Dom people

Dom

Dom man, art work 1860's, East Bengal, India
Total population
(ca. 2,158,400 )
Regions with significant populations
Middle east, North Africa
Egypt	1,080,000
Turkey	500,000
India	202,000
Afghanistan	100,000
Iran	80,000
Iraq	50,000
Syria	37,000
Libya	33,000
Tunisia	30,000
Algeria	30,000
Morocco	30,000
Sudan	20,000–50,000
Jordan	70,000
Palestinian territories	7,200
Lebanon	7,000
Israel	2,000
Cyprus	1,200
Bangladesh	2,000
Armenia	1,000
Georgia	1,000
Azerbaijan	1,000
Russia	500
Kuwait	500
Languages
Domari, Persian, Arabic (also various dialects), Azeri, Kurdish, Turkish, Pushtu, Syriac, Hebrew, Armenian
Religion
Romani religion, Islam, Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Romani people, Lom people, Domba, other Indo-Aryans

The Dom (also called "Doma" and "Domi"; Arabic: دومي‎‎ / ALA-LC: Dūmī , دومري / Dūmrī ; Egyptian Arabic: هناجره Hanagra ) of the Middle East, North Africa, Caucasus, Central Asia and India are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group. Some authors relate them to the Domba people of India.

Culture

They have an oral tradition and express their culture and history through music, poetry and dance. Initially, it was considered that they are a branch of the Romani people, but recent studies of the Domari language suggest that they departed earlier from the Indian subcontinent, probably around the 6th century.

The world-wide used name for Gypsies to identify themselves was the term “Rrom”, which in Romani language means a man. The words Rom, Dom and Lom were used to describe Romani people who split in the 6th century. Several tribes moved forward into Western Europe and were called Rom, while the ones who remained in Persia and Turkey were called Dom.

Among the various Domari subgroups, the Ghawazi are the most famous for their dancing and music. The Ghawazi dancers have been associated with the development of the Egyptian raqs sharqi style which ultimately gave rise to Western schools of belly dance.

Distribution

The majority of the estimated population of 2.2 million live in Turkey, Egypt and Iran with significant numbers in Iraq. Smaller populations are found in Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Jordan, Syria and other countries of the Middle East.

The actual population is unknown as some Dom are excluded from national censuses and others label themselves in national terms rather than as Dom. Nowadays, they speak the dominant languages of their larger societies, but Domari, their national language, continues to be spoken by more insular communities. Iranians called them gurbati or kouli, both meaning "foreigners".

Doms also exist in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan in small numbers as well as the Chitral, Swat, Kohistan and Ladakh regions of Pakistan and India. In Gilgit, Dom are coupled with the Kameen and Mons, who are also musicians, blacksmith and do similar menial jobs.

There is a large concentration of Dom/Gypsies in Jordan. Researchers claim that, "they accommodate Arab racism by hiding their ethnic identity," as they would not be accepted into Arabian society once their true identity is revealed. Another group of Dom origin in Iran are the Lori, who are found in the Baloch regions of southeast Iran.

In popular culture

The Iranian singer Googoosh made a song "Koeli", where she mentions the Dom people, the gypsies of Iran.

See also

• Domari language
• Lom people
• Lyuli
• Narikurava
• Zott
• Nawar (Syria)
• Origin of the Romani people

External links

• Dom Research Center
• "The Gypsies of Jerusalem: the Forgotten People" By Amoun Sleem
• Domari The society of Gypsies in Jerusalem
• "The Gypsy People of Israel, Gaza & the West Bank" by Valery Novoselsky
• "Evolving, educating: Israel's Gypsy community" by Roi Mandel
• "The Dom People and their Children in Lebanon" by Terre des Hommes