What is the modern name for Barvale, California?

Question

Barvale, CA is the location listed for the research done for the book "GYPSIES, the hidden americans". I cannot find it on a map search, so I must assume it has either changed names or ceased to exist.

Answer 1

Barvale is a Rromani word... I think it means noble or eloquent. Getting an accurate translation of Rromanes is difficult. Do not quote me on the meaning.

I only speak a few words of Rromanes (also called Rromani or Rromani Chib) so I cannot give you this exactly. All I know for certain that it is a word from that language.

I have not located it on any map of California so I do believe it simply is a Rromani word. If it is a Rromani settlement, possibly it could be named this way, however, I lived in California most of my life and I did a google on every little town I could remember and they are all googlable. This one is not, other than in connection with this book.

Oh, I am hopped up on flu medicine and accidentally deleted rather than edited my answer under my main account. Hence, I am in under an old Yahoo mail account of mine to answer this one. I do not think many people on Yahoo Answers are going to be able to answer this sucker.

I am going to star this question on my main account. If you wish to reach me, that is the best way. I never sign in on this account.

Answer 2

I see what you mean. Curious, eh?

1. ROMANY DISTRIBUTION
This webpage has a list of Romany speakers. California has 430, and the county location of those 430 is as follows:-
Los Angeles County 175
Alameda County 90
Orange County 45
other counties (unstated) 120
It has to be appreciated that there is some loss of language amongst ethnic communities, so the above data may not be that reliable a guide to the distribution of Romany people in California.
http://www.us-english.org/foundation/research/lia/languages/romany.pdf

2. SAN DIEGO
a) This webpage possibly suggests a San Diego connection. In 1998 there was a month-long exhibition and events on Gypsy life, culture and history entitled "A Nation Within Nations: Gypsies of California and Beyond". Events took place at the Porter Troupe Art Gallery, SDSU and UCSD.
http://advancement.sdsu.edu/marcomm/Spring98News/gypsies.html
b) However this might be jumping to inaccurate conclusions. The centrepiece of the month's events was an exhibition by local artist John David Ratajkowski, but he photographed and painted gypsy communities in Eastern Europe, rather than in California.
http://www.galerieadrienne.com/artists/John_David_Ratajkowski.asp

3. MADE-UP NAME
I think it quite possible that the author deliberately chose a made-up name, in order to protect communities from intrusion by outsiders, as a result of the publication of the book. It just seems odd that a place would have changed its name since 1975 (the year the book was published). Thus it could be Paramount or Norwalk or Bellflower in Los Angeles County.

4. THE AUTHOR
The author, Anne Sutherland has published a number of books and articles on Romany people in California. You could always contact her directly. Her e-mail is available at the following webpage...
http://anthropology.ucr.edu/people/sutherland/index.html