 Romanisael family pictured in northernBohuslän, Sweden, 1919 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| ≈ 75,000 | |
| Languages | |
| Scandoromani |
TheRomanisael (also known asSwedish Roma andNorwegian Roma, orSwedish Taters andNorwegian Taters)[a] are aRomani subgroup who have been resident inSweden andNorway for some 500 years.[1] The estimated number of Romanisael in Sweden is 65,000,[2] while in Norway, the number is estimated to be around 10,000.[3]
Romanisael history and culture is particularly related to other Romani subgroups inNorthern Europe such asKaale,Kalé,Romanichal andScottish Lowland Romani.[4]
Modern-day Romanisael (Tater) are the descendants of the first Roma who arrived in Scandinavia during the 16th century. Most were deportees fromBritain toNorway,[5][1] but small numbers came viaDenmark.[6] Norwegian and Swedish Romani identify as Romanisæl; this word has origins in theAngloromani wordRomanichal.Romanichal is the word that Romani in England, theScottish Border and parts of southernWales use to identify themselves.
The Kaale (orKàlo) are descendants of early Scandinavian Roma who were deported in the 17th century from Sweden proper to Finland.[7] The Kaale, however, maintain that their ancestors migrated fromScotland.[8]
Romanisael in Norway at times have been confused with theindigenous Norwegian Travellers, although they perceive the latter group to be non-Roma by culture and origins.
By the settled majority population, the Romanisael in Norway are commonly known asromanifolk orromanifolket, or by theexonymstatere orsigønyere ('gypsies'), while endonyms in use areromanisæl,romani,romanoar orvandriar ('wanderers'). In Sweden they used to be called the exonymstattare orzigenare ('gypsies'), but are officially called by the termromer, while endonyms in use areromanisæl,dinglare orresande ('travellers') orresandefolket ('travelling-people'). Less common is the termtavringar. There has been an attempt to term Swedish Romani astschiwi, but this usage is contested.[9]
The termstatere andtattare hint to the original misconception that the Romani in Sweden and Norway wereTatars. In Sweden,tattare is now considered a disparaging term and has been completely abandoned in official use. For Romanisael in Norway however, the nametatere is severely disputed. It does not carry the same stigma as in Sweden; their Norwegian counterparts have fought for the same rights as Swedish Romanisael for many years. Some Romani organizations maintain this term in their official names.
Skojare was a name sometimes used for Romanisael in Sweden;[10] in Norwayskøyere was associated with indigenous Travellers.Fant orfanter was a term formerly applied to both Romanisael and non-Romani Travellers in southern Norway. Many of these terms nowadays are considered pejorative due to their connotation ofvagabondage andvagrancy.[11]
Since 2000, Romanisael in Sweden are counted as part of theromernational minority, which also includesKalderash Roma who have arrived fromCentral and Eastern Europe since the late 19th century and more recent Roma migrants. In Norway, Romanisael are categorized as a national minority group, officially referred to asromanifolk,romanifolket ortatere. In contrast to Sweden, in Norway a distinction is made betweenromanifolket androm (i.e., Roma groups that arrived since the 19th century) in the official legislation on national minorities.[12]
Romanisael speak a form ofPara-Romani referred to asScandoromani. Many words of Nordic Romani origin have survived in the Scandinavian languages, both in common speech and slang.[13] Examples from Swedish:
Romanisael have founded organisations for preserving their culture and lobbying for their collective rights. One example is Föreningen Resandefolkets Riksorganisation, based inMalmö, Sweden.[14]
Romani Posten (alsoRomaniposten,'The Romani Post';ISSN 0809-8379) was a news magazine for the Romani community in Norway. It had no political or religious affiliation, and published articles inNorwegian. At its most frequent, it came out eight times per year. On 6 September 2003, it was founded as an on-line publication; the first print edition was published in October 2006. Jone Pedersen was the founding publisher and editor-in-chief. As of 2007, it had ceased publication.[15]
