Ромите в България Roma andi Bulgariya | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Total population | |
| 325,343 (2011 Census; 4.4%)[1] European Commission's average estimate: 750,000[2][3] (last updated 14 September 2010)[4] unofficial estimates: 800,000[5] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Nationwide, rural and urban. Centered in cities with the largest concentrations inSliven,Sofia, andPazardzhik.[6] | |
| Languages | |
| |
| Religion | |
|
Romani people in Bulgaria (Bulgarian:Ромите в България,romanized: Romite v Bǎlgariya;Romani:Romane ando Bulgariya) constitute Europe's densest Romani minority. TheRomani people inBulgaria may speakBulgarian,Turkish orRomani, depending on the region.[8]
According to the latest census in 2011, the number of the Romani is 325,343, constituting 4.4% of the total population, in which only one ethnic group could be opted as an answer and 10% of the total population did not respond to the question on ethnic group.[1] In a conclusive report of the census sent toEurostat, the authors of the census (theNational Statistical Institute of Bulgaria) identified the census results on ethnicity as a "gross manipulation".[9] The former head of theNational Statistical Institute of Bulgaria,Reneta Indzhova claims to have been fired by the Bulgarian Prime Minister in 2014 for attempting to check the actual number of the Romani and implied that neither the census did enumerate the Romani, nor its statistics did provide the "real data".[10]
The previous 2001 census recorded 370,908 Romani (4.7% of the population). The preceding 1992 census recorded 313,396 Romani (3.7% of the population), while a secret backstage 1992 census ordered by theMinistry of Interior recorded a figure of 550,000 Romani (6.5% of the population); the Ministry of Interior ordered at least two other secret censuses to enumerate the Romani in denial, the one in 1980 recorded 523,519 Romani, while the one in 1989 recorded that the number of the Romani was 576,927 (6.5% of the population) and that over half of the Romani identified as Turks.[11] The majority of the estimated 200,000-400,000Muslim Romani tend to identify themselves as ethnicTurks,[12] some deny their origin, or identify as Bulgarians.
The demographic collapse in Bulgaria that has affected most ethnic groups in the country has not had the same effect on the Romani.[13]According to data of theEuropean Commission, to whichEurostat belongs, the Romani in Bulgaria number 750,000 and they constitute 10.33% of the population.[2][3] AnNGO disputes this claim and estimates that the number of the Romani in Bulgaria is twice as high, stating their population grows by 35,000 a year.[14][15]
In Bulgaria, Romani are most commonly referred asTsigani (цигани, pronounced[tsiɡəni]), anexonym that some Romani resent as derogatory and others embrace. The form of theendonymRoma inBulgarian isromi (роми). They are generally younger, according to the 2011 census they make up 10.2% of the population aged up to 9 years, on a note 14.9% of the total age group being non-respondents.[16][17]
In Bulgaria Roma are disliked: 59% to 80% of non-Roma have negative feelings towards Roma.[18]Roma constitute the majority of prison population according to self-identification of inmates, with 7000 prisoners (70%) out of 10,000 in total.[19] According to 2002 data, the poverty rate among Romani is 61.8%, in contrast to a rate of 5.6% amongBulgarians.[20] In 1997, 84% of Bulgarian Romani lived under the poverty line, compared with 32% of ethnic Bulgarians.[21] In 1994, the poverty rate of Romani was estimated at 71.4%, compared with 15% for Bulgarians.[22] Theunemployment rate of non-Romani in Bulgaria was 25%, while of the Romani it was 65% in 2008, for instance in neighbouring Romania and Hungary the Romani had much lower unemployment rates—14% and 21% respectively.[23][24] In 2016 23% of the Romani in Bulgaria are employed.[25] The unemployed receive more financial aid than other citizens, especially for children, which may have prompted the higher birth rates of the Romani.[26]
In 2011 the share of Romani withuniversity degree reached 0.3%, while 6.9% havesecondary education; the same share was 22.8%/47.6% for Bulgarians.[27]
The Bulgarians are more negative towards the Romani than the Turks, with 30-50% rejecting various interactions and friendship with Romani. Although only 25% of Romani parents object to their children to be married with a Bulgarian and a Turk, only 4% of the Bulgarians and 6% of the Turks would marry a Romani person.[28][29] Romani are avoided by the majority traditionally, especially for marriage, however, there are ethnically mixed people with Gypsy and Bulgarian or Turk parents who are called жоревци "zhorevtsi" (from the common nameGeorge).It is more common for a Roma Man to marry a Bulgarian or Turk woman, than for a Roma woman to marry a non-Romani Man.[30]
Bulgaria participates in theDecade of Roma Inclusion, an international initiative to improve the socio-economic status and social inclusion of Roma, with eight other governments committing themselves to "work toward eliminating discrimination and closing the unacceptable gaps between Roma and the rest of society".[31] The rights of the Romani people in the country are also represented by political parties and cultural organizations, most notably theCivil Union "Roma". Famous Roma from Bulgaria include musiciansAzis,Sofi Marinova andIvo Papazov, surgeon Aleksandar Chirkov, politicians Toma Tomov and Tsvetelin Kanchev, footballerMarian Ognyanov, and 1988 Olympic boxing championIsmail Mustafov.
The ancestors of the Romani people originated in South Asia, presumably from the present-day regions ofPunjab,Rajasthan andSindh.[32][33][34][35][36][37]
Linguistic evidence reveals that the roots of the Romani language lie in what is now India: the language has grammatical characteristics of Indian languages and shares with them a big part of the basic lexicon, for example, body parts or daily routines.[38] More exactly, Romani shares the basic lexicon withHindi andPunjabi. It shares many phonetic features withMarwari, while its grammar is closest toBengali.[39]
The language of the Romani people is called Romani [romaňi čhib]. It is an[40]Indo-Aryan language, which belongs to theIndo-Iranian branch of theIndo-European family. The language retains much Indic morphology, phonology and lexicon, although it has been significantly influenced by contact with other languages, particularlyPersian,Armenian,Byzantine Greek.[41] It's grammar and phonology also reflectSouth Slavic influence.[42]
Genetic findings in 2012 suggest the ancestors of the Romanies originated in present-day northwestern India and migrated as a group.[37][43][44]According to a genetic study in 2012, the ancestors of presentScheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes populations of northern India, traditionally referred to collectively as theḌoma, are the likely ancestral populations of the modern European Roma.[45]
In February 2016, during the International Roma Conference, theIndian Minister of External Affairs stated that the people of the Roma community were children of India. The conference ended with a recommendation to theGovernment of India to recognize the Roma community spread across 30 countries as a part of theIndian diaspora.[8]
The Romani people emigrated from South Asia possibly as early as the 5th century.[40] They settled inPersia, followed byArmenia, before arriving in theancient Greek city ofByzantium likely in the 9th century, though possibly as early as the 7th century.[46][47][48] The shift in the self-identification of the Romani people from "Doma" to "Roma"/"Romani" is believed to have taken place during the Romanies' arrival and settlement in the Balkans during the Byzantine era. "Roma"/"Romani" is believed to have been influenced by theMedieval Greek wordRomaios, meaningEastern Roman, referring to the inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire—which they calledRomanía.[49][50] It is suspected that given the proximity between Bulgaria and historical Byzantium, it is possible that the Romani people may have been present in the territory of present-day Bulgaria as early as the 7th century.[47]
Bulgarian ethnologists Elena Marushiakova and Veselin Popov assert that no direct evidence indicates when precisely the Romani first appeared in Bulgaria. While they mention that other Bulgarian and international scholars have associated the 1387Charter of Rila termAgoupovi Kleti with the Romani, they hold that the term refers to seasonal lodgings for mountain herdsmen. Instead, they delimit the mass settlement of Romani in Bulgarian territory between the 13th and 14th centuries, supporting this time frame with 13th- and 14th-century documents referring to Romani presence in the surrounding Balkan states.[51] According to Bulgarian sociologist Ilona Tomova, Ottoman fiscal reports between the 15th and 17th centuries indirectly indicate Romani settlement in Bulgaria since the 13th century, as most registered Romani possessedSlavonic names and were Christians.[52]
"Although the largest Roma migration wave to the Bulgarian lands seems to have occurred in the 13th and 14th centuries, many Roma arrived with the Ottoman troops, accompanying army craftsmen and complementary military units."
In addition, during the 14th and 15th centuries, Muslim Romani arrived in Bulgaria with theOttoman rule, serving as auxiliaries, craftsmen, musicians and other professions.[52][53] Unlike the Ottoman Empire's other subjects in themillet system, Romani were governed based on their ethnicity, not their religious affiliation.[54] Ottoman tax records first mention Romani in theNikopol region, where 3.5% of the registered households were Romani. UnderMehmed II's reign, all Romani – Christian and Muslim – paid a poll-tax that was otherwise imposed only on non-Muslims.[55]
During the 16th century,Suleiman I enacted laws to prohibit the mingling of Muslim and Christian Romani and to administer taxes collected from the Romani: the 1530Gypsies in theRumelia Region Act and a 1541 law for the Romanisancak.[52][56]Muslim Romani were taxed less than Christian Romani,[54] yet they were taxed more than other Muslims for not adhering to Islamic laws and customs.[57] Ottoman imperial assembly registers from 1558 to 1569 characterize the Romani asehl-i fesad (people of malice), charging them with crimes such as prostitution, murder, theft, vagrancy and counterfeiting.[58]
Roma in Bulgaria are not a unified community in culture and lifestyle. The most widespread group of the Romani in the country are theyerli or the 'local Roma', who are in turn divided into Bulgarian Gypsies (Dasikane Roma) and Turkish Gypsies (Horahane Roma). The former are Christian (Eastern Orthodox and some few are believe inEvangelicalism), while the latter areCultural Muslims. Many of the Muslim Romani or the so-calledTurkish Roma (Turkish Gypsies) are usually well integrated in the ethnicTurkish society in Bulgaria.[59] Many possess Turkish ethnic identity and speak Turkish in addition toRomani.[60][61][62] According to the latest census in 2021, of Romani 17.2% are Muslims.[7] Muslim Romani can be divided into several linguistic groups: for example the Horahane Roma, who speak only Romani (although they know Turkish or Bulgarian) and identify themselves as Horahane Roma; Horahane Roma whose language is a mix betweenBalkan Romani and Turkish; Horahane Roma who use only Turkish (rarely Bulgarian and Romani); and Horahane Roma who can only speak Turkish, identifying themselves as Turks.[61][62]
The Futadžides Romani dialect or Futadžiite,[63] is spoken by the Muslim Romani Futacı (Fouta towel/Peshtemal maker, from Haskovo and Haskovo Municipality but also some of them live in Stara Zagora and Plovdiv and East Thrace in Turkey too. It is a very strong Turkish influenced Romani dialect.[64]
In Ottoman archives from the 18th and 19th centuries, a special sub-group of 4 clans of Turkish-speakingNomads ofAlevism faith, who did not speak Romany was mentioned, namely theTurkmen Kiptileri. In the past, this group had strong contact withTurkmen tribes, it is suspected that they are the same asAbdal of Turkey.[65]
A subgroup of the Bulgarian Gypsies in southern Bulgaria, theAsparuhovi bâlgari ("Asparuh Bulgarians") — that is known also asstari bâlgari ("Old Bulgarians"),sivi gâlâbi ("Grey Doves", "Grey Pigeons"), ordemirdzhii — self-identify as the descendants of blacksmiths for KhanAsparuh's army.[66][67][68] Some deny any connection with the Romani and most do not speak Romani.[68]
.PNG)
According to the 2011 census of the population of Bulgaria, there are 325,343 Romani in Bulgaria,[1] or 4.4 percent. 180,266 of these are urban residents and 145,077 rural.[69]
Most of the Roma, 66%, are young children and adults up to 29 years old, the same group constitutes 37% among ethnic Bulgarians, while 5% of Roma are 60 years and over, Bulgarians are 22%.[70]
From the 1992 census to the 2001 census, the number of Romani in the country has increased by 57,512, or 18.4%. The Romani were only 2.8% in 1910 and 2.0% in 1920.[71]
While the Romani are present in allprovinces of Bulgaria, their highest percentages are inMontana Province (12.5%) andSliven Province (12.3%) and their smallest percentage is inSmolyan Province, where they number 686[72] — about 0.05% of the population.
Varbitsa is possibly the only urban settlement where the Romani are the most numerous group. The largest Romani quarters areStolipinovo inPlovdiv and Fakulteta inSofia. The number of places where Romani constitute more than 50% of the population has doubled from the 1992 to the 2001 census. The largest village with a Romani majority isGradets inKotel Municipality.
| Province | Roma population (census 2011) | % |
|---|---|---|
| Blagoevgrad Province | 9,739 | 3.43% |
| Burgas Province | 18,424 | 4.97% |
| Dobrich Province | 15,323 | 8.81% |
| Gabrovo Province | 1,305 | 1.13% |
| Haskovo Province | 15,889 | 6.99% |
| Kardzhali Province | 1,296 | 0.99% |
| Kyustendil Province | 8,305 | 6.36% |
| Lovech Province | 5,705 | 4.38% |
| Montana Province | 18,228 | 12.71% |
| Pazardzhik Province | 20,350 | 8.27% |
| Pernik Province | 3,560 | 2.84% |
| Pleven Province | 9,961 | 4.15% |
| Plovdiv Province | 30,202 | 4.87% |
| Razgrad Province | 5,719 | 5.00% |
| Ruse Province | 8,615 | 3.98% |
| Shumen Province | 13,847 | 8.24% |
| Silistra Province | 5,697 | 5.11% |
| Sliven Province | 20,478 | 11.82% |
| Smolyan Province | 448 | 0.47% |
| Sofia City Province | 18,284 | 1.55% |
| Sofia Province | 17,079 | 7.40% |
| Stara Zagora Province | 24,018 | 7.80% |
| Targovishte Province | 7,767 | 7.27% |
| Varna Province | 13,432 | 3.16% |
| Veliko Tarnovo Province | 3,875 | 1.66% |
| Vidin Province | 7,282 | 7.66% |
| Vratsa Province | 10,082 | 6.18% |
| Yambol Province | 10,433 | 8.48% |
| Total[73] | 325,343 | 4.87%[74] |
| Province | Ministry of Interior 1989[75] | RSC 2021[76] | PROUD ROMA 2021[77] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Blagoevgrad Province | 16,100 | 4.6% | 18,900 | 6.78% | 19,950 | 7.16% |
| Burgas Province | 37,894 | 8.4% | 30,000 | 8.32% | ||
| Dobrich Province | 23,665 | 9.2% | 5,000 | 6.30% | 7,000 | 8.83% |
| Gabrovo Province | 5,920 | 3.4% | 5,000 | 5.04% | ||
| Haskovo Province | 13,488 | 4.5% | 20,000 | 9.96% | ||
| Kardzhali Province | 9,843 | 3.3% | 12,000 | 9.25% | ||
| Kyustendil Province | 8,463 | 4.4% | 14,000 | 12.75% | 15,000 | 13.66% |
| Lovech Province | 17,746 | 8.8% | 7,000 | 5.97% | ||
| Montana Province | 28,813 | 12.9% | 5,700 | 5.08% | 30,000 | 26.71% |
| Pazardzhik Province | 45,705 | 14.0% | 22,244 | 10.34% | 49,000 | 22.77% |
| Pernik Province | 38 | 0.0% | 5,000 | 4.42% | ||
| Pleven Province | 24,870 | 6.9% | 3,506 | 1.65% | 35,000 | 16.45% |
| Plovdiv Province | 45,333 | 6.0% | 18,900 | 3.02% | 87,000 | 13.89% |
| Razgrad Province | 15,213 | 7.7% | 5,400 | 5.59% | 12,000 | 12.43% |
| Ruse Province | 16,306 | 5.4% | 11,000 | 6.06% | ||
| Shumen Province | 20,128 | 7.9% | 9,500 | 6.58% | 18,000 | 12.46% |
| Silistra Province | 12,826 | 7.4% | 10,000 | 10.92% | ||
| Sliven Province | 46,491 | 19.4% | 42,900 | 27.31% | 44,000 | 28.01% |
| Smolyan Province | 548 | 0.3% | 3,000 | 3.14% | ||
| Sofia City Province | 38,000 | 3.2% | 64,081 | 3.76% | 79,000 | 4.64% |
| Sofia Province | 14,136 | 4.6% | ||||
| Stara Zagora Province | 28,289 | 6.9% | 40,000 | 13.98% | ||
| Targovishte Province | 17,035 | 10.0% | 10,000 | 10.67% | ||
| Varna Province | 20,682 | 4.5% | 7,000 | 1.64% | 20,000 | 4.68% |
| Veliko Tarnovo Province | 20,880 | 6.2% | 20,000 | 10.03% | ||
| Vidin Province | 15,115 | 9.1% | 20,000 | 26.85% | ||
| Vratsa Province | 22,160 | 7.7% | 12,000 | 8.01% | 23,000 | 15.36% |
| Yambol Province | 11,240 | 5.5% | 15,000 | 14.47% | ||
| Total | 576,927 | 6.4% | 229,131 | 3.51% | 646,950 | 9.92% |
Although Roma constitute only 4.4 percent of the Bulgarian population, they constitute around 12 percent of all children aged between 0 and 9 years old according to the 2011 census.[78] In some municipalities, likeValchedram andRuzhintsi in northwestern Bulgaria, more than the half of all children belong to the Roma ethnicity.[79]
| Roma population by age group and share of total Bulgarian population as of 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnic group | Total | 0 – 9 | 10 – 19 | 20 – 29 | 30 – 39 | 40 – 49 | 50 – 59 | 60 – 69 | 70 – 79 | 80+ | ||||||||
| Roma | 325,343 | 67,568 | 59,511 | 59,442 | 49,572 | 37,723 | 28,411 | 15,833 | 6,031 | 1,252 | ||||||||
| Percentage of Bulgarian population | 4.9 | 12.0 | 9.7 | 6.8 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.4 | ||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 89,549 | — |
| 1905 | 99,004 | +10.6% |
| 1910 | 122,296 | +23.5% |
| 1920 | 98,451 | −19.5% |
| 1926 | 134,844 | +37.0% |
| 1934 | 149,385 | +10.8% |
| 1946 | 170,011 | +13.8% |
| 1956 | 197,865 | +16.4% |
| 1965 | 148,928 | −24.7% |
| 1975 | 18,323 | −87.7% |
| 1992 | 313,396 | +1610.4% |
| 2001 | 370,908 | +18.4% |
| 2011 | 325,343 | −12.3% |
| 2021 | 266,720 | −18.0% |
In aUNDP/ILO survey, Bulgarian Romani identified unemployment, economic hardship and discrimination in access to employment as major problems.
The Council of Europe body ECRI stated in its June 2003 third report on Bulgaria that Romani encounter "serious difficulties in many spheres of life", elaborating that:
"The main problems stem from the fact that the Roma districts are turning into ghettos. [...] Most Roma neighbourhoods consist of slums, precariously built without planning permission on land that often belongs to the municipalities [...]. As the Bulgarian authorities have not taken steps to address the situation, the people living in these districts have no access to basic public services, whether health care, public transport, waste collection or sanitation."[80]
To which the Bulgarian government answered officially in the same document:
ECRI has correctly observed that members of the Roma community encounter "serious difficulties" "in many spheres of life". The rest of this paragraph, however, regrettably contains sweeping, grossly inaccurate generalizations ... Due to various objective and subjective factors, many (but by no means all!) members of the Roma community found it particularly difficult to adapt to the new realities of the market economy. "...Romani mahala-dwellers are still captives of the past, holding onto and behaving according to preconceptions about the socialist welfare state that clash with the modern realities of a market economy and privatisation". (Skopje Report, p.6)[81]
More concretely, the allegation that the people living in these districts "have no access to basic public services" is largely inaccurate. Certain difficulties (though not remotely on the scale suggested) do exist in this regard, and the authorities are taking concrete measures to address them (see above). However, as the Advisor on Roma and Sinti issues at the OSCE, N. Gheorghe remarked during the Skopje meeting: "...many of the Roma confuse public services with rights to which they are entitled and which are guaranteed by the welfare state" (Skopje Report, p.16). ...
Concerning the issue of the electricity supply it should be noted that dwellers of such neighbourhoods sometimes refuse to pay their electricity bills. This attitude could at least in part be explained by the fact that "...Romani mahala-dwellers believe they have rights as citizens to electricity and other services, and that the state has an obligation to provide and to a large extent to subsidize them" (Skopje Report, p. 7). In these circumstances electricity suppliers may find themselves with no other option but to "sometimes cut off" the electricity supply in order to incite the consumers to commence honouring their debts. Such cut-offs are part of standard practice and the ethnic origin of the consumers is irrelevant in these cases.
With respect to welfare benefits, which allegedly "in some cases, moreover, Roma do not receive" while "they are entitled" to them, it should be underscored that Bulgaria's social welfare legislation sets uniform objective criteria for access to welfare benefits for all citizens, irrespective of their ethnic origin (furthermore, any discrimination, including on ethnic grounds is expressly prohibited by law). The question of who is entitled or not entitled to welfare benefits is determined by the relevant services on the basis of a means test. Every single decision of these services must be (and is) in written form and clearly motivated. If a claimant is not satisfied with a decision, he/she is entitled to appeal it before the regional welfare office. Consequently, this allegation of ECRI is also erroneous."[80]
A monitoring report by theOpen Society Institute found that Romani children and teenagers are less likely to enroll in primary and secondary schools than the majority population and less likely to complete their education if they do. Between 60% and 77% of Romani children enroll in primary education (ages 6–15), compared to 90-94% of ethnic Bulgarians. Only 6%-12% of Romani teenagers enroll in secondary education (ages 16–19). The drop-out rate is significant, but hard to measure, as many are formally enrolled but rarely attend classes.[82]
The report also indicates that Romani children and teenagers attend de facto segregated "Roma schools" in majority-Romani neighbourhoods and villages. These "Roma schools" offer inferior quality education; many are in bad physical condition and lack necessary facilities such as computers. As a result, Romani literacy rates, already below those for ethnic Bulgarians, are much lower still for Romani who have attended segregated schools.[83]
The official position of the Bulgarian government to such segregation is:
"There had never been a policy of "segregation" of Roma children in the national education system. The fact that in some neighbourhoods in certain towns particular schools were attended predominantly by pupils of Roma origin was anunintended consequence of the administrative division of the school system. According to the rules valid for all children irrespective of their ethnic origin, admittance to any public school was linked administratively to the domicile of the family. In neighbourhoods where the population was predominantly of Roma origin, this system produced schools, attended predominantly by pupils of Roma origin. It is precisely this situation that the authorities are taking special measures to rectify. Therefore, the word "segregation" with respect to Roma children is inaccurate."[80]
Romani children are often sent to special schools for children with intellectual disabilities or boarding schools for children with "deviant behavior" (so-called "delinquent schools"). According to reports of theBulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC), Romani made up half the number of students in schools for children with intellectual disabilities and about two-thirds of the students of the boarding schools, where the BHC found a variety of human rights abuses, including physical violence. In both sets of special schools, the quality of teaching is very poor and essential things such as desks, textbooks and teaching materials are inadequate or altogether lacking.[84]
On two occasions, the European Committee of Social Rights has found violations of theEuropean Social Charter in situations with Bulgaria's Romani population: in 2006, concerningright to housing,[85] and in 2008, concerningright to health[86]—in both cases on complaints from theEuropean Roma Rights Centre.
According to a report of Politeia, "For the most of the 1990s the only representation the Romani got was through the mainstream political parties. This was a very limited form of representation in which one or two Romani had a symbolic presence in Parliament during each term." The Bulgarian Constitution does not allow political parties based on ethnic, religious, or racist principles or ideology. However, "Twenty one Roma political organizations were founded between 1997 and 2003 in Bulgaria [...]".[87]
In the2005 Bulgarian parliamentary election, three Romani parties took part:Euroroma,Movement for an Equal Public Model (as part of a coalition led by theUnion of Democratic Forces) and the Civil Union "Roma" (as part of a coalition led by theBulgarian Socialist Party).[88]Currently, theMovement for Rights and Freedoms represents[89] Muslim Romani. The party relies on the biggest share of Romani people, 44%[90] of the total Romani vote, including non-Muslims.
Romani integration programmes funded by the European Union have had mixed success.[91]
Our results show that Northwest India could play an important role in the South Asian ancestry of Roma, however, the origin of Romani people might include the area of Pakistan as well.
Based on genome-wide SNP arrays and whole-genome sequences, it has been determined that the Romani people carry approximately 20–35% South Asian ancestry [4,7], and North-West India constitutes the major source of this component [4,7,54] [...] In general, Romani people carry approximately 65–80% West Eurasian (European, Middle Eastern and Caucasian) ancestry, estimated to have been acquired by extensive gene flow.
This population [...] migrated from northern India to Europe over 1,500 years ago [...] The Romani community are genetically diverse, and Romani groups established in different locations are highly varied.
What is the current state of the language? It is used less and less today in Romani communities. The young generation in some localities, such as Humenné, Michalovce, or Trebišov in eastern Slovakia, no longer speak the language at all.
'While a nine century removal from India has diluted Indian biological connection to the extent that for some Romani groups, it may be hardly representative today, Sarren (1976:72) concluded that we still remain together, genetically, Asian rather than European'
Zatímco romská lexika je bližší hindštině, marvárštině, pandžábštině atd., v gramatické sféře nacházíme mnoho shod s východoindickým jazykem, s bengálštinou.
The idea that Roma had Indian roots, but crystallised into a cohesive people during the Byzantine period is now gaining credence. The self-ascribed name 'Rom/Roma' is from the Greek-speaking, Christian, Byzantine Empire and was acquired during the population's long stay in Anatolia.
