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USC Shoah Foundation Institute Thesaurus
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cultura sinti e rom   Cerca

Definizione

The Sinti and Roma tribes (Gypsies, Tsiganes, Ziguener) who lived in Europe since the 15th century developed a unique culture based on the customs, beliefs, and practices from their region of origin, northern India, integrated with the local traditions, folktales, and religious practices of the European countries in which they lived. Some Sinti and Roma adopted Catholicism or Islam, and developed their own celebrations of religious holidays such as Pentecost and Lent. Sinti and Roma spoke an Indo-European language called Romani. Members of these groups called themselves as "Rom," which means "man" or "husband" and their culture as Romanipen or Romanij. Because Gypsy culture and tradition was mostly oral and the tribes were divided into different bands, an accurate portrait of their traditions has been difficult to ascertain and the image of Sinti and Roma developed out observations and folktales recorded by non-Gypsy Europeans. In daily life, the Sinti and Roma divided themselves into bands governed by a chieftan (voivode), a council of elders, and a tribunal (kris), which made decisions about Gypsy laws. General cultural practices and beliefs of the Gypsies included a belief in the separable soul and the resulting reluctance to be photographed, the use of a private, tribal name and a public name, the importance of music, loyalty to family, and the need for cremation of the dead to liberate the soul from the earth. Sinti and Roma brought from India concepts of cleanliness and ritual purity (vujo or wuzho) and pollution (marimé) and developed strict rules about contact amongst themselves, with animals, in food preparation, and with non-Sinti and Roma (Gadje). Because gadje did not observe the Sinti and Roma concepts of purity, they were considered unclean and contact was undesired. Due to this separation between Gypsy and non-Gypsies, the Sinti and Roma created their own distinct family organization patterns and verbal, customary, and material traditional culture. Settled Sinti and Roma also became the bearers of the local traditions which were disappearing among the peasants. The separation between Europeans and Sinti and Roma also resulted in erroneous, romanticized, or exaggerated beliefs regarding the Gypsies in European folklore, attributing to them such traits as occult powers, thievery, and indolence. For example, fortune telling became a way for the Gypsies and non-Gypsies to interact and for Gypsies to gain employment while itinerant, but it was not a custom practiced amongst themselves. Prejudice, discriminatory legislation, and persecution of Gypsies throughout history have been based on these differences and misconceptions. Intermarriage and urbanization have contributed to the loss of traditional Sinti and Roma culture. (en-US)

Fonte

Leach, Maria and Jerome Fried, eds. Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend. New York: Harper and Row. 1984. p. 951-955

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