newsletter OF THE GYPSY LORE SOCIETY, NORTH AMERICAN CHAPTER
VOLUME 4 NUMBER 1 WINTER 1981
THIRD ANNUAL Mh.1 ING
The Third Annual Meeting of the Gypsy Lore Soci-
ety, North American Chapter, was held February 7,
1981, et Wagner College, Staten Island, New York.
The meeting program, organized by Oliver Lerch,
featured the presentation of papers and audio-vis-
ual materials.
Diane Tong, a photographer, presented slides of
Gypsies in Salonika, Greece. The program concluded
with the screening of the Yugoslavian film Gypsy
Birth, directed by Stole Popov.
Abstracts of the papers read at the session are
given below.
Gypsies in Romania. Sam Beck (Dept. of Anthropo-
logy, Brown University) and Nicolae Gheorghe (In-
stitute for Sociological Research, Bucharest, Roma-
nia). (Paper reed by Sam Beck.) This paper discus-
ses the historical evolution of the Tic:Fenn
(Gypsies) in Romania. We suggest a historic period-
izetion in which to view Romanian Gypsies and the
sociocultural and political economic processes of
which they are a part. The focus of the paper is on
the position of Gypsies in contemporary Romania and
the nature of their integration within a moderniz-
ing socialist state. We suggest that the notion of
"ethnic group" as it is used by Romanian authori-
ties should be sharpened in order to more correctly
reflect the complex and diverse reality in which
people live.
Itinerants in the Extreme Orient: Preliminary
Notes from the Korean Archipelago. David Nemeth
(Dept. of Tourism, Che-Ju National University, Ko-
rea). Korean geographical, social and economic
conditions have been major factors in the develop-
ment of an indigenous itinerant culture. Reviewing
the social history of the despised classes in Korea
is essential to understanding Korean itinerants,
for example, those travelling entertainers that
have been active until recently in the Korean ar-
chipelago region. Although analogous to Occidental
Gypsies, Korean itinerants are here discussed as
products of their own environment. Korean itineran-
cy may have evolved as part of a basket-making
trait-complex. Were Western Gypsies also riverine
migrants?
Gypsy Ethnohistory: A Preliminary Report. Matt T.
Salo (Div. of Social/Behavioral Sci.,Centenary Col-
lege) and Sheila Salo. In this paper the authors
discuss the availability of primary documents that
can be used for reconstructing the history of
Gypsies in the United States. The historical per-
spective is seen as essential for obtaining answers
to many long-standing problems in Gypsy Studies. A
case study, tracing the history of an American Rom-
ni6e1 family, illustrates the use of different
types of documentary sources in establishing pat-
terns of land ownership and land use; social organ-
ization; and relations with non-Gypsies as well as
with other Gypsy groups.
Rena C. Gropper and Oliver Lerch acted as dis-
cussants for the session of papers.
Chapter Elections
Five members were elected to the Chapter Board
of Directors for terms of three years, ending Jan-
uary 1984. The five, elected from a field of nine
candidates, are Cara DeSilva, Oliver Lerch, Joseph
Mitchell, David Nemeth and Carol Silverman. They
join Board members Carmen Hendershott, Miriam Lee
Kaprow, Matt T. Salo and Sheila Salo, whose terms
of office end January 1982; and Joanne Grumet,
Aaron Miller, F. David Mulcahy, Bertha B. Quintana
and Anita Volland, who serve until January 1983.
Rena C. Gropper serves on the Board during her ten-
ure as President of the international Gypsy Lore
Society.
At the meeting of the Board of Directors follow-
ing the plenary session, Oliver Lerch was elected
Chapter President. F. David Mulcahy was elected
Vice-President and Carmen Hendershott, Secretary.
Sheila Salo was re-elected Treasurer. The Board of
Directors elects officers annually.
A nominating committee was formed to seek candi-
dates for the five members of the Board of Direc-
tors to be elected at the Fourth Annual Meeting.
Serving on the committee are Rena C. Gropper,
Joseph Mitchell and Matt T. Salo.
GYPSIES OF BULGARIA
The Gypsy Lore Society, North American Chapter,
In cooperation with the New School Graduate Faculty
Anthropology Club, will present a program, "The
Gypsies of Bulgaria: Recent Fieldwork," featuring
film, slides and commentary by Carol Silverman. The
program, focusing on contemporary Bulgarian Gypsy
dance, music and ritual, will take place Saturday,
March 28, 1981 at 2 PM. It will be held at the New
School for Social Research, Graduate Faculty Build-
ing, room 219 (second floor), 65 Fifth Avenue, be-
tween 13th and 14th Streets, New York City.
2 newsletter
Organizations in Italy: A Clarification
As regards my report on Gypsies in Italy (Newe-
1 eter 3 (4: Autumn 1980): 4), perhaps the best
lanation will be a translation of part of
Mizell& Karpati's letter to me:
"The Romano Komiteto is more an idea than a
r ellty, because there are many difficulties to
ceercome: division in many diverse groups, great
poverty, illiteracy. Veen a group of human beings
1 ees in such conditions, the most urgent problems
a-e those of physical survival. Only afterwards dc
they feel social, political and spiritual needs.
I am persuaded that, organizing themselves in a
new way, the Rom will survive in the modern world
es an ethnic group, making their voices heard
without the need of intermediaries who, on the
p - text of knowing what is best for others, are
often paternalistic. Towards this end, I am trying
to bring to fruition the idea of an association of
the Rom and the Sinti in Italy."
Leita Kaldi
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY
The 1980-81 Chapter Membership Directory is now
available. The Directory includes information
about members' interests within Gypsy Studies and
lists publications and other contributions in the
field. The price is $2 postpaid; please use the
order form on p. 7.
Inewsletter
of the Gypsy Lore Society, North American Chapter
Published quarterly: February, May, August,
November. Copyright 0 1981 by the Gypsy Lore
Society, North American Chapter, Inc.
Send materials for publicatIon and inquiries to
the editors:
Matt T. Salo and Sheila Salo
Division of Social/Behavioral Sciences
Centenary College
Hackettstown, NJ 07840
Deadline for receipt of materials is the first
of the month preceding the month of issue.
The Gypsy Lore Society, North American Chapter
Oliver Lerch, President
Dept. of Sociology/Anthropology
Dowling College
Oakdale, NY 11769
The Gypsy Lore Society
Rena C. Gropper, President
Prof. Sir Ralph Turner, Vice-President
Christopher Beresford-Webb, Hon. Secy.
Manor Farm, Henley Road
Coventry, West Midlands, UK
Views expressed in signed articles in the
Newsletter are those of the authors.
VOL 4 NO 1
discussion
GYPSYLORISM IN THE FAR EAST
T. A. Acton
How curious that in the issue of the Newsletter
in which Oliver Lerch and I dispute the merits ef
modern American Gypsylorism there should appear a
paper which exhibits in a classical form both the
virtues and the problems of "traditional" Gyosylor-
ism, David Nemeth's "Comments on Gypsy Studies in
the Far East" (Newsletter 3 (3:Summer 1980).
Nemeth's paper proposes two sharply distinduishe.7'.
problemetics fcr Far Eastern Gypsylorism: first the
study of ways of life "'Gypsy-like peoples") and
second of actual "Rom Gypsy families" in China,
Korea end Japan. Then, as a third, linking question,
he suggests that we should investigate how far the
"Gypsy-like people" have historical connections with
the Romani-speaking Gypsies. In other words, he is
suggesting that we should actually test the Gypsy-
lorist assumption that commercial nomadism (the
"Gypsy way of life")is actually caused by Romani
ethnicity or race. I wish to assert, however, that
this chimera can only divert attention away from
the independent realities uncovered by his first
two problematics. Let me first acknowledge these:
It is certainly true that in every society where
the economy and the geographical and functional di-
vision of labor are sufficiently advanced there are
commercial nomads using roads, rivers, canals cr
whatever to meet demands where the traveler has an
economic advantage over the supplier with a fixed
residence. There might indeed prove to be certain
general, functionally caused similarities in the
culture of such groups; and undoubtedly there are
recurrent cyclical patterns in the relations of
such groups with governments. Indeed going from
work with the British Gypsies to research on the so-
called "Tanks" or boat-dwellers of Guandong prov-
ince in China, I have followed a path similar to
Nemeth's (Acton 1980).
It is also true that persons from that broad
range of semi-nomadic cultures, with Indian connec-
tions, called "Gypsy" cr "Romany" in English, have
been or are In the Far East. In north China for
example, Rem immigrated from the Soviet Union in
1917 as entertainers and restauranteurs to the Eu-
ropean mercantile class; they are reputed to be a
significant proportion of the "White Russian" ref-
ugees still listed by the UN High Commission on
Refugees as present in China (Jonathan Gray, per-
sonal correspondence).1 We may guess that pariah
blacksmith groups in Tibet (Dreyer 1976: 107) might
be linked to similar groups in India. If there are
Gypsies in Soviet Siberia (Sanarov 1970:126) and
Kazakhstan (Nazerov 1975: 10), it would seem possi-
ble that there are Gypsies in adjacent areas of the
People's Republic of China populated by Turkic peo-
ples similar to those on the Soviet side of the
border.
It is even true that, beyond the dubious old
Gypaylorist sources quoted by Nemeth, there have
been modern speculations about the Indian origins
of "Gypsy-like groups," such as the so-called
"Tanks" (Menerd 1965:12, whose suggestion is at-
tacked by Anderson 1978:13-17), and the Paekchong
of Korea (the suggestion is canvassed and then die-
(Discussion continued on p. 6)
WINTER 181 newsletter 3

or by begging, etc. Two thirds of the Gypsy fami-

COLIDQUIUM :N H'i'
lies moved into new houses built for them either
by the State or through sizable loans. All Gypsy
Josef Vekerdi
children enter primary school. Further tasks are
number of to irvcive Gypsy women also in regular jobs in ad-
European dition tf household work, to continue and complete
-y Lt mv the 1,otLiMetior
• of inherited Gypsy slums an6 tn.,
-rent''- sher eMucation to Gypsy children.
511 ,

or MtfficulfIes ere cauGeo ,Ln

, nadact
fLrst of ell, by the tension between
,nmer;TeC 'T;yosy value system and the recuire-
-- ingustniel society. If the eielo
L ,t lather narotuarla
oa .1 ragular evotryCav
agiibultrurs. Man" of thar, 71tt
. t,acaF. after a tew
- , ,. ,ftL - omosv MiaL t'f,e far -
•-o:y.pay w-Laar , •
,••••• - ec t

aro it' t'A",!, .Y.t- OI - it L a,a_ue

",Sy tho_ste :L, ybs:Les ar, folly c
.L•aptec by the meisstreem si:,olatoo wbc bLc, tallY arcct
or- '--o- "-t.: behavior iLf the aatta - hear-nee -

. LLm,omi
roare mes,s
c1c5tom5ry atmoso%re of
etc. •artc brasat '„:,y',7,oy family e•rlronmenr prevents the Gyosy
buat. .L coys from I eero.o- . r so'- overcrowdec ard rc ,A
- --,• t-LM-tein reces- flats.
- f,c.etv „s tfe nnder of
omunt:f_ef A Furori ,,-irg light was thrown or ice speece me-
-.-eiomeft. 7' '=v - s, chtififen livind tn tramitLca:
numerical cater prefent_
4 1-f s young teacher of partly
r! , 't/t7tt° 1: ,„ ,J-Ltitigalteri the problem of
wmethe7 btlingua, Gypsy children speak better Rom-
ani ot: Pungarian and 'other the'.- speech ability,
be it Romani or Hungarian, is on the same level as
that of non-Gypsy children from the same social
1- tr FL-.fff comntrles the num- group (unskilled workers. The result was that in
fef LL-f_f -mparahly higher than in a text of about 1CO , words, Gypsy children used
ir Hungary almost 4% of about 280 different words when speaking Romani
ere Gypeies (nearly 4 .7,C (37%), about 300 different words when speaking
f .t ftfer hand, the overwhelninq ma- Hungarian (42%), while non-Gypsy children used a-
have lost their Romani Ian- bout 480 different words (55%). Thus it became
- 7- ,F-Ldinional Gypsy culture .17.1 Hungary and clear that Gypsy children speak better Hungarian
, --flv with this part of the Gypsy pop- than Romani, but that even their Hungarian is poor-
uet,ft- tnhs social one: the liquidation of er than that of non-Gypsy children. The same re-
trece , -m thedr inherited disadvantageous situa- sult followed from a structural analysis of the
tion, sentences. At the same time, a deeper analysis made
it clear that this situation is caused only by the
WitJ;Lut gt-, ing into the details of our collomrui- Gypsy children's unfavorable family circumstances -
um re , i- arcing the accounts and statements of they are by no means inferior to the non-Gypsies!
foreign participants, I wish to relate some of my A Gypsy boy educated with maximal care by his par-
Hungarian guests reports. ents spoke Hungarian and Romani equally well, al-
most on the same level as the non-Gypsy informants.
FL Harczeo, one of the highest ranking offi- Thus, a thorough knowledge of the language of the
cialo. in the Ministry of Culture, reported on the non-Gypsy environment also raises to a higher de-
achievements and tasks of governmental policy in gree the ability to speak Romani.
Hungary. in 1961, e threefold slogan was adopted
by the Central Committee of the Hungarian Social- The number of colloquium guests from abroad was
ist Workers' Party (the leading political force of twelve; among others, the editors of the Journal
the country) regarding the promotion of the back- of the Gypsy Lore Society, Etudes Ted:panes and
ward strata of the Gypsy population: jobs, housing, Lacio Drum were present. Six specialists from Hun-
schooling. Since then, nearly all of the adult gary attended. The participants were Henriette
Gypsy men have had more or less regular jobs. For- David, Andre Berthflemy, and two meninariams
merly practically all of them lived by casual work
(Hungary continued on p. 8)
4 newsletter
RECENT DISSERTATIONS
The following dissertations bearing upon Gypsy
Studies were submitted in connection with Ph.D. de-
grees awarded recently. Abstracts are reprinted
from Dissertation Abstracts International with per-
mission of the authors. Summaries are adapted from
printed abstracts.
The Image of the Bohemian from Diaz to Menet and
Van Gogh. Marilyn Ruth Brown. (Yale University,
fine arts, 1978.) 811 pp. University Microfilms Or-
der No. 7818586.
Summary: By proceeding from e study of the actual
gypsy in society through a review of the image of
the pohmien in literature and a survey of the vis-
ual image from the fifteenth through the eighteenth
centuries, an attempt is made to understand more
fully the meaning of the image in nineteenth centu-
ry French art, as well as the artists' identifica-
tion with the marginal life-style end apparent cre-
ative freedom of the gypsies.
In the Houses of Strangers": The Impact of Govern-
ment Policy on the Irish TraveMrs. Linda Lee
Kent. (University of Oregon, culture/ anthropology,
1980). 192 pp. University Microfilms Order No.
8024869.
Abstract: Nomadic peoples in modern nations are
under increasing pressure to integrate into the
wider society. These pressures normally take the
form of housing and education programs as well as
schemes to overcome the prejudices of the dominant
settled population.
The impact of the Irish government's policies on
the Travelling People or Tinkers is assessed in
light of the cultural assumptions on which the pol-
icy is based, what it shares in common with the set-
tlement of nomadic peoples in other parts of the
world, and its importance in defining the Travellers
as a "problem" both to themselves and to settled
people.
The Travellers' probable origins are reviewed and
their stereotyped image in law and literature is
discussed. It is suggested that since towns were not
a feature of the Irish countryside until the inva-
sions of the Vikings and Anglo-Normans, the mobili-
ty of several social classes was an accepted part
of ancient Irish society. It is further suggested
that where many Irish were forced to leave the land
for economic or political reasons during the course
of Irish history, the emigration of some and the
itinerancy of others are both options which reflect
the heritage of mobility.
The Travellers' identity is discussed from both
an emic and etic point of view. Their use of an ar-
got, a system of nicknaming, and unique patterns of
marriage serve to increase their solidarity and are
characteristics of which few settled people are
aware. Their traditional but now obsolete occupa-
tions of tinsmithing, chimneysweeping, horsetrading,
and peddling are part of the way In which the set-
tled population continues to define them. They are
also identified by their barrel-top wagons, painted
carts and bender tents, their large families, fea-
tures of dress, and characteristic poverty.
VOL 4 NO 1
The Report of the governmental Commission on
Itinerancy is reviewed and it is suggested that,
although integration is probably the most reason-
able solution to the itinerant problem, both because
most Travellers want to settle and because they can
no longer live by their traditional means, integra-
tion is not achieved by housing programs alone.
The Travellers in one small town of county Mayo
are discussed in the context of the town's efforts
to house and educate them. The concluding chapter
focuses on the development of political self-aware-
ness among the Travellers and the implications of
this for their future place in Irish society.
Expressive Behavior as Adaptive Strategy among Amer-
ican Gypsies. Carol Tine Silverman. (University of
Pennsylvania, folklore, 1979. 355 pp. University
Microfilms Order No. 8009461.
Abstract: This study describes and analyzes the
range and choice of appropriate expressive behaviors
of Rom Gypsies in the American context. One of the
Gypsy's most important tactics for survival is hi
facility in "impression management" or the manipula-
tion of multiple identities. An examination of the
range and choice of these identities reveals that
Gypsy ethnicity permits and encourages innovation in
certain cultural areas while festering conservatise
of core values. This study investigates the comple-
mentary relationship between these processes.
Fieldwork was carried out over a period of four
years among Kalderash and Machwaya Gypsies in New
York City, Los Angeles, and other cities. Ethno-
graphic techniques Included participant observation
and photographic documentation with special atten-
tion to sex roles, worldview, folk beliefs, and ar-
tistic communication. The folkloristic perspective
focused on the expressive, creative, and tradition-
al aspects of culture.
The work examines the Gypsy/non-Gypsy boundary in
defining Gypsy ethnicity and in creating a rich area
of exoteric folklore. The interaction of Gypsy folk-
lore with the surrounding non-Gypsy cultures is also
explored.
Social roles are examined with reference to the
social hierarchy, the segregation of male and female
spheres of interaction, the distinction between pri-
vate and public behavior, the life cycle, and encul-
turation. The taboo system and the beliefs about the
supernatural are shown tc be the tenets of the folk
belief system. The taboo system is seen as the or-
dering principle of Gypsy life, and also as a vital
mechanism for social control. The balance of male
and female power is analyzed.
The negotiation of the public face is shown to be
en important Gypsy task involving status, reputation,
and adherence to taboos. Social control, gossip, and
cemmunicative networks are discussed.
Change is analyzed as an adaptive strategy which
Gypsies have successfully employed while retaining
their identity and separateness. Finally, a frame-
work for a theory of ethnicity which embraces the
Gypsy case is offered.
(Dissertations continued on p. 7)
WiNihk 1381
reviews and notices
Zar Faage Per irte2ratior. der Zigeuner in der
Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Eine Untersuchuna der
gegenwartigen Situation Per Ziseuner and der sozio-
oolitischen uric sozOalarbeiterischen Messnahmen
fur Zideuner. Margret Weiler. Ph.D. dissertation,
University of KOIn. Published by the author,
Utrechterstrasse fOrT,O /Chin 1, West Germany.
1979. .7s4 os.
Robert J. Theodoratus
Iry her dissertation Dr. Weiler has approached
the prgbjem of intecrating Gypsy groups in modern
Germany w:t'ccn a culturally realistic framework in
which the '4 ewe of all groups involved are brought
into a clear focus. In order to accomplish this,
she has carefully investigated, described and ana-
lyzed values, aspirations and lifestyles within
the context of similar date for the dominant Ger-
man society. This she hopes will be of value not
only '77 the Gypsiea themselves but to social work-
ers, ecucators and governmental policy makers.
lr cruel ts urgerstanca the relationships be-
tween poverty, marginality and the relative degrees
of societal intecration among Gypsies, Dr. Weiler
has examined all levels of income, migratory pat-
terns, egucatign, wgrX laws, housing rulings, so-
cial attitudes an_. historical precedents. Above
all she was interested in both German and Gypsy
difference: relating to conceptualizations of hon-
or and shame and inter- as well as intra-group
ethnocentrism,. Logically, she begins with an ex-
cellera survey of pertinent aspects of Gypsy val-
ues and culture as these relate to their marginal
status in Germany. The topics given special atten-
tion include social organization, customary law,
morality, and attitudes toward German social and
economic values. Then different theories or ap-
proaches to the study of marginality are examined.
In reference to welfare and other social service
agency policies in oresent-Oey Germany, one clear-
cut example is that theGypsies view welfare as a
stroke of boon luck rather than with shame as do
the Germans.
In cr.der to try to understand the problems from
the Gypsy viewpoint, Dr. Weiler utilized an open-
ended questionnaire, wherein Gypsies were able to
clearly express their own views rather than being
restricted to the researchers' range of views.
These data were summarized and analyzed along with
extensive quotations in the informants' own words.
On the basis of these data Dr. Weiler concludes
that Gypsy poverty is not a result of their own
culture but of their marginal status in West Ger-
man society. Within this situation the Gypsies
have faced a major dilemma. In order to attain
"economic sufficiency" one must give up one's eth-
nic values and goals: not to do so leads to eco-
nomic poverty and a marginal status. Thus to be
successful in German society one must cease to be
a Gypsy. Ironically because they are "Gypsies"
those who wish to assimilate are prevented from so
doing by restrictive laws, ethnocentric attitudes,
and the social organization of the dominant soci-
ety. However, Dr. Weiler believes that there is a
solution. Gypsies should seek political, social
and economic rights and responsibilities in Germany
while being guaranteed the opportunity to preserve
their cultural, linguistic and ethnic heritage and
identity. If the German state will allow this with-
newsletter 5
out being paternalistic, both will ultimately ben-
efit.
Dr. Weiler has also included tabulated summaries
of her data, the complete text of her questionnaire,
her demographic data, and an example oral life his-
tory of one of her informants.
In conclusion, this is a very important contri-
bution to the study of the conditions of the
Gypsies in present-day West Germany and should be
of value to social workers and social service agen-
cies in Germany and other European nations. I only
hope that Dr. Weiler will soon smooth out the text
and have it published in a more attractive format.
THESIS
Marguerite Needham's 1920 B.A. Honors Thesis,
The Gypsies in English Literature (University of
Illinois) is not without its place in the annals
cf obscure, U.S.-university-based gypsiological
studies. Much of Needham's writing, and many of
her conclusions, are as impressionistic and red-
olent of nineteenth century Romanticism as the
majority of the literary portraits of Gypsies she
deals with. Nevertheless, her thesis is surpris-
ingly well researched, and it presents some biblio-
graphical rewards. In addition, Needham's reminis-
censes of Gypsies traveling in central Illinois
around the turn of the century, and her references
to evangelist Rodney "Gipsy" Smith, indicative of
his stature at the time, make parts of the thesis
particularly enjoyable to read. It is to be found
in the closed stacks of the General Library of the
University of Illinois, Urbane-Champaign. (FTD)
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
ASamovil, Karol. [Intellectual Development and Lev-
el of Knowledge in Gypsy Pupils in Relation to
the Type of Education.] Psychologies a Patopsycho-
lOgia Dietata 14(2): 169-176 (1979). In Slovak,
English summary.
Arnold, Hermann. Fahrendes Volk: Randgruppen des
Zigeunervolkes. Neustadt/W7strasse: Prilzische
Verlagsanstalt (Postfach 1950, 674: Landau/Pfalz,
West Germany), 1980. 350 pp. DM 48.00.
Do116, Marie-Paul. Les Tsiganes Menouches. Pub-
lished by the author (109, rue du Moulin, 67230
Sand, France), 1980. 228 pp. n.p. (cloth). ISBN
2-902912-11-C.
Finkova, Zuzena. "Aetrenie popula6nel klimy rom-
sk9ch Bien [An Investigation of Family Size Pre-
ferences of Female Gypsies]." Demografie (Prague)
19(4): 296-301 (1977).
Fraser, A.M. "George Borrow." Antiquarian Book
Monthly Review (Oxford) 7(1n): 470-478 (Oct. 1980).
Hancock, Ian. "Gypsies." In Harvard Encyclopedia of
American Ethnic Groups. Stephan thernstrom, ed.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1980.
Hundsalz, Andreas. Zioeunerkinder: Eine sozial-
psychologische Untersuchung schulrelevanter Ver-
haltensmerkmale. Bern: Verlag Peter Lang (Manz-
graben 2, CH-3011 Bern, Switzerland; also P + M
Lang, Lydey Close, Oakridge Lynch, Stroud glos,'
GL6 7NU, UK), 1980. 260 pp. 45 Swiss francs (pa-
per). ISBN 3-8204-6814-5.
 newsletter VOL 4 NO I

(Discussion continued from n, 2)

ethnicity and economic relations. Commercial nomed-
ise is an explicable, rational, and recurrent epee
eeesed by Soon 1974: 31-7 ,7:. These speculations eumar edeptation. But this economic rationeljty
tee e to be discountee by reiiaele scheiersh, cisely whet Gypsylorism cannot effer fe-
Romere n.ity as the meeter.-
ee-e - _e 7.:-eereseee e

eeneere r
e. vreaucee

lete ceneure
eliee tranere
the Ceepayeeeeste
se net 'tete eypsieee mice es
-lenkers, were products of :!roe-' De -e:e.e.geee crews 7..e: H.
e' peauoneweee. One had then the 'marve.r por the revive seientiEee roc:
eh, a particular econeme.e formation -- commercial
zomeeesm -- eppearee and unite: te 'toe Rom- References cited
eni ethnic connectiee. :t wee only natural for
orieetelist racism ee eee the lettee ee causative Acton, T.A. 1974. Gyps -
of the former, nomadism es a genetic: er London: Routledge,
Darlington 19E9: 3e, 50, 364, 416. 5e7_, . ''Leuceeeee seer. ere
tern meant that when the great masses ef Fese Rue- --77sherese. ' Ceiee Nee
epeen sedentary Rom ceise within the eae et eneereer, S.e. Woeld of Caetle
lorists, they had to be conceptualized as settled Pee Ann Arbor,
,.. dtv Microfilms
nomads." inierneeeepnee.
eirlingror, C.e. The Evelutio of Man and
This is only one aspect of the distorting frame. 1,xs172•. London: G. Allen.
work imposed by Gypsylorism. The fact is that, out- Dreyer, -.T. 19 7 6. China's Ferty Millioes. Cam-
side of Western Europe, the vast majority of the bridge, MA: Harvere University Press.
world's commercial nomads are not Romani people, Lattimore, 0. 162. Studies in Frontier History.
and equally the great majority of Romani people Oxford: Mouton.
(especially Rom) are not commercial nomads, perhaps Menerd, W. 1955. "The Sea-Gypsies of Chine."
no more than L5 to 2 millions out of the world's Natural History, No. 74.
15 - 30 million Gypsies (depending, of course, on Nazarov, Kh. Kh. 1975. "Different Groups of Middle-
where one draws the boundaries as to who is a Asian Gypsies." Rome 1 (3).
Roberta, S. 183°. Parallel Miracles; or The Jews
Gypsy).
and ---
the Gypsies. London: J. Nisbet.
Most Rom, then, do not even fall into the cate- Rudenko, S.I. 1953. Kulture Neseleniye Gornogo
gory that Nemeth calls "Gypsy-like peoples." A ra- Altaya v Skifskoe Vremya. Moscow.
cial explanation of commercial-nomadic phenomena is Said, E. 1978. Orientalism. London: Routledge.
even less plausible than that of most ethnic or Senarov, V.J. The Siberian Gypsies." Journal of
culture/ traits. All available historical evidence the Gypsy Lore Society 44 (3-4).
from the time of formation of such groups tends to Soon Man Rhim. 1974. The Paekchong, Untouchables
suggest that they are formed from many surrounding of Korea." Hong Kong Journal of Oriental Studies
peoples, not derived from any one aboriginal nomad 12.
group (Rudenko 1952; cf. Lattimore 1962: 420;
Acton 1974: 259-261). What we require to make pro-
gress in studying the trades and cultures of nomads
is a more general theory of the relation between
(Discussion continued on p. 7)
WINTER 1981
(Discussion continued from p. 6
REPLY TO ACTON
David Nemeth
I would like to thank all those who have taken
time to respond to my "Comments on Gypsy Studies
in the Far East.'
"Gypsy-2 ice" is user therein as an analogy
rather than es an explanation for some Far Eastern
peoples. Granted, haO I submitted the manuscript
to the Journal of Commercial Nomadism I would have
deleted the term "Gypsy-like," since the many cir-
cuit riders, vacuum-cleaner salesmen, mercenaries,
professional bowlers and tennis players, and fel-
low traveler=_ who are listed among its subscribers
might have found the analogy to be irrelevant --
as has Dr. Actor..
Dr, Aparne Rao has similarly advised, via per-
sonal correspondence, that in my suggested studies
of Per Eastern groups the stress should be laid
"lees on their resemblance to Gypsies and more on
the roles they play vis-a-vis settled populations
In the Far East." I heartily agree.
CONTRIISITORE TO THIS ISSUE
Thomas A. Acton is Lecturer in the Sociology of
Social Policy 91: Thames Polytechnic, London, Eng-
land. Durinc the summer of 1980 he made a research
visit tc Guandong and Hong Kong, financed by a
grant from the British Academy.
Frank T. :ougherty (FTD), whose field is com-
parative literature, has studied the history of
Gypsies in western literature, and has en interest
in Gypsies of :Jet-r. America.
Devi ?emetr., a geographer who has =studied the
Rom in Los Angeles, is Visiting Professor in the
Department of Tourism, Che-Ju National University,
Korea.
Robert J. Theodoratus, Associate Professor of
Anthropology at Colorado State University, is
author of a standard ethnographic bibliography on
Europe.
J6zsef Vekerdi has published studies dealing
with Gypsy language and folklore in Hungary.
GYPSY LORE SOCIETY, NORTH AMERICAN CHAPTER
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newsletter 7
(Dissertations continued from p. 4)
Charles Godfrey Leland: The Eclectic Folklorist.
Angela-marie Joanna Varessno. (University of Penn-
sylvania, folklore, 1979.) 454 pp. University Micro-
films Order No. 8009473.
Summary: This work presents an intellectual bio-
graphy of Charles Godfrey Leland, nineteenth centu-
ry folklorist and literary figure, based on Leland's
published works, as well as his journals and corre-
spondence in the Joseph Pennell Collection, Library
of Congress.
Note: Dissertations are available in microform or
as xerographic copies from University Microfilms In-
ternational, Dissertation Copies, PC Box 1764, Ann.
Arbor, MI 48106. The address for Europe and Asia is
University Microfilms International, 18 Bedford Row,
London WC1R 4EJ, UK.
CONFERENCE PAPER
Prank T. Dougherty presented a paper, "Los
gitanos en Cate/tele," at the Sagan Colloqui
d'Estudis Catalans a Nord-America held at Yale
University April 18 - 19, 1980. The paper is an
historical overview of the Gypsies of Catalonia,
Spain.
GYPSY LORE SOCIETY
As a convenience, members may now include their
dues for the international Gypsy Lore Society
along with their Chapter dues. Membership in the
Society is $10 per year; members receive the
Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society. If you elect
to pay your Society dues through the Chapter,
check the appropriate box on the form below.
To subscribe directly, send Society dues to
A. Guest, Treasurer, 3 Birches Park Rd., Codsall,
Wolverhampton, UK.
Name
Address
Make checks payable to Gypsy Lore Society, North
American Chapter. Send to Sheila Salo, Treasurer,
c/o Newsletter GLSNA, Division of Social/Behav-
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 newsletter
FOLK ARTS GRANTS
The Folk Arts Program of the National Endowment
for the Arts encourages traditional community- c
family-based arts. Among other projects, the Pro-
gram helps nonprofit, tax-exempt groups, such as
community and cultural organizations to present
traditional arts and artists both within and out-
side the traditional community. Gypsy groups which
might benefit from Folk Arts Program grants are
emcuraged to apply. Newsletter readers knowing of
interested groups might inform them of the availa-
bility of these funds. A booklet describing the
grants and application procedures is available
from Folk Arts Program, National Endowment for the
Arts, 2401 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20506 (tele-
phone 202-634-4282). Further information is also
available from Dr. Robert Garfias, Office of the
Provost AH2O, University of Washington, Seattle,
WA 98195.
COURSES
During the winter quarter, Carol Silverman is
teaching a course, "Gypsy Folklore," in the Folk-
lore and Ethnic Studies Program of the University
of Oregon, Eugene, OR. The course is open to upper-
level undergraduate and graduate students.
In Spring 1980, Leita Kaldi taught a course,
"Gypsies," at the Tufts University Experimental
College, Medford, MA.
DAMIGRATION
An immigration guide for Costa Rica published
by Pan Am airlines and dated April 1, 1980, con-
tains the following note:
"Gypsies, citizens of any country, are pro-
hibited entry."
Dr. Frank T. Dougherty's letter to the Costa Rican
Ambassador, questioning this provision, has gone
unanswered. (FTD)
newsletter
of the Gypsy Lore Society
North American Chapter
Centenary College
Hackettstown, NJ 07840
Address correction requested
VOL 4 NO 1
(Hungary continued from p. 3)
(Fre:noel; Mirella Karpati, Bruno Nicolini and
Giulio Soravia (Italy); Milena HUbschmennovt
(Czechoslovakia); Adam Bartosz (Poland); Hermann
Arnold (Germany); David Smith (England); Kari
Huttunen (Finland); Ghbor Grabdocz, F. Herczeg,
Gy8rgy Meszhros, Bnlint Shrosi, tva Valis and
Elemer VArnagy (Hungary).
It must be stressed that this was no official
organization, but only my private initiative.
There are no plans to publish the proceedings of
this meeting.
FILM
As part of her 1979-80 research in Bulgaria, Carol
Silverman filmed a four-day wedding of sedentary
Gypsies in the town of Septemvri, PazardEik region,
Western Thrace. These Gypsies call themselves Rona
and speak Romanes The 26-minute footage includes
music, dancing, ritual gift exchange, the display
of the dowry and other traditional customs. Silver-
man also took numerous slides of the same event
which complement the footage.
About five minutes of film footage shows a
meakadarin (bear trainer) and a maimunija (monkey
trainer performing in a Thracian village with
their animals and instruments. These Gypsies refer
to themselves as Koponari, are nomadic or semi-no-
madic, and speak no Romani They claim to come from
Romania and do, in fact, speak a dialect of Roma-
nian.
All footage is filmed in color in super 8 with
synchronized sound. Persons and groups interested
In viewing the film and slides may contact Carol
Silverman, University of Oregon, Folklore and Eth-
nic Studies Program, Eugene, OR 97403.
IF YCU MOVE
Please notify the Newsletter of your new address
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