The Gypsy Community Chronicle

The Dom Society Center and the organisation "Dom Research Project" produced a book together which I bought yesterday at the Center. It consists of brief impressions of the history of the Dom, a lot of interesting pictures which show the Community in the change of times. Showing the traditional floral dresses on old black and white pictures of danceartists to the well known streetwear of the present youth it also describes the social and economical developement of the Community.
Some of the older pictures portrait men who lived in tents within the walls of the old city, and even though they decesed there are still many of the Dom who can remember them clearly. There were horsetrainers and boxers, dancers, singers, tatoo-artists and healers, rightrope walkers and all kind of craftsmen among the Dom. The women usually worked within the walls of the houses, the men outside. Typical female professions included helping in the field, telling fortune, shearing the sheep and spinning the wool and tailoring the families clothes.
Once the community setteled in stonebuild houses and didn't continue the nomadic live the children were able and had to attend school. This had a big impact on the economical situation of the families, since before the kids - even more the girls - brought in money or helped in the household from a quite young age on. To leave them in school for some more years meant not only having to spend money for books, pencils and paper but also the loss of the childrens hypothetical income. On the other hand the Dom who were now residents of Israel and had to fill out form or read documents. So the older generation had to depend on their offspring who could read and write. The book "The Dom of Jerusalem - A Gypsy community chronicle" introduces some of those children and tells about their dream to become teachers, policemen, doctors or bookkeepers. Their fathers usually seem to work at the municipality, as plumbers or on short term jobs while the mothers clean at hotels or jewish families houses, cut hair or work as nurses if they have the chance.
The present young generation, the future of the Dom society has more opportunities to chose which way in live they want to take but on the other hand has to face the older people telling them "You are trying to change your skin!" (p. 66)
In another context (convenience of not having to cook in the old fashioned way) there is written in the Cronicle "economic constraints are a major factor keeping more traditional methods in place" (p. 54)
I got the impression that this dichotomy of keeping the own culture alive and adapting new important skills is very strong in Dom culture. There seems to be no possibility to reach one through the other - exept from the Dom Society Center which uses donations, subsidies and modern media to present the Dom as a group and enhance the individuals power at the same time. But in every day live the mentality to live from day to day (as the Book puts it) and not to put money aside for younger generations or investing time and effort in the own future likely contradict these efforts.
In this context I found the old legends of the Dom very interesting: There are two legends about the origin of the Dom people, which I will discuss later in detail. For now I just want to have a closer look at one sentence of each legend.
But first let me point out that the judgement and interpretation coming are clearly coloured by my own upbringing and value system in a protestant, 1980s, small town household with financial security and a tradition of higher education for at least three generations. I don't want to offend anyone with my observation but just want to make sure that everyone knows that they are subjective.
In the first legend a woman is allowed to make a wish because her sheep got killed and puts three options on display. The answer is the following: "I cannot revive your sheep. Only God can revive her for you. And to fill your lap with stars," he said "that would be terribly difficult for me. But if you want Kleb's head, you are welcome to it!" (p. 10)
I really had to laugh at the "that would be terribly difficult for me". I had the impression that the king uses the appearance of not wanting to occure blasphemic when he neglects to undo the crime of killing the sheep. And he still wants to seem powerful so he doesn't admit that it is impossible to fill tha lap with stars and just says that it "would be terribly difficult for me". So he chooses to do the only thing possible for men - killing his own cousin. Because of this crime the Dom were doomed. But even more interesting: The woman who made the wish accepted the explanation that it's "terribly difficult" immediatly. It seems as if in this legend something that is difficult has no difference to something that is impossible.
And the second legend creates a similar image: Here the Gypsies get land and seed to become farmers. They boil the seeds and put them in the ground. Later they discover that nothing grew and the king who gave the land to them explaines how to farm correctly, and that "they must begin again. By this time the Gypsies were thoroughly disappointed with the live of a farmer and replied to the king "We will dance or do nothing."" (p. 13) I just can't help to think by myself: "Well, if you didn't succeed in the first time, just try another time. It will take a lot of experience to become good at it. So what's the problem anyway?" But as I said before - this shows the different ways of upbringing and cultural background. I guess, if these parts of the legends really reflect the attitude of nowaday Dom people it is quite difficult for them to provide what the labour market demands.
I will have to aks Amoun about this tomorrow!
Good night for now. Tonight I myself will only dance or do nothing. period.