20-Roma Texans - Institute of Texan Cultures

20-Roma Texans
The Rorna
There are about 20,000 Roma in Texas out of
a United States population of about a million. Commonly known as Gypsies, they have been ~A""r.:..
in this hemisphere since 1498. On his third
voyage, Christopher Columbus brought two
Romani women accused of being criminals to
the West Indies in the Americas.
The ancestors of the Roma probably came
from India, and over the centuries they
moved into Eastern Europe, where they were
made slaves from 1400 to 1864. Spain and What might be the event that the Tanis Stevenson family
England sent the Roma as slave labor to their celebrated at Poplar Grove Park in San Antonio?
new colonies around the world. When the enslavement of the Roma was outlawed, many
still feared punishment and left for America.
The Roma are often called the "invisible
In Europe during World War II, they were Americans." In America there are so many
part of the Nazi holocaust. Approximately different people that the Roma do not stand
one million Roma, or 70% to 80% of the out or look different from numerous other
German Roma, were killed by the Nazis be- groups of people.
cause of their "racially tainted heritage."
The Roma believe that contact with nonRoma, or non-Gypsies, infects them and
The Rorna Texans
their beliefs, so they live separate from other
In Texas the two main Roma populations groups of people. Separation allows them to
were the Vlax from Romania and Romanichal keep and practice their language and culture
from the British Isles. Large numbers of these and live in harmony with their beliefs.
two Romani groups settled in clans in Dallas,
San Antonio, Austin, and EI Paso. But few Many of the Roma children do not go to
school, and few can read and write. Only a
identifY themselves as Roma.
few states have special Roma schools that do
In 2003 the University of Texas at Austin not violate their laws about purity. The Roma
was the only school in the United States that do not want to become a part of the state or
offered courses in Romani language, history, country where they live, because they might
and culture. Many people come to the uni- have to give up their beliefs, which could
versity to learn about the Romani people.
cause them to lose their culture.
Roma Cultural Folkways
Culturally there are many groups or tribes
of Roma with different customs based on
the country where their group lived. But
Roma groups have things in common. Every
European and Middle Eastern country has a
Roma population, which speaks the dialects
of the Romani language with its roots in the
Hindu language.
The many Roma taboos and rules about disease and cleanliness probably grew out of the
Hindu caste system with its Untouchables.
If a purity law was broken, the whole family
suffered. The marime impurity codes govern
almost all aspects of Roma life, from the way
food is prepared to where they live, who lives
together, and interactions with non-Gypsies.
Community courts, known as kris, are held
to settle important issues, violations of the
impurity codes, and divorce.
While the Roma Texans today are employed
as professors, car salesmen, painting contractors, and metal repairmen, they were once
masters of the arts of metalworking, carpentry, and entertainment. In the past the Roma
were known as skilled acrobats, bear trainers,
horse trainers, musicians, dancers, and singers. They worked with traveling circuses and
carnivals.
They have a rich tradition of stories and folklore that is carried on in 2003 by storytelling. Stories are still used today to educate the
Roma children about their history.
Some Roma women, called drabardi, still
practice fortune-telling or give palm readings
to earn money, but they only tell the fortunes
of others, not their own people. Until a 1973
Texas law was ended, a Gypsy fortune-teller
could be fined $200 and charged as a vagrant, a person who wanders from place to
place without a job. Good luck charms and
talismans that act to stop evil or bring good
fortune are common among the Roma.
Amazing Roma Texans
Ian F. Hancock (1943-) was born in London,
England, of Hungarian Gypsy parents. He
came to Texas in 1972 and is a professor at the
University of Texas at Austin. He is a world
authority on the Romani language and their
multinational history. He has written many
articles and books to inform others about the
Roma people, who continue to be invisible
and unidentified in most areas of Texas.
Prior to the 1900s, Joe Evans's family came
from Germany to Chicago and then journeyed on to Texas. He was a king of the Evans
clan of Fort Worth. Many different families
share the same name and belong to clans, or
tribes, with a leader who serves as the king or
queen. The titles are passed down in the family by bloodlines, just like other royalty.
In 1976 Joe's mother, Queen Rosa, the female head of the 700-member Evans clan,
died. The Evans clan came from all over Texas
to Fort Worth for the three-day "Feast of the
Dead" funeral service for their elderly leader.
The Roma around the world remain without
a country and are seen as a problem for others. The gypsy lifestyle of continually moving
from place to place has changed, and many
Roma now live a settled lifestyle in Texas cities but have little contact with other people.
Web site: www.texancultures.utsa.edu/texansoneandall