"Interview with Judith Okely" we published in our web page is composed with written answers to our questions that we sent Okely via email.Surely, the interview wouldn't be enough to understand the view of Okely. This is why i benefited from the book "The Traveller Gypsies" written by Judith Okely on the basis of a field research to write this article. Our main goal is to explain viewpoint of Judith Okely to our audiences and to evaluate her comments from our perspective.
***
Judith Okely's approach is critical. What does she criticize? Firstly, general theories about history and origin of The Gypsies started to spread since 18th century. Speechs she used to explain her critical approach about this issue is really interesting. Okely reminds that people coming from oral cultures generally benefited from legends and create legends to tell about historical events. According to Okely, Gadjo scholars also suprisingly use legends to explain history of Gypsies(1).
For Okely, collecting of Romanes words by linguists and their pointing to similarity between Romanes and Indian languages since 18th century is the starting point of a new Gadjo legend explaining origin of Gypsies. Thus, on the basis of similarities between Romanes and Indian languages, a new Gypsy history pointing Gysies originated from India was started to be written(2). These kinds of works maden by Gadjo scholars have a goal unobtrusive according to judith Okely. Acceptance of Gypsies originated from East makes European Gadjo scholars feel comfortable. Opinion about Gypsies' indigenous origin is untolerable for them. Gypsies are acceptable only if they are seen as exotic outers for Gadjos in Okely's view. Theory of Indian migration also makes contribution to exoticise Gypsies according to Okely(3).
Okely points out that after discovering similarities between Romanes and Indian languages a new term "real Gypsies" was started to be used. Communities labelled as "Gypsy" are real Gypsies only if they speak Romanes according to the users of the term. The others are lost tribes of Gypsies or indigenous people imitating lifestyle of Gypsies. Okely criticize this point of view. In the example of United Kingdom, she reminds that there have been strong relationships between Welsh and England Gypsies and the others from Scotland or Ireland for all history. Gypsy groups from different regions have always replaced among Ireland, Scotland, Welsh and England. There have been marriages between "Real Gypsies" and the others.
Okely explains damages of separeting Gypsies as real and fake. A Gypsy representative tells Okely that some groups doesn't want Irish Travellers and Sinti to join The Congress of World Roma. Reason of this wish is that they believe Irish Travellers and Sinti don't have an Indian origin(4). This event shows Okely The Theory of Indian Migration separetes Gypsies among themselves. None the less, Okely doesn't refuse any connection between Gypsies and India. At this point, Okely emphasises that she is criticizing the opinion claiming all communities defining themselves as Gypsy, Roma or Traveller are descendants of a population started to migrate from India since 10th century(5).
***
Works of Judith Okely is a new starting point for Gypsy Studies. A new approach on Gypsy studies have started to grow with her works. There have been more anthropological and sociological works about Gypsy communities besides linguistical works recently. There is a visible addiction of Judith Okely for this development.
We believe that the most important addiction of Judith Okelys works to Gypsy studies is that she lets us to see unknown dimensions of Gypsy identity beyond ethnicity. If we believe that Gypsies are only people speaking Romanes and if we believe that being Gypsy could only be defined with indian origin and the language, there have always been something couldn't be explained. Nobody could refuse the role of language defining Roma identity. But it would also be understandable that the position of Roma people in society and identity of Roma could not be identified with only the language if we compare Roma people with the other ethnic minorities worldwide.
There is something differantiating Roma people from the Turks living in Bulgaria, the Circissians living in Turkey, The Ainus living in Japan and the Arabs living in France. It's the universal nation belonging of Roma people. Roma with Yeniches, Pavees, Quinquis, Doms, Geygels, Abdals, Rudaris, Banjaras, Saperas, Midgans and the others belongs to Gypsy Universal Nation. Ancestors of the peoples belonging to Gypsy Universal Nation are not nomadic herderers or settled agriculturalists but peripatetics-commercial nomads differantiating from Gadjo peoples' ancestors. As a result of this difference lasting for thousands of years, ethnic minorities belonging to Gypsy Universal Nation have a different position comparing to ethnic minorities belonging to Gadjo Universal Nation in the societies they live in today.
Judith Okely has an important role for us having this point of view. Her refusal of separating of Gypsy peoples as real and fake is really important for Gypsy studies. On the other hand, her pointing of social elements defining Gypsy have had a founder role on existing of conceptualitization of the term, peripatetic. At this point, we should remember the other names and their addictions to Gypsy studies with Okely just like Aparna Rao, Bernhard Streck, Michael Bollig and Joseph C. Berland.
***
All Gypsy peoples have two identities at the same time. Firstly, ancestors of Gypsy people had a peripatetic life style.They belong to Gypsy Universal Nation. This is the social identity of all Gypsy peoples and all Gypsy individuals have. Secondly, Gypsy people have their distinct ethnic identies. These ethnic identities are idenfied with their languages and histories. Roma, Abdals, Loms, Doms, Midgans, Twas and the others have their own history and language. Surely, for personality developments of all Gypsy individuals, ethnic identity of all Gypsy groups, as being Roma or Abdal, has an important role just like belonging to Gypsy Universal Nation.
Judith Okely mainly criticizes approaches defining Gypsy identity as an usual ethnicity existing around language and history. However it's needed to be carefull on this point. Alltough Okely emphasised she doesn't refuse any connection between India and Gypsies, It's possible some others using her method could drive her approach to refuse specialities among distinct ethnic groups belonging Gypsy Universal Nation. We should always remember this possibility and emphasize the importance of Gypsy languages as universal cultural heritage of humanity.
***
We tried to show different dimensions of Gypsy identity in the interviews of Judith Okely and Yaron Matras. Matras shared his ideas about existing ways of Gypsy languages. We also benefited from the evaluatings of Yaron Matras about social function of Gypsy languages.
Judith Okely has a founder role in accepting of social dimension of Gypsy identity. The things Okely emphasized in her interview should be read again and again. Understanding Gypsy identity is only possible with the addiction of both Matras and Okely.
Only way to understand a Gypsy group completely is to see both ethnic and social dimensions of Gypsy Identity. The thing makes a Roma as Roma is both its language and its belonging to Gypsy Universal Nation. The thing makes an Abdal as Abdal is both its language and its belonging to Gypsy Universal Nation. Insisting on seeing Gypsy identity from one side is not different from refusing its existence.
***
Have a nice week.
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder