Prawa, obowiązki i samoświadomość zamężnej, koczowniczej Cyganki

Abstract

Till now, a state of nomadic Romani women has been described only from a position of an external observer. The author supposes that narrative sources should be used more actively. To actualize this concept he studies recollections of nomadic life, focusing on Romani women’s traditional ways of earning, such as fortune-telling and begging, and their main value – a family. The article shows how Romani women used to risk for husbands and children. They had to take the initiative and to show mother with every day to feed themselves and their relatives. At the same time, married Romani women lived at the mercy of patriarchy. That created the basic paradox of their lives. Gypsy fortune tellers had real economical independence. Outside of families they looked as free women, but inside they uncomplainingly received whipping. The author want to show subjects that are hardly shown in special literature at the moment. Particularly, he writes about the fact that Romani women have actively taken part in a fight against Nazism during the World War II. Another little known subject is women’s literacy. Though most nomadic Romani women couldn’t read, but indeed exclusions existed. It is interesting, too, such a fact as Romani women could get a high social status with an elderly age, so that men take into account their opinion in traditional court. Sometimes, as it can be seen from examples, families were named for female ancestors. The author studies also psychological possibilities used by Gypsy wives to affect their husbands’ decisions.