The Roma, or as most know them, Gypsies, arrived in Europe in the Byzantine Empire from India during the 9^th century.  Since that time, they have become engrained in European culture, history, literature and films.  Unlike most ethnic groups in Europe, like the Slavs or Bulgars, the Roma have never sought after their own country and while, many have assimilated to the countries they inhabit, they still face many hardships and prejudices.

     Worldwide Roma populations reach upwards of 15 million, but exact numbers are not known due to their reluctance to register their ethnic identity in censuses for fear of discrimination.  The heaviest known population of Roma is found in the Balkan Peninsula, with other large populations in the former Soviet Union, the Americas, and Western Europe.  The Roma themselves recognize five main groups within their culture, which are based upon cultural, dialectal, and territorial differences.  They are as follows:

• Erlides:  Settled in Turkey and southeastern Europe
• Sinti:  Mainly in Germany and France
• Kalderash:  Most numerous and from the Balkans, with many settling in North America and Europe
• Romnichal:  Mostly in North America and Britain
• Gitanos:  Settled mainly in the Iberian Peninsula, Southern France and North Africa

     Traditional Roma place a very high value on the extended family, with purity laws regulating a strict social behavior.  Once married, women join their husband’s family where the oldest man, such as a grandfather, and men in general have more authority.  Wives gain authority after mothering children.  Religion among the Roma varies, since they usually adopted the dominant religion of their host country, however, certain customs and belief systems have remained including a highly developed sense of morality, the supernatural, and taboos.

     Because of their unique beliefs and practices, the Roma have faced persecution from those around them.  Originally nomads, Roma were seen as threats to the citizens and governments of the countries they lived in.  During World War II, Roma persecution peaked, and many Roma in Nazi occupied countries were sent to concentration camps.  The number of Roma victims of the Holocaust is estimated to be between 220 thousand and half a million.  The extermination of Roma was so thorough in Central Europe that the entire Bohemian Romani language became extinct.

     Many governments find it difficult to make policy that serves both the nomadic Roma minority and the more settled majority.  Laws have been passed in many countries to force the Roma population to purchase land and build settlements in order to avoid further persecution and to smooth relations with non-Roma.  In some countries, Roma children are routinely put into special needs classes in public schools or placed in segregated schools offering inferior education.

     Despite their troubled relations with non-Roma neighbors and the many other hardships they have faced, the Roma have left lasting imprints on the world cultural scene, especially in the area of music.  Throughout history, they have influenced many traditional European musical styles such as flamenco, along with jazz and bolero.  One famous Belgian Roma jazz guitar virtuoso, Django Reinhart, has made his particular style of music (known as “gypsy jazz”) famous throughout the world. 

     The “otherness” of the Roma has intrigued people for centuries, and Roma have figured prominently in many works of fiction.  Examples include Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and films such as Latcho Drom (1993), Gadjo Dilo (1997), a movie about a French man in search of a famous Romani singer, and even Chocolat, (2000), in which Johnny Depp played a wandering Irish gypsy guitarist who played Django Reinhardt songs.

     It is clear that while the Roma are vastly misunderstood, they have secured their place in the history and culture of the world.

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