Polska Roma
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2022) |
Languages | |
---|---|
Baltic Romani, Carpathian Romani | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Belaruska Roma, Ruska Roma |
Part of a series on |
Romani people |
---|
Romani people by sub-group |
Romani diaspora by country
|
Polska Roma are the largest and one of the oldest
Culture
Polska Roma were nomadic until the twentieth century. They have not assimilated into broader Polish society or the non-Romani cultures of other countries where they live. They are in fact one of the most traditional Romani groups. One exception to this is that the most common
The Polska Roma are the descendants of the Sasytka Roma (German Roma, they are not Sinti). The Sasytka Roma are also called Pluniaki. The Sasytka Roma and Polska Roma form a large group, the group calls itself Polska Roma. The Polska Roma Kings (Siero Rom) is from the Sasytka Roma group.
They are closely related to Xaladitka Roma, or "Ruska Roma" they are the descendants of the Sasytka Roma and Polska Roma. who emigrated to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth together with the Polska Roma. Because the Xaladitka settled in western Russia in the 17th century, they became more affected by Ruthenian, rather than Polish, culture.[1]
History
Origins
Polska Roma as a distinct ethnolinguistic group formed during the 16th century in western Poland from Roma refugees who had migrated to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in order to escape anti-Romani persecution in the
In the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the
In many large magnate
Additional anti-Roma laws were passed in Poland and Lithuania when
Shortly before the
During the Polish partitions
After Poland's partitions, the persecution of Polska Roma became more severe, particularly in the
Interwar Poland
After Poland regained its independence, Polish authorities tended to recognize the Kalderash as the overall representatives of the Roma population in the country. Consequently, the "gypsy kings" during this period were chosen from among the Kalderash, and policy generally reflected this group's interests, often at the expense of the Polska Roma. Like most other Romani sub-groups within Poland who were not Kalderash, the latter did not recognize the authority of these representatives and did their best to ignore or circumvent it.
-
Roma in Galicia, 1895
-
Crowning of the "Gypsy King" in Warsaw, 1937
-
Crowning of the "Gypsy King" in Warsaw, 1937
-
Roma convoy leaving Lemberg (Lviv), 1941
Porajmos
After the
After World War II
While prior to World War II a small portion of Polska Roma had become sedentary, most continued a traditional nomadic way of life. Unlike the Lovarii and Kalderash, who often engaged in cross-national Europe-wide travels, Polska Roma tended to stay within the borders of interwar Poland or neighboring countries.
After the war, however, the communist government of People's Poland instituted a policy aimed at the "settling" of the Roma population which had survived the Holocaust. Initially, this took the form of financial incentives - including free housing and "settlement funds" - but because the policy did not achieve the goals the communist authorities hoped for, by the late 1950s the policy evolved into one of forced settlement and outright prohibitions against the "nomadic" lifestyle. All Polska Roma had to register, "vagrancy" was outlawed, and Roma's parents were often jailed if their children failed to attend the same school throughout the year (which was impossible in the context of a nomadic lifestyle). This forced policy resulted in about 80% of the previously nomadic Roma becoming settled, while a portion of the remainder went underground. Still, others emigrated abroad.
The Polska Roma poet
Polska Roma today
Today the Polska Roma live throughout Poland except southern Poland. In southern Poland, the Carpathian Roma (also called Bergitka Roma) in the area around
In June 1991 the Mława riot occurred, which was a series of violent incidents against Polska Roma that broke out after one Polish man was killed and another Polish man was permanently harmed when a Romani teenager drove into three ethnic Poles in a crosswalk, killing one, then fled the scene of the accident.[2] After the accident a rioting mob attacked wealthy Romani settlements in the Polish town of Mława. Both the Mława police chief[3] and University of Warsaw sociology researchers[2] said that the pogrom was primarily due to class envy (some Romani have grown wealthy in the gold and automobile trades). At the time, the mayor of the town, as well as the Romani involved and other residents, said the incident was not racially motivated.[3]
During the coverage of the riot, a change in ethnic stereotypes about Roma in Poland was mentioned: A Roma is no longer poor, dirty, or cheerful. They also do not beg or pretend to be lowly. Nowadays a Roma drives a high-status car, lives in a fancy mansion, flaunts his wealth, brags that the local authorities and the police are on his pay and thus he is not afraid of anybody. At the same time he is, as before, a swindler, a thief, a hustler, a dodger of military service and a holder of a legal, decent job.[4] Negative "meta-stereotypes" – or the Romas' own perceptions regarding the stereotypes that members of the dominant groups hold about their own group – were described by the Polish Roma Society in an attempt to intensify the dialogue about exclusionism.[5]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Adam Bartosz, "Nie boj sie cygana/Na dara rromesoar", Pograniczne, Sejny, 1994, pg. 71
- ^ ISBN 978-0-275-96881-6. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Poles Vent Their Economic Rage on Gypsies". The New York Times. July 25, 1991. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- ^ Anna Giza-Poleszczuk, Jan Poleszczuk, Raport "Cyganie i Polacy w Mławie - konflikt etniczny czy społeczny?" (Report "Romani and Poles in Mława - Ethnic or Social Conflict?") commissioned by Centre for Public Opinion Research, Warsaw, December 1992, pp. 16- 23, Sections III and IV "Cyganie w PRL-u stosunki z polską większością w Mławie" and "Lata osiemdziesiąte i dziewięćdziesiąte".
- ^ Gerlich, Marian Grzegorz; Kwiatkowski, Roman. "Romowie. Rozprawa o poczuciu wykluczenia" (in Polish). Stowarzyszenie Romów w Polsce.
Okazuje się, że ów metastereotyp – rodzaj wyobrażenia Romów o tym, jak są postrzegani przez "obcych" – jest wizerunkiem nasyconym prawie wyłącznie cechami negatywnymi.