylor, J. (2013, February 11). The Truth about Romania's Gypsies: Not coming over here, not stealing our jobs. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from “The Independent”: www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-truth-about-romanias-gypsies-not-coming-over-here-not-stealing-our-jobs-8489097.html

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