«Crimean Roma used to identify as Crimean Tatars. And we never told them they were different»

History

In this episode of the podcast «Ai Tu Jianes. Did you know that?» we shall find out who Çingene are and how were they saved from death and deportation by Crimean Tatars—and how Çingene saved a portion of Crimean Tatar culture.

Our guests: Isliam Tohlu, islamologist, Director of the Crimean Tatar Cultural Centre in Lviv, President of Lviv Muslim Community, and Amet Bekir, Crimean Tatar Activist and President of AREKET NGO.

Listen here to the second part, interviewed by Eva Raiska.

Romanis are one of the largest ethnic minorities in Ukraine. There are about 15 sub-ethnic groups of Romanis in Ukraine: Servs, Kelderars, Lovari, Sinti, Ungriko, Vlakhs and others. In our current episode of the podcast «Ai Tu Jianes. Did you know that?» you can find out who Çingene were, how they were saved from death and deportation by Crimean Tatars, and how Çingene eventually saved a portion of Crimean Tatar culture. These and other topics were covered in the second part of the conversation with Isliam Tohlu, islamologist, Director of the Crimean Tatar Cultural Centre in Lviv, President of Lviv Muslim Community, and Amet Bekir, Crimean Tatar Activist and President of AREKET NGO, interviewed by Eva Raiska.

Çingene is a term used to denote Romanis who put down roots in Crimea and adopted the religion and culture of Crimean Tatars. 

«Back when I was working at the Khan’s Palace, I used to mention the name of Evliya Çelebi, an Ottoman traveller. It was from his travelogues that I found out that Crimean Romanis are referred to as «Çingene». As far as I understand, this word is of Turkish origin. Fun fact: there is a Crimean Tatar variety of grapes called Çingene Kara—literally meaning ‘Gypsy grapes’», — explained Amet Bekir.

As our guests add, many Crimean Romas have not only converted to Islam but also adopted the cultural traditions of the Crimean Tatar people. 

«When Crimea was occupied in the Second World War, Germans and fascists were also going to exterminate local Romas—the Çingene. Then, Crimean Tatars tried to defend Çingene and registered them as «Crimean Tatars». The important point was that Crimean Romas were Muslim, i.e. they identified as adherents of the same religion as the Crimean Tatars. That was their common ground. Then, they managed to save them from the Germans—but not from the Russians. As Crimean Tatars were deported, so were the Crimean Romanis, too. And, once replanted onto a new turf, the two ethnicities mixed up. By the time we were coming back, a part of Crimean Tatars were of different origin. They differed in their appearance. They knew that they were in fact Romanis. But they identified themselves as Crimean Tatars. They had the same names, the same religion, and the same cultural practices as us. And we never told them they were different. By that time, by and large, they had embedded themselves into the Crimean Tatar nation and were a part of us», — says Isliam Tohlu. In his opinion, the tolerant attitude of Crimean Tatars towards other nations and ethnicities is due to the geographical situation of the Crimean Peninsula: «Because, for many centuries, Crimea was like a huge cauldron, a melting pot of sorts where a many nations merged and mixed. And it is quite possible that Ukrainian Tatars have a vision of us as an aggregate of miscellaneous nations. Like the entire human race, after all».

Listen to the full version of the second part of this podcast by opening the audio file attached.