ZigeunerIn Deutschland

Wann kamen sie nach Deutschland? Woher kamen sie?

Sinti: (die meisten in ‘Schland sind Sinti und nicht Roma)› Am Ende 14. und Anfang 15. Jahrhundert

Aus Sindh, Indien? Manche sagen ja, andere sagen nein. Sehr mysterioes!› Das wollen sie auch! Sie wollen ‘anders’

und ‘geheimnisvoll’ sein.

What’s in a name? Gypsy oder gitanos in Spanien

› Sollten sie aus Aegypten kommen? NEIN! Auf Deutsch: Zigeuner

› Es kommst aus dem byzentinischen atsinganoi

› Es bedeutet “Unberuehrbare”-the untouchables

Oder aus dem Wort “Gauner”-das bedeutet die Unterwelt

Zigeuner-ein negatives Wort?

Zigeunern-als ein Verb bedeutet “to gypsy; to lie, to cheat”› Wie ‘tuerken’- “to turk; to feign or lie”

Zigeunern bedeutet auch: to wander from place to place› Das ist ein anderes Stereotyp von den Sinti

Rom/Roma bedeutet “Menschen” in ihrer Sprache

Sinti nannten sich selbst Kale bis zum 19. Jahrhundert› Das bedeutet “die Schwarze”

Was ist ein Zigeuner ueberhaupt?

“Die kulturelle Identitaet gruendet in der eigenen Sprache (Romanes), in der eigenstaendigen Auseinandersetzung mit der Kultur der Mehrheitsbevoelkerung und in der jahrhundertelanger Verfolgung. (Strauss, 2003, pg. 6)

Was fehlt? Religion!

› Im Gegensatz zu den Juden, die nach Deutschland kamen, die Roma und Sinti haben die Religion des Landes angenommen

› Roma in der Tuerkei sind muslimisch› Sinti in ‘Schland sind meistens katolisch

Warum machten sie das?› Cuius religio, euius religio› Mit der Zeit haben die 2 religionen gemischt

Heilige Mutter und die regeln wegen reinheit usw

Wie reagierten die Deutschen?

Von Anfang an war es eher negativ› Sinti durften keine Praktiken machen

(apprenticeships)- d.h. sie konnten nur machen Berufe machen Z.B. Mit Textil arbeiten, Pferde, Teppiche usw.

Dabei konnten sie nicht so viel verdienen› Deshalb haben sie begonnen, in illegalen

Aktivitaeten zu engagieren› Wurde zu Stereotyp!

Sinti-die Zigeuner sind nicht homogen

The Sinti were the first to arrive in Germany in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. (Stauber & Vago, 2007, pg. 106) This nation also settled in Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Furthermore, they share ethnic ties with the Manouche of France and the South Tirol Sinti. Because they have been a part of Germany and other parts of Western Europe for the better part of six hundred years, they often identify themselves as more ‘German’ than some of the other tribes or nations who settled later.

They seek acceptance, and recognition as a German ethnic minority, representation of their language and culture within the school system and citizenship. Like the German Jewry was often at odds with the more radical Zionists, so the Sinti are with the Roma. (Stauber & Vago, pg. 111) And unlike Zionism and Black Nationalism, the Sinti have no territorial visions or pursuits.

In 1980, a Sinti named Hans Brown stated, “We are German: we think as Germans, we live as Germans and would like also to be accepted as Germans.” (Stauber & Vago, 2007, pg. 109) In contrast, a recent Roma arrival stated, “Naturally I am not German. When I go along the street, no one sees that I have a German passport in my pocket.” (Stauber & Vago, 2007, pg. 112)

Widersprechende Ideen Einerseits wollten die Deutschen, die Sinti

exportieren zu lassen› “Bekaempfung der Zigeunerplage”› 1497-1774 gab es 146 Edikten gegen Sinti› 1868- Preussen durften sie deportieren› 1899- Kinder mussten zur Schule gehen, sonst

wurden sie von ihrer Familie weggenommen Anderseits-wollten sie, dass die Sinti in

bestimmten Gegenden wohnten.› Keine Wandergewerbe wurde erlaubt› Um arbeiten zu koennen, mussten sie ein zu Hause

finden (normaleweise am Rande des Dorfes)

Vogelfrei Sie hatten keine Buergerrechte Deutsche konnten sie toeten, ohne ins

Gefaengnis zu gehen…es war nicht illegal!

1725- Koenig Friedrich Wilhelm I von Preussen hat erlaubt:› “hanging without trial all male and female

Gypsies over 18 yrs of age in his lands.”

Die Romantische Perspektive—nach dem dreissigjaehrigen Krieg im 17. Jahrhundert.

Lustig ist das Zigeunerleben…Faria, Faria, HoEr braucht dem Kaiser

Kein Zins zu geben;Lustig war es im grünen Wald, Wo der Zigeuner Aufenthalt.

[Jolly is the Gypsy’s life...Faria, Faria, HoHe needs to pay

The Kaiser no tribute;Jolly it is in the green forest

Where the Gypsy lives.](Margalit, 2002, pg. 11)

Die Zigeunerin!Schwüler Nachtwind im Baum, dunkle Zigeunerin;

Welt voll törrichter Sehnsucht und Dichterduft;Herrliche Welt, der ich ewig verfallen bin,

Wo dein Wetterleuchten mir zucht, wo deine Stimme mir ruft!

(Hermann Hesse)

Sultry wind in the tree at night, dark gypsy woman;World full of foolish yearning and the poet’s breath

Glorious World I always come back to,Where your heat lightening beckons me, where your voice

calls!(Margalit, 2002, pg. 22)

Mythos—von allen Seiten befoerdert

She became a sultry symbol of freedom, and of sexual expression, despite the contradiction to her actual role within her tribe or nation, which was often one of chasteness. One might interpret this new evocative image as a subconscious desire of the Germans to have conquest over the Gypsies roaming and settling in their lands.

The Roma and Sinti often actively sought to encourage this positive misconception of their identity and of the rules of their social order, thereby enhancing the transferability of the folklore. The rules, often largely unknown to the Germans, were commonly very stringent. There were strict rules about purity and impurity, and the women were subservient and chaste within their own circles. In fact, the tschatschopaskero or leader of tribe would excommunicate and banish one who strayed from or broke the taboos on eating, or promiscuity etc. A baleschido, or an unclean one, was a member of the tribe who disregarded the rules.(Margalit, 2002, pg. 5) He or she suffered by being banished from the group, which left them in a true limbo between two worlds.

Persecuted based on race? That’s debated. Heavily.

Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg hat nur 10% der Zigeuner ueberlebt. Rund um 500,000 starben.

The inventory on race and heredity was catalogued in what was called the Erbbiologische Bestandsaufnahme. (Milton, 2000, pg. 321) People, such as the German ethnologist Martin Block, characterized the Gypsies as “stone-age people”, “aliens” or “primitives” (Gellately & Stoltzfus, 2001, pg. 215-216), and laws which restricted their freedoms went into effect first in Bavaria in 1926 (with the so-called Arbeitsscheuengesetz (Work-Shy Law), and later nation wide in 1935 with the Blutschutzgesetz (Blood-Protection Law a.k.a. part of the Nürnberg Laws) (Liegeois & Gheorghe, 1995, pg.9)

Z, Z-, Z+ (Mischlinge)

What distinguished the Gypsies from the Jews is that those that were qualified as being full-blooded were granted a certain measure of leniency and/or clemency. Heinrich Himmler himself wrote in a note in 1942 “Keine Vernichtung d. Zigeuner“(No annihilation of the Gypsies). (Margalit, 2002, pg. 52) Many scholars suspect that the cause for this has to do with the notion that true-blooded Gypsies are thought to be of Aryan descent, and should therefore be spared.

Marzahn, was located in Berlin, temporary camp for the 1936 Olympics became permanent.

Many were used for medical experiments in Poland towards the end of the war

Bundesentschädigungsgesetz (Federal Compensation Law) –Roma and Sinti were not granted Wiedergutmachung

How was this justified? “Die Prüfung der Wiedergutmachungsberechtigung der

Zigeuner und Zigeunermischlinge (so der alte Nazijargon R.R.) nach den Vorschriften des Entschädigungsgesetzes hat zu dem Ergebnis geführt, dass der genannte Personenkreis überwiegend nicht aus rassischen Gründen, sondern wegen seiner asozialen und kriminellen Haltung verfolgt und inhaftiert worden ist.“ (Strauß, 2002, pg. 14)

The Bavarian state commissar made another proclamation in 1947, stating that the “chaff (criminals and asocials) should be separated from the “grains” (the true victims) and that efforts should be made to deny recognition and aid to unworthy prisoners.”

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Migrants in Western Europe since 1850. Urbana and Chicago:University of Illinois Press.

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Studies 5, Vol. 10, No. 2, 185-210. Retrieved October 22, 2009 from Google scholar.

Margalit, G. (2002). Germany and its Gypsies: A Post-Auschwitz Ordeal. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press.

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Studies Review. Vol. 23, No. 2, 317-331. Retrieved September 16, 2009 from JSTOR.

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Social Perspectives. Budapest and New York: Central European University Press.

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Geschäftsführung: Evangelisches Missionswerk in Südwestdeutschland. Stuttgart. Retrieved November 4, 2009 from Google scholar.

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