#kalderari

[all4roma]

Kalderari children in winter. Beginning of 1940s

[arrudaeguine]

A Kalderari family. 1930s.

A photo from Florin Petru Manole's archive.

[aj-rromale]

Romanian smiths (Kalderari), 1930s

(source: Tiszta udvar, rendes ház - Cigányokról)

[aj-rromale]

Cuban Kalderash

1950s

(source: Цыгане России)

[aj-rromale]

Kalderash girls. 1920s

(source: Цыгане России)

[aj-rromale]

Marcel translated three of Aesop's fables into Romani.

O džukel thaj o bašno (The dog and the rooster)

O grast thaj o xer (The horse and the donkey)

O mačhari thaj o tikno mačho (The fisherman and the little fish)

Have a peek if you like. I'm not sure on the dialect, because I can't quite understand what he wrote in the beginning. Maybe a dialect of Kalderash, but I'm not sure.

[aj-rromale]

Speeches and a narrative

Two speeches and a narrative in Romani. And somehow I ended up ranting at the end.

Also, 53 followers! Najis tumen! (really, 54, but one's a porn account...)

From a speech made in 1969 on the aspirations of the Roma Shavale, Rromale! Mangav te mothav tumenge vareso. Ages le Rroma trajin ando chorromos. Le Gazhe chi mukhen amen te keras amari buki. Chi den amenge than te beshas. Mangen te xan amaro shoro. Numa so keras, phralale? Musaj te merel amari vijaca? Ages amari vijaca si zhukleski vijaca. Amare shavorre chi zhan ande shkola, tha naj amen than te beshas. Naj amen voja telal o zakono le themesko kaj beshas.

Musaj te las ame amaro derecho te trajis ando liberto sar Rrom. Te chi den amenge kako liberto musaj te pushas lendar ekh them amenge, ekh them Rromano kaj shaj sa le Rrom ande lumija te trajin. Rromale, mah angle le Devlesa zhi ka amari maj lashi tehara!

Romani youths and men! I wish to tell you something. Today the Roma live in misery. The non-Roma do not let us do our [traditional] work. They don't give us a place to camp. They want to eat our head (destroy us). But what can we do, brothers? Must our way of life die? Today, our life is a dog's life. Our children don't go to school and we have no place to stay. We have no rights under the law of the country where we reside.

We must obtain our rights so that we live in freedom like Roma. If they won't give us this liberty we must ask them for a country of our own where all the Roma in the world can go to live. Romani men, forward with God towards our better tomorrow.

Rhetorical speech as used during the Kris-Romani by a witness addressing the assembly Shavale, Rromale! Me avilem kaj kakja kris te phenava tumenge kh me, o Vaso, o shav le Zlatchosko, mangava te phenava tumenge so me zhanava anda kadja buki kaj si angla amende ages ande kakja kris haj te dava tumenge sja so me zhanava anda kadja buki kaj azbal o Milano thaj pesko zhamutro, o Spirako, o shav le Dulesko. Te merava thaj te pharruvava te na phenava tumenge o chachimos. Antunchi te avel kerdo!

Young men, male adults! I have come to this trial to inform you that I, Zlatcho, son of Waso, want to inform you of everything that I know about this matter which is before us today, in this trial to present for you all that I know about this matter which concerns Milano andhis son-in-law, Pete, the son of Dule. May I die and disintigrate if I do not tell the truth. So let it be done!

An episode in the forgotten Romani Holocaust Narrative in a bar in Hamilton, Ontario, 2004 Tu zhanes, manusha, so nakhlo e Romensa ando maripe. O Antonesku tradjas but, but Rroma katar e Romunija kaj Transdinistrja, tu zhanes kaj sas kodo them? Sas ande Ukrajina pashal o Bugo. But Rroma tradjile kothe. Nas le zabe, nas doftorja, nas barachi, khanchi. Mule but Rroma. Numa ashun! Kana avile le Njampcurja. Kidine but Rroma thaj ladine le ando vapori ande marija, e Kali Marija, zhanes, pashal e Odesa. Haj thodine ando vapori hartija, derzi, svako fjal kova kaj phabarel. Atunchi dine jag o vapori, sa e Rroma andre, thaj sa phabardjile. Me zhanav. Vuni lendar sas murre njamurja, murre kak, murre verja. Me zhanav. Me simas cinorro shavorro kana nakhlo godo numa me zhanav ke chachipe. Chi xoxavav tuke, manusha. Sas o Hitler kaj kerdjas gadala dzhungali buki.

You know, sir, what happened with the Roma during the war. Antonescu sent many, many Roma from Romania to Transdinistria, you know what that country was? It was in Ukraine, near the River Bug. Many Roma were sent there. They had no food, no doctors, no barracks, nothing. Many Roma died. But listen! When the Germans came. They collected many Roma and loaded them into a steamer on the sea, the Black Sea, you know, near Odessa. And they placed inside the ship, newspapers, rags, every kind of thing that burns. Then they set fire to the steamer, all the Roma inside and they all got incinerated. I know. Some of them were my relatives, my uncles, my cousins. I know. I was a very young boy when that happened but I know it is the truth. I am not lying to you, sir. It was Hitler who did this ugly deed.

It always difficult for me to read anything relating to victims of the Holocaust, since too much of my own family was murdered in it (my maternal grandfather's family was Jewish, and he and his brother were the only survivers of eleven children; his parents both survived). Terrifying. However, it's impossible for me to believe that so many people don't realise that Roma were also a huge group in this mass genocide, amongst other groups.

Another note, there is this great Romani lexicon, the RomLEX. I don't know if I had linked to it before, but I should have. It gives words in many various Romani dialects, and in the separate dialects, a bunch of variations of words, from different areas of where they're spoken. Such as with my illustrations, when I title them, I pick words nearest to Ukrainian/Russian words, as my characters are Ukrainian. It's more familiar to me. But it's interesting to spot words that are of German origin, Hungarian, Romanian, and so forth.

Reguarding language learning, so far the Roma I have encounteredd had offered help even, and were happy I was trying to learn, though I myself am a Gazhi. And everyone I have met has been very nice. Only on few occasions has someone reacted negatively towards me for intruding, but it's a small amount, and truly, it happens in any culture.

I believe more people need to venture out and learn about what they are frightened of. Too many are frightened of Roma, thus being so racist against them. True — some are bad. But there are bad people of any race. Unfortunately, it is this small minority of wrongdoers that always sticks in people's minds. It's very unfortunate. I have the same problem with my own background, Russian-Ukrainian. Because, of course, I'm a small Soviet spy who drinks vodka all day.

Anyway, I need to stop ranting and get on with my illustrations and stop annoying all of you!

Te del o Del e pacha le Rromenge. Te aven baxtale, mure amalale!

[aj-rromale]

Various Prayers

I, honestly, thought there were more prayers in this, but I think, because they were clumped all into two chapters, that there were more.

Anyway — enjoy these if you may. Later today, or tomorrow, I'll type up just some dialogues. There's a Romani Kris, a short dialogue about the Porajmos (Holocaust), and some other conversations.

An Evening Prayer (Canadian-Kalderash) Ande ki mila, Devla, haj Svuntonya Mariyo, haj sogodi Svinturja kaj si ando Rajo. Ando tiro kino hai tiro zhavo kaj cirdjan pe gadja lumija, jertisar amen amare bezexa thaj arakh amen katar o nasvalimos, katar e jeg, katar o paj, katar le prepedjeli, katar le chor, haj katar amare dushmaja, haj katar o beng haj katar leske manusha, haj katar le raj, te na keren amenge bajo, haj arakj amen po svako drom, haj pe svako kerrarja haj pe svako paso ando amari vijaca. Haj najis tuke, Devla, so kerdjan amenge pe gadja lumija haj durjay o nasvalimos pe amende.

In your pity, God, and Saint Mary, and whatever Saints there are in Heaven. In your torment and your sorrow that you endured in this world, pardon us our sins and protect us from sickness, from fire, from flood, from disasters, from thieves, and from our enemies, and from the devil and from his people, and from the police, that they will not make trouble for us, and protect us on every road and on every path and at every step in our life. And thank you, God, for what you have done for us in this world and remove sickness from us.

Blessing on the Pomanadi Sinija Khama, Shona, thaj Devla. Ashun ma! Kakja sinija kaj dava angla Kutari/Kutarka, te avel angla leste/late ando Rajo haj te avel leske/lake proto o them haj e lumija kaj xan anda gadja sinija. Te aven lenge po lengo sastimus thaj te ningerel les/la, o Del leske/lake, ando Rajo. Haj najis tuke, Devla, so kerdjan amenge pe gadja lumija.

Sun, Mood, and God. Hear me! This table that I give before So-and-so, may it appear before him/her in Heaven and may the loval community and the outsiders who eat from this table become humble. May it bring health for them and may his/her God transport him/her into Heaven. And thank you, God, what you have done for us in this world.

*The Pomana table is a feast, at which the memory of a dead Rom/Romni is honoured by the family, relatives and the local community. A Pomana (mourning period) usually lasts one year for an elder or an adult, but must be in units of three: three months, six months, nine months, or one year. A Pomana table is held at the termination of each three-month unit as well as the start of the Pomana, following the funeral.

A Christmas Prayer (Lovari dialect) Najis le Devleske, hogy areslam kado baro Krechuno. Te aresas mindig les zorasa, sastimasa, na kaseve chorre modesa, jekh cirra maj lashe modesa, grastensa, vurdonensa, shukare borensa. Te aresas le shukare chaladonsa. Kon dur mashkar amende, te azhutil les o Svunto Del mashkar amende, T'aves baxtalo.

Oh, for whatever reason, Lee didn't give a translation of this. I'll do my best, forgive me for mistakes:

Thank God, that we came to this great Christmas. We come always with strength, health, not with such a poor poor manner, a little with very good manner, horses, wagons, beautiful brides. We come with a beautiful family. Who is far between us, may he help them the Holy God between us, may you be fortunate.