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| Total population | |
|---|---|
| ≈ 14,000[1] |
Boyash orBayash (endonym:Bȯjáṡ,Romanian:Băieși,Hungarian:Beás,Slovak:Bojáš,South Slavic:Banjaši,Bojaši) are aRomani ethnic group living inRomania,Moldova, southernHungary, northernCroatia, northernSerbia,Slovakia, theBalkans, but also in theAmericas.[2] Alternative names areRudari (Ludari),Lingurari andZlătari.[3]
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The Boyash or Băieși (in Romanian) are a branch/caste of the Roma who were forced to settle in the 14th century in theApuseni Mountains, located inTransylvania, and work asslaves inmining (a regionalism formine in Romanian: "baie," from Middle AgeSlavonic).[4][page needed]
At the end of the 16th century the Boyash started migrating towards the south, inWallachia, and the east, inMoldavia, where they were held as slaves together with other Romani groups (until theslavery was abolished in 1855–56).[4][page needed]
Another name for the Boyash,Rudari, comes from theSlavicruda ("metal", "ore"). As the mines became inefficient, the Boyash people were forced to readjust by earning their living makingwoodutensils (Lingurari means "spoon-makers" in Romanian; also cf.Serbianruda,Hungarianrúd,Romanianrudă meaning "relative", but also "rod, pole, stick"). The nicknameKashtale ("wood-workers") was also given to them by the Romani-speaking Roma and it has remained in Romani as a more general word for a Rom who does not speak Romani.[4][page needed]After the point at which they began to make wood tools they scattered themselves in isolated communities. The consequence of this is that nowadays they speak a distinct archaic dialect of Romanian, with borrowings from other surrounding languages.[4][page needed]
After the liberation of the Roma from slavery (by the middle of the 19th century), manyemigrated to other countries, especiallyHungary andthe Balkans, but also as far as theAmericas,South Africa andAustralia.[5]
In 1993, about 14,000 of the 280,000 recorded Hungarian Roma were Boyash.[6]
InCroatia, the Boyash are settled in several small communities along the Hungarian border in the regions ofMeđimurje, the Podravina,Slavonija andBaranja with an overflow of settlers living in theApatin county ofVojvodina,Serbia.[7] 2005 saw the Boyash language of Croatia published in its ownalphabet for the first time in theCatholic Catechism, published by the HBK Glas Koncila in Zagreb.[8] In 2007, the first Bible—a children's Bible—was published by OM EAST in Austria and facilitated by The Romani Bible Union.[9]
In English, the commonly accepted name for the ethnic group isBoyash, however in contemporaryBulgaria the termsLudari andRudari are in common use, while inRomania both terms are present in some form:Rudari andBăieși.[10]
For the same ethnic group inHungary andCroatia the termsBeyash andBayash (Bajaši) are now officially used.[11] The ethnonymBanyash ("miner") inSerbia is known only among the group settled inBačka region, living along the riverDanube, near the border withCroatia andHungary.[12] This term is only sporadically understood, and not used among some otherBanyash groups in theSerbian Banat region, e.g. the village ofUljma.[13]
They are also known by many appellations based on trades; in addition to Rudari/Ludari ("miners", from Serbian and Bulgarianruda "ore, metal") they are known asKopanari ("cradle-makers", from Serbian and Bulgariankopanja "wooden box"),Koritari ("trough-makers"),Lingurara ("spoon-makers", cf. Romanianlingură "spoon") andUrsari (cf. Romanianurs "bear") orMechkara ("bear-trainers").[14]
Education in theRomanian language is available only for the Banyash living inRomanian villages in the SerbianBanat, as well as in Hungary, in the subdialect of the Romanian language spoken by Boyash communities in (central and western) Hungary.[15]
During the last few years there have been several attempts on behalf of local non-governmental organizations in East Bačka region to introduce optional classes inRomanian.[16] According to 2004 field research data, only two such projects are still going on there: optional classes inRomanian in the village ofVajska, and kindergarten in the local Ardeal dialect inBački Monoštor, attended by 20 pupils altogether.[17]
Notes
Bibliography
Studies about Boyash Gypsies in Hungary Studies about Boyash Gypsies in Hungary bookGoogle Books Zsuzsanna Bódi - 1997
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