Preliminary communication
Relations Between the Peasant Population and the Romany Minority in Croatia and Slavonia, 1900-1910
Danijel Vojak
Abstract
In this paper the author has described the relations between the Romany population and the peasant population in Croatia and Slavonia, 1900-1910. The author has analysed the manuscripts collected by archive of the Commitee for people's life and customs of
the Croatian academy of sciences and arts, daily newspaper Obzor and Riječki Novi list, weekly newspaper Dom and other relevant literature. He has also analized the data of census. Essential methodological insufficiency of this research is the fact that the authors of those sources were only Non-Roma. But the lege artis
analyse of those sources gives valid conclusions. The research of
relations between the dominant peasant population and the Romany ethnical community is one part of necessary scientific efforts for completion the knowledges about history and culture of the Romany
minority in Croatia. The relations between these two communities are
marked by mutual distrust and suspicion based on superstition and
prejudices of domicile peasant majority and existing social boundaries
of Romany minority. Peasant population has perceived the Romany population as thieves, swindlers, loafers and immoral persons and
that perception is based on many cases of Romany people deceiving
peasants. Mutual marriages (conjugal relations) were more than rare,
and socially proscribed as tabu. Relations between the peasants and
the Romany population with a more pennanent location of residence
was more positive than the relations with nomadic Romany population. Romany population with a pennanent location of residence have more openly communicated with the peasants and their relations
are based on economic (eg. Romany trade and handicraft) and social
(eg. music and fortune telling) relations. Nomadic Romany population,
due to its closed social organization, minimally communicated with the
peasant population.
Keywords
Romany; peasant population; mutual relations; history; Croatia and Slavonia
Hrčak ID:
35152
URI
Publication date:
23.3.2009.
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