Romani people in Germany

Ethnic group From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Romani people in Germany are estimated at around 170,000[1]–300,000,[1] constituting around 0.2–0.4% of the German population. One-third of Germany's Romani belong to the Sinti group.[2] Most speak German or Sinte Romani.

Quick Facts Total population, Languages ...
Romani people in Germany
Total population
170,000[1]-300,000[1]
Languages
Sinte Romani, Romani language, Balkan Romani language, Turkish language, German
Religion
Christianity, Islam
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History

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Perspective

Origins

The Romani people originate from the Northern India,[3][4][5][6][7][8] presumably from the northwestern Indian states Rajasthan[7][8] and Punjab.[7] Linguistic studies have argued that roots of Romani languages lie in India: the languages have grammatical characteristics of Indian languages and share with them a part of the basic lexicon, for example, body parts or daily routines.[9] More exactly, Romani shares the basic lexicon with Hindi and Punjabi. It shares many phonetic features with Marwari, while its grammar is closest to Bengali.[10]

Genetic findings in 2012 suggest the Romani originated in northwestern India and migrated as a group.[4][5][11] According to a genetic study in 2012 about the ancestors of present scheduled tribes and scheduled caste populations of northern India, traditionally referred to collectively as the Ḍoma, are the likely ancestral populations of modern European Roma.[12]

In February 2016, during the International Roma Conference, the Indian Minister of External Affairs stated that the people of the Roma community were children of India. The conference ended with a recommendation to the Government of India to recognize the Roma community spread across 30 countries as a part of the Indian diaspora.[13]

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Map of Europe showing Romani demographics

Migration to Germany

There are different Christian Roma groups like the Lalleri, Kalderash, Čurara, Boyash, Wallachian Roma, Gitanos, and Muslim Roma/Xoraxane like Arlije, Gurbeti, Romanlar in Turkey. Some People of Roma ethnicity came as Gastarbeiter to Germany from countries such as Turkey, former Yugoslavia, Greece, Spain and Italy. Especially Turkish speaking Xoraxane-Roma from Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, declaread themselves as Turks only and are viewed as Turks by Germans. Since the Kosovo War in 1998-1999, Romani people in Kosovo, Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians also came to Germany.[14]

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Romani civilians in Asperg, Germany are rounded up for deportation by Nazi authorities on 22 May 1940. Colorized.
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Gypsy Family in Prison, 1864 painting by Carl d´Unker, a Swedish painter living and working in Düsseldorf. An actual imprisoned family served as the models. The reason for their imprisonment remains unknown

Notable individuals

See also

References

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