Question 1: For thousands of years, main way of subsistence of the peoples composing Gypsy Universal Nation was commercial nomadism. They got different food products from settled agriculturists and nomadic herders in exchange of selling crafts and providing services. Why did gypsies choose this subsistence way which force them to beg for a piece of bread? Why didn't they produce their own food by agriculture or animal breeding? Was this a choice or a necessity?
Answer: A Gypsy borns with two identity. On the one hand, he has the identity of the ethnic group he belongs to. On the other hand, he has a identity based on being a member of Gypsy Universal Nation.
Members of the ethnic groups belonging to Gypsy Universal Nation all over the world have a district ethnic identity with their own language, history and a culture. Roma Gypsies are the owners of an ethnic identity which could be defined with a language Romanes and a culture composing Indian, Balkan and Persian civilizations with in the scope of itself. Main part of the ethnic identity of Abdal Gypsies is either Abdoltili language and a lifestyle combining cultural values of Middle Asia steps with Persian culture. Pavee Gypsies are the heir of oldest civilizations of Ireland and they also keep their own language Cant up to the present succesfully.
We could give countless examples for ethnic groups belonging to Gypsy Universal Nation all over the world. Each of the ethnic groups belonging to Gypsy Universal Nation have their own language, culture and history. On the other hand, there is a commonality among themselves which make them a part of Gypsy Universal Nation. The commonality is that main way of subsistence for our ancestors was commercial nomadism or peripatetic way of subsistence differently from the ancestors of Gadje people.
People, whose main subsistence way is peripatetic, get their foods from Gadje in exchange of some craft products or providing services. This is the main reason why peripatetic way of subsistence is a suffering way of subsistence. The biggest pain of our ancestors was being unable to produce their own food by themselves and to be forced to beg for a piece of bread to Gadjes. This situation is also one of the reason why they were discriminated, denigrated... Even our traditional jobs started to disappear with industrialization, problems arising from our subsistence way have carried on. Poverty and suffering of the past reach the present day.
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Contrary to popular belief, Gypsy lifestyle based on peripatetic way of subsistence is fraught with difficulties. Nevetheless, why did our ancestors prefer this way of subsistence? Even it was possible to produce their own food with herding or agriculture just like ethnic groups belonging to Gadje Universal Nation, why did they prefer a peripatetic lifestyle? This is not a true question! The situation have never been resulted from a choice in any where. Gypsy way of subsistence was not initiated by Gypsies. External circumstances forced our ancestors to have a peripatetic way of subsistence.
Ethnic groups, who join Gypsy Universal Nation adopting a peripatetic life, come from 3 social groups. The most crowded one of those groups is Natural Human Beings. Natural human beings live in a magnificent environment for hunting and gathering. In fact, ancestors of all humanity were natural human beings. All Humanity lived in that way thousands of years ago. There are still natural human beings where there is suitable environment for hunting and gathering this very day.
First Gypsies were from the heart of natural human beings. Gadjes, who want to clear a piece of land in order to grow crops or to use as rangelands, straitened environment of natural human beings where they hunt animals and gather in. Natural human beings, who generally have a peacefull tradition, were not able to resist gunned Gadje warriors. On the other hand, they didn't bow to the inevitable. They adopt to Gypsy way of subsistence to survive under these hard circumstances.
Natural human beings, whose main environment were invaded by the others, started to give some craft products and to provide some services, of which they have been specialists in thousands of years, to Gadjes. They started to get their foods in that way from Gadjes on the account of the fact that they were precluded to reach their foods directly.
Process of natural human beings to join Gypsy Universal Nation adopting Gypsy way of subsistence is still continuing. Birhor natural human beings in Middle India accepted Gypsy way of subsistence when their natural environment and sources were destroyed by Gadjes. Korwa natural human beings in Northern India have been unable to hunt with disappearing of natural sources and started to make baskets using bamboo. Sabras in Southern India, whose natural environment were destroyed between 1970-1980 by Gadjes, started to work as nomadic acrobats, sorcerers.
Twa natural human beings started to make baskets and pots to sell Gadjes after destroying of their natural environment by Tutsi and Hutu Gadjes in Rwanda. Situation is similar for Fuga in Ethiopia, Thwa in Angola and Waata in Kenya.
It's not a coincidence that examples, we give to show the process of human natural beings to join Gypsy Universal Nation in recent times, come from Africa and India. Main reason of the situation is that there are still a suitable environment where natural human beings could go on hunting and gathering. On the other hand, the process already was complicated in many other parts of the world. We could easily understand from historical and archaeological sources that natural human beings joined Gypsy Universal Nation in different parts of the world.
Our main goal to give those examples is to show that if natural environment of natural human beings were not destroyed, they would not have to beg for a piece of bread! It is also possible that they could have an alternate history if they were not forced to adopt Gypsy way of subsistence. It could easily be understood from all these explanations that adopting to peripatetic life of natural human beings is not their own choice. This was the result of forcing of external circumstances.
To be continued...
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Have a nice week.
Not: Terms and informations used in the article were quoted from my book, "The Book of Gypsies" published in Turkey.
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