Boyash
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Boyash (or Bayash; Romanian: Băeşi, Hungarian: Beás, Adjacent Slavic languages: Bojaši) are a Roma ethnic group living in Romania, in Southern Hungary, Balkans, but also in Americas[1] and Australia. Alternative names are Rudari (Ludari) and Lingurari.
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[edit] History
They are a branch/caste of the Roma people who were held slaves in Wallachia and Moldavia together with other Romani castes. Their particularity was that they were forced early to settle (in 14th century) and work in mining (a regionalism for mine in Romanian: "baie"). In this context of close proximity with Romanian-speaking people, they lost the use of the Romani language. The other name, Rudari, comes from the Slavic ruda ("metal", "ore"). However, few centuries later, the mines became inefficient and the Boyash people readjust themselves by earning their living making wood utensils (Lingurari means in Romanian "spoon-makers"). The nickname Kashtale ("wood-workers") was given to them by the Romani-speaking Roma and it remained as a Romani word for every Romani person who doesn't speak Romani. Since they began to make wood tools they scattered themselves in isolated communities. The consequence is that nowadays they speak a distinct archaic dialect of Romanian (from 15th century), with Romani and Hungarian borrowings.
[edit] Population
After the liberation from slavery (by the middle of the 19th century), many emigrated in other countries, especially in Hungary and Balkans, but also as far as Americas, South Africa or Australia.
In 1993, about 14,000 of the 280,000 Hungarian Roma were Boyash.
In Croatia, the Bayash are settled in several small communities along the Hungarian border in the regions of Međimurje, the Podravina, Slavonija and Baranja with an overflow of settlers living in the Apatin county of Vojvodina, Serbia. 2005 saw the Bayash language of Croatia published in its own alphabet for the first time in the Catholic Catechism, published by the HBK Glas Konica in Zagreb.
The Bayash community in certain parts of Croatia have their own internal justice system. This system deals with inter personal conflicts that arise at the village level. In many senses the system enforces the social norms and expectations of the culture but has little authority at the inter village relational level. Most larger villages, 300 people or more, have a village chief, called a Predsjednik, who is assisted by a group of elders. A plaintiff or person pursuing justice appeals to the Predsjednik of the village for assistance or a judgement over an issue in conflict. A Globa or court is called and the elders of the village interview the parties and other witnesses. A judgement is arrived at and is communicated to both the plaintiff and the defendant. The judgement is final and binding. The judgement usually involves the payment of money by the defendant to the plaintiff in the event of a verdict in the plaintiff's favour and then in the villages of North Western Croatia the purchase of several cases of beer, to be paid for by the defendant, is then ordered for distribution to the whole village.
However, in contemporary Bulgaria the terms Ludari and Rudari are in common use, while in Romania both terms are present: Rudari and Băeşi. For the same ethnic group in Hungary and Croatia the terms Beyash and Boyash are now officially used. The ethnonym Banyash in Serbia is known only among the group settled in Bačka region, living along the river Danube, near the border with Croatia and Hungary. This term is only sporadically understood, but not used among some other Banyash groups in the Serbian Banat region, e.g. the village of Uljma. Among South Slavs, the names Karavlasi (from Turkish kara vlah - "black Romanian") or Vlach Roma were also used for this specific Romani group. They are also known by many appellations based on trades; in addition to Rudari/Ludari (possibly from Bulgarian "rudar," "miner") they are known as Kopanari ("cradle-makers"), Koritari ("trough-makers"), Lingurara ("spoon-makers") and Ursara or Mechkara ("bear-trainers").
The majority of Banyash Romanians in Serbia today live in mixed communities with different South Slav groups along the rivers: Danube, Sava, Tisa and Morava, but they can also be found in some villages cohabiting with the Romanian language speaking Vlachs.
The estimated figure of Banyash settlements (also obtained during recent fieldwork) in central Serbia is about 140, plus 30 in Banat and 7 in Bačka region (the province of Vojvodina). However, the approximate dimensions of the Banyash population cannot be estimated (it is impossible to determine their exact number, not even with the help of most recent extensive demographic study about Roma in Serbia).
[edit] Education
Education in the Romanian language is available only for the Banyash living in Romanian villages in the Serbian Banat. During the last few years there have been several attempts on behalf of local non-governmental organizations in East Bačka region to introduce optional classes in Romanian. At the moment (2004 field research data) only two such projects are still going on: optional classes in Romanian in the village of Vajska, and kindergarten in the local Ardeal dialect in Bački Monoštor, attended by 20 pupils altogether.
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Kemény, István: The Structure of Hungarian Roma Groups in Light of Linguistic Changes
- Biljana Sikimić, Linguistic Research of Small Exogamic Communities: the Case of Banyash Roumanians in Serbia
- Ian Hancock. The Pariah Sydnrome
- Marushiakova, Heuss, Boev et al. "Identity Formation among Minorities in the Balkans: The cases of Roms, Egyptians and Ashkali in Kosovo."
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The Roma minority in Romania |  |
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| Organisations | National Agency for the Roma | Aven Amentza | Romani CRISS | Resource Center for Roma Communities | Romanothan | |
| Initiatives | Decade of Roma Inclusion | National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust | Racism Breaks the Game | |
| People | Mădălin Voicu | Ion Voicu | Nicolae Păun | Gheorghe Răducanu | Taraful Haiducilor | Fanfare Ciocărlia | |
| Demographics | List of towns in Romania by Roma population | |
| Culture | Romani language | Kalderash | Boyash | Ursari | Lăutari | International Romani Art Festival | |
