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Die
Roma's flag:
top: blue= sky
bottom: green=earth
red: the indian wheel
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Romanes: Die Sprache
der Roma und Sinti |
The general
awareness towards the Roma in Western Europe has changed to the better
in recent years. It is still not free of prejudice, but has become more
respectful, since the society is now speaking about Roma and Sinti and
no longer about “Gypsies”.
What is the difference between Roma and Sinti?
The difference between Roma and Sinti is based on self-identification,
which already established in the early 12th century.
The Sinti are, strictly speaking, a part of the Roma people, that
differentiate from the others through certain own traditions and their
dialect. It is proven that the group known as Sinti in Germany is
closest related to the Manush in France, the Polske Roma in Poland and
the Kale in Spain. The specific term “Roma and Sinti”
established in Germany in the early 1980s, supposedly because of the
historical background of persecution during the Nazi era. Through this,
the Sinti established their own feeling of identity, which is why some
of them still today insist on calling themselves Sinti and try to
maintain the certain self-identification of the group.
To offer a handy example to illustrate this:
If we suppose the Bavarians were the Sinti, and the Roma were the
Germans as a whole, then the difference would basically be the same.
Nevertheless, when the term “Roma” is used in this book, it
explicitly includes the Sinti as well as the dozens of other groups of
the Roma.
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Roma
and Sinti