The lack of recorded Romani history can leave some feeling alienated from their culture. YR Media’s Piper Stuip shares her recent thoughts on connecting with her Romani identity.
I’ve always been very family-oriented, so it’s only slightly baffling that I am so deeply estranged from my Romani side. I’ve met them only a couple times — the experience I remember best was at a funeral. I was 11 then.
The defining moment of the service was when they asked us all to direct our pointer fingers to the sky — “One way!” they chanted. My mom instead shook her head and held both my hands on the seat.
Since their initial immigration to Europe, the Roma people have often adopted the dominant religion of their host country. While some families only use certain practices for funerals or baptisms — some go the full monty. My family, for one, transformed into pure evangelicals.
My mom lost touch with her dad’s side of the family after his death. She told me her own stories, how she was treated by family members because she was the youngest and a girl. It’s because of this that I never really fought to get to know them.