Lom people

For other uses, see Lom (disambiguation).
Lom
Bosha

Bosha gypsies, 19th century
Total population
(up to 2,000)
Regions with significant populations
Languages
Lomavren, Armenian, Georgian, Turkish
Religion
Armenian Apostolic Church, Islam (In Turkey)
Related ethnic groups
other Romani people

The Lom people also known as Bosha by non-Loms (Armenian: Բոշա; Georgian: ბოშა; Russian: Боша; Azeri: Poşa[1]) or Armenian Romani[2] (Russian: армянские цыгане; Armenian: հայ գնչուներ) or Caucasian Romani[2] (Russian: кавказские цыгане) are an ethnic group in historic Armenia.[3] Their Lomavren language is a mixed language combining Indo-Aryan and Armenian.

History

The Lom, like the Dom people, are sometimes considered a separate branch of the proto-Romani people who remained in historic Armenia in the 11th century, while the ancestors of the contemporary Romani migrated further west in the 13th and 14th centuries. The names Dom, Lom and Rom are likely to have the same origin (see Names of the Romani people for details). The Lom are also said to be related to the Lambani people or the Indian Romani; the Lomavren language is also very similar to the Lambani language.

Number

Gypsies in Armenia and Georgia (1926-1989)
Year Armenia Georgia
1926[4]
2
333
1939[5]
7
727
1959[6]
18
1,024
1970[7]
12
1,224
1979[8]
59
1,223
1989[9]
48
1,744

The exact number of existing Bosha is difficult to determine, due to the dispersed and often mostly-assimilated nature of the group. Estimates suggest only a few thousand of the people can be found across Armenia and Georgia, while Government census reports only 50 living in the former.[10]

Distribution

Concentrations of Bosha can be found in Yerevan and Gyumri in Armenia. Some of the Bosha in Armenia have adopted the Armenian language and assimilated with the larger Armenian population.[11] In Georgia they live in such cities as Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Akhalkalaki and Akhaltsikhe. [3] They are noted for such occupations as basket weaving and metalsmithing, which are common among settled Roma. In Turkey they live in Artvin, adopted the Turkish language and assimilated.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.ahiska.org.tr/wp_pdf/sayi10/parcali/48_sirali-1.pdf
  2. 1 2 Journal / Gypsy Lore Society, Volume 1 University of California, 1908
  3. 1 2 :: RomNews Network Community @ RomNews.com/de :: Best source on Roma / Gypsies on the Internet
  4. ↑ (Russian) Всесоюзная перепись населения 1926 года. Национальный состав населения по республикам СССР
  5. ↑ (Russian) Всесоюзная перепись населения 1939 года. Национальный состав населения по республикам СССР
  6. ↑ (Russian) Всесоюзная перепись населения 1959 года. Национальный состав населения по республикам СССР
  7. ↑ (Russian) Всесоюзная перепись населения 1970 года. Национальный состав населения по республикам СССР
  8. ↑ (Russian) Всесоюзная перепись населения 1979 года. Национальный состав населения по республикам СССР
  9. ↑ (Russian) Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года. Национальный состав населения по республикам СССР
  10. ↑ POPULATION AND PEOPLE | People | Armenia Travel, History, Archeology & Ecology | TourArmenia | Travel Guide to Armenia
  11. ↑ Wixman. The Peoples of the USSR. p. 30
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