Nor Ethnologist,nor linguist, or sociologist, I am that friend witness, of a long journey on the roads of France of families Gypsies, travellers, [1], Circassians. I do not tell, of their life, which is not me.
Simply testify and say that these men these women are neither better nor worse than us. They are in a trailer where in caravan, the mirror of our society.
This site is intended to illustrate a culture, a State of mind, to develop the visitor "perfume" and urge him to respect for Gypsy communities.
It is in no way accountable for all aspects of life of Gypsies, Gypsies, and manouches, Roma. It is not the only truth because it is essential to not generalize. Gypsy society is composed of groups whose members live variable existences (nomadic or sedentarization, ease or precarious). But it is true that they maintain lines approaching that the each other, social cohesion whose core values are family and travel.

Learn to know it is also learning to respect
Yvon Massardier

Gypsies, Manouches, Gypsies, Roma Who are? Where do they come from ?

For centuries their origin remained a mystery. The assumptions the more fanciful were advanced. Were the children of Adam and a woman prior to Eve, the descendants of the Atlanteans the son of a lost tribe of Israel?
Today researchers appear unanimous in recognizing the Indian origin of Gypsies. ""The linguists have confirmed that the language of the Gypsies was close to the sanskrit"hindi-rajasthani" and that it was enriched, trips of words borrowed from the vocabulary of the countries crossed.
There is no reason that determined their departure from the India to the 9th and 10th century. Their first migration them were driven North of the Indus to the Iran, the Greece and Europe via the Byzantine Empire.
The presence of Gypsies is clearly attested in Constantinople in 1150. A long implementation in the Byzantine Empire submitted their language to a Greek influence.
It was in August 1419 are reported in France at Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, in the Bresse country. This is already in the 14th century that the Roma began to come in Central Europe. To many historians, this century is referred to as "century of gold of Roma in Europe", since the Roma were received by aristocrats, obtained protection conducts, enjoyed various privileges.
One of the conducts of protection is a real piece of belief with regard to the stay of the Roma in the Czech territory. It was edited, on April 17, 1423 in the Spis Castle by Sigismund, Roman Emperor and Czech King. It is said in the text of this safe conduct which was preserved up to our days:

"We, Sigismund, King dalatien, Hungarian, Czech, Croatian, our Ladislav, faithful Lord, leader of the Gypsy people, we asked humbly seek our exceptional indulgence." Therefore please kindly consider this petition and not to the letter. Or, if Ladislav mentioned 12.000 and its people appear to any place of our empire, in the city or in the countryside, you are requested to take the same fidelity you have in this regard. Protect it to ensure that Ladislav and his people remain without prejudice between your walls. "If there is among them a drunkard or a Brawler, we want and order that Ladislav is the only one to have the right to judge, punish, to forgive, and to exclude him from your circle..."

The Gypsies have taken this safe-conduct in France. And as it was edited in Bohemia, the French called the newcomers, the Gypsies.

The Gypsies in France are divided into several groups

1-The Manouches, Sinti ,are European but of Indian origin and speak a language also of Indian origin, they are installed in France for centuries. Among them the famous names, Django Reinhart music, Torino Zigler for painting, Bouglione, the Zavata, for the circus. The Manouches are in our region of the Loire among the more modest, some still live with horse-drawn vehicles. (2011) the Manouches of Alsace have created schools of music and contribute to the richness of this inexhaustible culture.

tsiganes gitans manouches roms rrom

2 - Gypsiesboth Andalusian and Catalan have experienced a strong Spanish influence and scored very highly of their personality the music and dance of flamenco. They reside more in the South and live with difficulties forced sedentarization which is often a failure.

3- Roma
Term commonly used in the media [2] to bring together sounds a single word of the sets of populations that have common manners. The Roma are a European people of Indian origin, whose ancestors came from the average of the Ganges in the North India Valley, about 1000 years ago. They are now scattered around the world, especially on our continent. Arrived in Europe by Asia minor and the Bosphorus, they settled first in the Balkans, and then in the Carpathians and little by little in all European countries. They are Kelderash, ethnic, Curara, they live mainly in Central Europe.
Roma, who are the last arrived in France in migration, in most are concentrated in a few major cities. Their habitat is very precarious (often of the slums). Most live in small work, as being irregular and not French, it is difficult to gain access to the employment market. The Manouches, Gypsies refuse in part to assimilate Roma.
Kaj sasto te aves! [3]
The Yeniche people.
The Yeniche people are a European ethnic group. Some say Celtic but the thesis is very challenged, as well as being the descendants of Jewish itinerant merchants.Many on the Loire department. Their origin is still poorly known, during the war of thirty years they are historical events, left the Palatinate and adopted the way of life of the Gypsies (palatine period 1618-1623). Many marriages took place between the Manouches and Yeniche people over the centuries. It is in 1714 found the first document with the name of "Yenish "".
But for all the travel is primarily a State of mind.

Travellers and prejudices

Their traditions and lifestyles of different life of ours and the fear they inspire, fed firmly entrenched prejudice make often difficult their cohabitation with the sedentary populations.
If it denounced anti-Semitism or any other form of racism, we forget always are Gypsies, people in the journey that all victims of discrimination, raise, and by far, the widest rejection. The inventory of prejudice, they are largely in mind: the only arrival of travellers in a city is the worst fears for the security of goods and persons.
And even if objective evidence prove that the delinquency of the traveller is not a different rate than the sedentary population, (3) the tensions that can arise from their presence resulted too often by elected representatives and officers of the force public intervention to drive them.
Media of their musicians, painter or poets success can help us better to appreciate their different cultural values of our people, but they do not conceal the difficulties they encounter in daily living centuries tradition of travel. Urbanization has gradually eroded areas likely to welcome and the overall improvement of the living conditions of sedentary populations has dug a little more the gap of misunderstanding between them and travellers.
O Moskro tradel men

The Mayor makes us go, but to go where and for how long? The law is generous because it allows the nomads of nomadiser, but left to the generosity of the mayors, despite the Besson law, to decide the place and duration of parking. Just a few complaints without foundations, so that the small piece of land on which rests a family is immediately after they left under the care of the bulldozer.
"Go to the town next door."
D es to bare legs, smile still full of hope, play in these trenches of war that they were not necessary but which lasts for them for more than five hundred years.
Our eye sees the beautiful cars and poverty is present everywhere around lights, near the trailer where the caravans, but those that we see is nothing next to domestic poverty that each traveller feels deep in his heart.
Deprived of dignity, law, relationships, they would be proud in the eyes of the Gadje, to be: Gypsy, Sinti, Roma, Gypsies, Yenish.

Ham alautre tchorele.

I saw this poverty often, but it was still far more cruel in the caravan of my friend Piou, alone on a vacant lot, his face in the shape of sickle, his hands long and slender regulars has work Wicker who knew more that ride meagre cigarettes, its too tired hands which had more than the power of tighten myhis eyes full of surprise questioning me why this misery... I could not answer you Piou, but our hands tightly stronger.
You have joined yours.
Your trailer drawn by two stocky horse seems to drag gently towards a horizon lined with hedges. Violins, guitars, whistling sounds of birds, with murmurs of pure water in a halo of hope, accompany your dream. You drive your life of poet Nomad on a road that you have never wanted to leave, that you would never of leave. Only the princes and the Gypsies to sneer at the eyes of others. Proud to be Gypsy, proud to be a man without a regard for those who did not see in you a man of freedom, you me tends the hand.You can count on me.
Latcho drom wall pral

Yvon Massardier

[1] The expression "travel people" is a legal category of the French law, introduced by two decrees of 1972, which referred to the Act of 3 January 1969 on "travelling economic activities and the regime applicable to people circulating in France without home or residence fixed".

[2] Roma or Rroms is the name Gypsy intellectuals protest movements would impose as a generic term. But the Manouches and Gypsies refuse.

[3]We know with certainty, with excellent language work than the romani is links to Indian languages.(François de Vaux de Foletier)
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