What is the origin of the Gypsies?

Answer 1

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Nobody knows for sure the origins of the European Gypsies. Some linguists insist that Romani (the language of the European Gypsies except for those in Spain) bears a strong resemblance to Punjabi. But when studied in depth, Romani has too many Persian words and a grammar that is closer to the Dom of eastern Bengal than the Punjabi language of Northwest India. But after living with the Czech and Slovak Romany (Gypsies) for over five years, and visiting the "Gypsies" of India, I am convinced it won't be long before DNA tests actually prove the historical origins of Europe's largest minority. In the meantime, I continue to collect their stories which shed a lot of light on their past.
I started to live with the Romany in 1993 to collect their first-hand accounts of the Holocaust. In a Czech archive l had discovered over 40,000 documents on a Gypsy death camp run during WW II by the Czechs, not the Germans. When the present-day Czech government denied Czechs were involved, I set out to find survivors. Although President Havel's office assured me there were no longer any Gypsy survivors of this death camp, I found over a hundred. I recorded not only their stories of the Holocaust, but also the oldest stories that had been passed down by their ancestors. [See the official Lety website for background material about the Lety Camp.]

As with most oral histories, there were immediate discrepancies. The oldest Gypsy story I heard was: "In the beginning the Jews were Gypsies, and the Gypsies were Jews until God made us change places." A possible Jewish origin for Gypsies has always intrigued me because many of the Holocaust survivors who were born in the wagon told me how their parents always prayed to Abraham before making a journey. When I asked why, they always said that legend had it that on his journey from Ur, Abraham was accompanied by Gypsies who protected him. That was why they now prayed to him for protection.

Despite these intriguing "Jewish" connections, most expects agree that the first Gypsies in Europe arrived in the 14th century, coming from Northwest India. After publishing two books on the Romany Holocaust, I set off for India.

Not one to ignore local knowledge, the first thing I did in India was to ask as many people as possible if they knew or had heard where the Gypsies of India came from. Almost without exception, I was told, "our Gypsies came from Israel."

Answer 2

Romany Gypsies hail from the Hindustan area of India. Indian has always had a rigid and complex caste system and, because of their work and background they were considered social outcasts and pariahs, they were lower than the four main castes.
This resulted in a degree of persecution that led to vast groups migrating en masse. There were two main migrations approximately 2000 and 1000 years ago. One group made their way to eastern europe and Russia via Kazhakhstan. And the other group to central & western europe via Persia, as was then.

The migrations took many years and they obviously led a nomadic lifestyle which spanned generations and it could be argued by the Romany's nomadic propensity is because it really is "in the blood".
The various cultures they encountered obviously had a diverse influence on their own culture, of which there exist some hard and fast rules - some very draconian out of necessity. Although there is no written history of their culture and travels, there is a strong oral tradition and 'keepers or elders' of this oral history.

Where Romany Gipsies decided to give up the nomadic lifestyle, they became artisans and useful contributors to society.

A proper and detailed account of the origin of the Romany Gypsy requires a lot more time and space than I can devote here (and at this hour), but the essentials are there and common sense can add a lot to the above without too much recourse to study.

(any confusion with the Jews may have arisen from the fact that many tens of thousands of Romany Gipsies were gassed along with the Jews. And yes, the Germans DID gas Gipsies, 21000 Roma and Sinti Gipsies being gassed at Auschwitz alone.)

Answer 3

Despite these intriguing "Jewish" connections, most expects agree that the first Gypsies in Europe arrived in the 14th century, coming from Northwest India.

There are many different kinds..A few are:

LOHAR - Itinerant blacksmiths who used to be great warriors making their own weapons.

DOM – one of the few original Dravidian tribes of India, these people became nomadic after the invasion of the Aryans around 1,500 B.C.

BAWARI - known as a nomadic, predatory tribe, the Bawari still to this day make signs on houses, gates, or alongside the road that can only be read by their own tribe informing them of conditions in the area.

BADU - a small tribe in Kashmir who tamed and led bears. In the last century their dress was the most similar to the European Gypsies.

any many more!

Answer 4

India

Answer 5

Russia

Answer 6

Gypsies are just tribals.They are as old as mankind.Gypsy records date fro Roman empire and Indian History.They are wandering tribe ,that is all.

Answer 7

A small town in TN in 1932

Answer 8

I believe they came from India

Answer 9

romany with a lot of persian and indian influence

Answer 10

i fookin ate pikeys!