MINELRES: Roma in Azerbaijan: Lost and forgotton culture

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan <hrca@mail.ru>


Lost and forgotton culture

Melodie Daniels  

Baku Sun newspaper #35, September 12, 2003
http://www.bakusun.az:8101/archive/index.htm

Children run along beside anyone they can find, chanting, "Money, money,
money, give me money, money, money," with their little palms open for
donations. Women, in the sweltering heat or numbing cold, carry limp
babies in their arms, stopping traffic for any spare change. Although
cars, flats and houses have been replaced the covered wagons, the legacy
of the Gypsy, or more politically correct, the Romani, still lives on. 

Like many other cities, Baku�s streets are also alive with Romani life.
The nostalgia of beautiful women draped in beads with clinking gold
bracelets and colorful skirts, however, has been left far behind. These
Gypsies or in Azeri �garachilar� were caught like many others behind the
closed doors of the Soviet Union, and in effect lost much of their
culture.

Ali, a father of three young children, who prefers not to give his
surname, was born and raised in Akhsu, a village near Shemakha. His
father was Azeri, but his mother was a 'garachi' who was moved to the
area during the 1960s when the Soviet Government tired of the roaming
behaviors of these nomads, and forced them to settle in pre-chosen
districts, including the Shemakha region.

The traditionally secret and mysterious life of these nomadic tribes no
longer exists in Ali�s clan, he claims. He attributes this part to the
influence of the U.S.S.R., but also to his family�s strong following of
Islam. Yet, what remains is a close comradeship between the families, he
says. 

Ali admits that he knows very little of the history of his people.
According to him, they originate from the name 'Gara' a town in India.
This is where the term garachi derived from. The Gypsies of Azerbaijan,
he says, originated from the same place as the Gypsies of Europe. Many
migrated northwards from India into Iran, and although a large number
remained there, his grandparents decided to go to Azerbaijan. "They
though that everything was good in the Soviet Union; a land of milk of
honey," adds Ali.

In the old days, the Romani had a lot of sheep and goats, but no place
to live. They traveled throughout the mountains, but after the influence
of the U.S.S.R., things began to change and the tribes began to immerse
themselves in the pre-existing culture. Although Ali�s tribe no longer
has their own language, he acknowledges that there are at least two
tribes in Azerbaijan that do.

Today, life is different for Ali's family. Ali, a university graduate is
proud of his family and his clan, which includes 30 or 40 families. All
are well educated, and many work as teachers, engineers, opticians and
chemists. 

Yet despite his pride, he doesn't like to distinguish himself from the
local people. "It's not good to separate," he says. "We are all
Azerbaijanis." His non-Romani neighbors feel the same way, and are happy
to have them in their village. 

"I am proud of who I am," Ali says. However, the story doesn�t remain
the same everywhere. Ali explains that since the collapse of the Soviet
Union many Romani are again living a nomadic life and have returned to
their earlier culture.

He admits that there are Gypsies who beg and follow the traditions of
Romani, adding that these people originate from a different clan than
his and live mainly in the northwest of Azerbaijan. 

Yet, most Romanis living in Azerbaijan have chosen not to integrate with
the local culture. Unfortunately, they are left with knowledge of only a
handful of their traditions, and they are pulled between their past and
their present. 

For some, such as 28-year-old Hanam, a Romani beggar in Baku's center,
they feel they know enough and don't care about such trivial things
anymore. For Hanam, putting bread on the table for her children is more
important she says after an afternoon dip in a public fountain with her
sons. She claims that she doesn't care about her roots; neither does she
remember anything her parents may have passed on to her as a child.