Ruska Roma

The Ruska Roma (also known as Russian Gypsies), are an ethnic group of Romani people, the biggest Romani group of Russia. Ruska Roma live mostly in Russia and Belarus, but can also be found in Eastern and Central Ukraine, France, Canada and the USA.

The group is descended from the Polska Roma who came into Russia in the end of the XVIII century. The Ruska Roma language contains some German, Polish and Russian words and a small amount of Ukrainian and Russian grammar. Ruska Roma are Orthodox Christians.

Their traditional professions are horse trading, music, dancing and fortune-telling. Today, most Gypsy singers, actors, dancers and musicians in Russia are of the Ruska Roma. Their musical culture is considered to be the leading Romani culture in Russia, and is copied by other Roma.

The Ruska Roma's traditional clothing is based on Russian and Kalderash national clothing and is actively used by singers and dancers.

Modern Ruska Roma are one of the most educated Romani groups in Russia. They have many professions.

Ruska Roma in Russian history

At the very beginning of the XIX century there already existed Gypsy choruses consisting of Ruska Roma who were servants. They were considered to be so talented that their owners emancipated their Gypsy servants. Gypsy choruses of Moscow and Saint-Petersburg were very popular during all the XIX century. Russian noblemen sometimes married Gypsy chorus girls.

In country, Ruska Roma were nomadic horse traders and singers. They traveled during the summer and stayed in cottages of Russian peasants during the winter. They paid for their lodging with money or with work of their horses. Ruska Roma were very popular among peasants who liked their music and dances and considered Gypsies to be beautiful.

In 1812, when Napoleon I invaded Russia, the Romani diasporas of Moscow and Saint Petersburg gave large sums of money and good horses for the Russian army. Many young Gypsy men took part in the war as uhlans.

In the end of the XIX century Rusko Rom Nickolai Shishkin created a Gypsy theatre troupe. One of its plays was in the Romani language.

After the October Revolution, some Gypsy families escaped from Russia. Some young Gypsy men took part in the civil war.

In the 1920s-1930s Gypsies of the USSR produced a literary norm of the Romani language that was based on a dialect of Ruska Roma. Romani literature and press appeared; most of the poets, writers and journalists were from the Ruska Roma.

In the 1930s the Gypsies of the USSR were subjected to mass repressions. Romani press and literature were forbidden.

During the WWII some of the Ruska Roma entered the army, by call-up and as volunteers. They took part in the war as soldiers, officers, infantrymen, tankmen, artillerymen, aviators, drivers, paramedical workers, and doctors. Some teenagers, old men and adult men were also partisans. Gypsy actors, singers, musicians, dancers (mostly women) performed for soldiers in the front line and in hospitals. A huge number of Roma, including many of the Ruska Roma, died or were murdered in territories occupied by the enemy, in battles, and in the blockade of Leningrad.

After the WWII Ruska Roma's music became very popular. Romen Theatre, Romani singers and ensembles prospered. All Roma of the USSR began to perceive Ruska Roma's culture as the basic Romani culture.

After the Decree of nomady interdiction (1956), the second wave of Ruska Roma settling happened.

In 1980s, some representatives of artistic Ruska Roma families made a considerable contribution into "informal" music: jazz (Valentina Ponomaryova), rock (Valentina Ponomaryova, Mikhail Zhemchuzhny Junior), chançon (Alexei Dulkevich Junior).

In 1990s, Ruska Roma's music lost its popularity and now have quite a little audience, but it's still popular at Russian weddings and birthday celebratings.

Famous Ruska Roma

* Alexei Dulkevich-senior, Alexei Dulkevich-junior, Mikhail Zhemchuzhny-junior, Oleg Ponomaryov — musiсians
* Nickolai Shishkin, Ivan Rom-Lebedev, Nickolai Pankov — theatre workers
* Valentina Ponomaryova, Dmitry Buzylyov — theatre and cinema actors, singers
* Dufunya Vishnevsky — film director
* Mikhail Ilyinsky, Alexei Ilyinsky, Ivan Rom-Lebedev — writers
* Stepanida Soldatova, Tatyana Demyanova, Varvara Panina, Alyosha Dimitrievich, Valentina Ponomaryova, Lyalya Shishkova, Vasily Vasilyev, Nickolai Vasilyev, Alyona Buzylyova, Ratmir Shishkov, Diana Savelyeva, Peter Yanyshov — singers
* Natalya Pankova, Lyubov Pankova, Ilona Makhotina — science workers
* Djura Makhotin — poet
* Yan Reshetnikov — human rights activist, general of police

ee also

* Kalderash
* Lovari

External links

* [http://www.imninalu.net/Gypsies.htm Roma and "Gypsies"]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2267/is_1_70/ai_102140950 The Roma: between a myth and the future]
* [http://zigane.pp.ru/history09.htm History of Gypsy diaspora in Saint-Petersburg] "in Russian"
* [http://zigane.pp.ru/history26.htm Gypsies of Moscow and Moscow suburbs] "in Russian"
* [http://zigane.pp.ru/proects.htm Book of Memory] "in Russian"
* [http://zigane.pp.ru/history63.htm Folk songs of nomadic Gypsies in Russia] "in Russian"
* [http://zigane.pp.ru/mif-21.htm Myth: all the Gypsies are the same] "in Russian"
* [http://www.romanykultury.info/romanipe/paramichi.php?row=3 Peoples of Romanestan Republic] "in Russian"