ETHNIC MINORITIES: THE GYPSY PEOPLE
Up until the 14th century, the gypsy culture was exclusively oral. This is why there are different hypotheses surrounding its origin. Nevertheless, and contrary to common thinking, different studies of the language and literature conclude that the Rom people come from India. This is just an example of the immense general lack of knowledge about the gypsy race that, although it may seem paradoxical, is probably the people who has been associating with other cultures for the longest time.
This contact is due to its nomadic origins. The Rom people’s mass migration began in the early 5th century for reasons that are not entirely clear. The industrial revolution in the 19th century modified social habits in Europe, and likewise, those of the gypsy community. The modernisation of production systems meant that many had to abandon their nomadic lifestyle and live side by side with the payos, or non-gypsies, which left this minority open to society’s rejection.
Much of this marginalisation is down to a lack of knowledge about their culture. Their customs are deep-rooted in the members of the gypsy community and they are identified by them. This ethnic group places immense value on the family, around which it structures its entire social system. Its sense of community revolves around values such as honour, freedom, folklore expressed through music and song, hospitality and work.
The gypsy people have their own concept of work, which is different to the commonly accepted sense of the word, and which often causes prejudices. This is more related to autonomy than personal fulfilment, that is, they consider work as something that enables them to maintain the family and that shouldn’t subjugate the person. They also share the idea of “living in the environment without changing it”, and for this reason they have traditionally worked in handicrafts, street trading or in the scrap metal business.
Without forgetting traditional values, the gypsy culture has gradually evolved through its contact with other ways of thinking. So there has been a noticeable change in jobs, greater interest in education, a role change (particularly regarding the women) and the age of marriage has been put back, as well as a reduction in the number of children.
Until the Spanish Constitution in 1978 (over half a century after their arrival in Spain) the gypsy people’s equality in the eyes of the law had not been fully recognised. Almost thirty years later, the fight for full citizenship goes on. Last September, the Spanish Congress passed a text of recognition of the gypsy people asking the government for social improvements in all areas. The Ministry of Culture, for its part, has undertaken to create an Institute of Gypsy Culture in collaboration with others to promote their traditions.
Despite the favourable legal situation, the problem appears to be in the streets. The 3rd Forum for Solidarity with the Gypsy People, organised by the Movement against Intolerance, reported the growing discrimination against the gypsy people. The Movement against Intolerance presented the conclusions of a study that was carried out in schools, among adolescents aged between 14 and 18. Between 30 and 34% of school children still believe that most of the gypsy collective live in shacks, are uneducated, drug-traffickers and thieves. 25% would also throw the gypsies out of their neighbourhood and over half of the students questioned think that their ways promote violence.
The Gypsy Secretariat Foundation estimates that the community has around 700,000 members in Spain. Besides, it claims that approximately 98% of children of school age attend school and only 10% of families live in shacks. Another side to this is that traditional jobs such as wickerwork or cattle trading have practically disappeared; street trading is gradually being regularised, dignified and professionalised; and more and more gypsies are entering the standardised labour market. These details demolish some of the most socially acclaimed stereotypes.