Jenische ( German Jenische , also self-name), “nomadic”, “white gypsies” - an ethnographic and social group of heterogeneous origin living in Central and Western Europe, mainly in the region around the Rhine (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Belgium, Luxembourg). Historically, the Athenians arose at the beginning of the 18th century as descendants of marginalized groups of the population (mainly German-speaking ). Only a small part of the Enish went over to the nomadic way of life.
Except Switzerland, the Yenishis are not recognized in any of the countries of Europe as a national minority . During the Second World War, the Nazis pursued the Yenish along with gypsies close to them in their lifestyle [1] . In modern Switzerland, the Yenishis are considered by the authorities as one of the groups of Gypsies . Swiss Yenishes actively interact with Gypsies- Sinti , while in other European countries Yenishes actively separate themselves from Gypsies.
The Yenishis speak a special Enish jargon , grammatically close to the Swiss dialects of the German language .
Content
Distribution
Yenish groups are documented in German-speaking countries, in France, Benelux and Italy, but in most of these countries they are not recorded. Only in Switzerland, where the Yenish have an officially registered organization, their number as of the beginning of the 1980s. estimated at 25,000-35,000 people of "at least partially of the Enish origin." [2] At the same time, the number of regularly active nomadic yenishes in Switzerland as of 1999 is estimated at only 2500 people. [3] . Jenish lingo and traditions are also preserved among a certain part of the non-nomadic population.
Legal Status
In most European countries, Jenis do not have official recognition.
A special situation exists in Switzerland. Since 1998, after the ratification of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities of Europe, “nomads” with Swiss citizenship have been recognized as a national minority under the name Fahrende , literally “traveling,” regardless of whether a particular ethnic group has a sedentary or nomadic lifestyle . [4] [3]
In Switzerland, the Jenish jargon, after ratification of the 1997 European Charter for Regional Languages , received the status of “language without territorial reference”. [four]
It should be noted that until the early 1970s, the Swiss government pursued a semi-official policy of institutionalizing adult Yenish as “insane” and took measures to adapt children to the level of “normal” Swiss citizens as part of efforts to eliminate Yenish culture [5] . The name of this program is “Kinder der Landstraße” (“Country Children”). 590 children were taken away from their parents and transferred to orphanages, psychiatric institutions and even prisons [6] .
The interests of the Yenishis are represented in Switzerland by the "Society for Traveling on Wheels on a High Road" ( German: Radgenossenschaft der Landstrasse ), which, along with the Yenisches, also represents other "nomadic" peoples - Roma and Sinti . The company receives subventions (targeted subsidies) from the state. [4] [7] Since 1979, the Society has been a member of the International Union of Gypsies (IRU) . Despite this, the official position of society is to defend the interests of the Yenishes as a separate people.
According to Swiss international treaties and the Federal Court’s verdict, the cantonal authorities are obliged to provide nomadic groups of young people with parking and moving places, as well as provide school attendance for schoolchildren. [eight]
Art and Culture
Enish dialect and literature
Since Jenish jargon not a full language , but only an idilect in the framework of one of the dialects of the German language, its communicative possibilities are limited. It is impossible to build complex sentences in jenish jargon . For this reason, writers of Jenish descent write in the language of the national majority among whom they live. Rare literary texts in Enish jargon usually refer to small forms (short verses, songs, etc.).
In Germany, the writer Engelbert Wittich (1878-1937) conducted folklore and cultural studies of Sinti and Enish, and also published poems and songs in the Enish jargon.
The Swiss Enish writer Albert Minder (1879–1965) published the book “Korber-Chronik” in 1948, which described the customs of the Enish in Switzerland of the 19th – early 20th centuries .
The recollections of the Swiss writer Mariella Mer (born 1947) about her childhood, when she became a victim of the program to forcibly "cultivate" the Enish (see above), gained international fame.
The Austrian Jenish writer Romed Mungenast (1953-2006) published short texts and poems in German and in Jenish jargon. [9]
The Austrian writer Simone Schönette (born 1972) described her childhood in her novel “Im Moos”. [ten]
The Swiss Jenish writer Peter Paul Moser (1926-2003) published a three-volume autobiography in his own publishing house [11] , where he cited a large number of documents about his history as a victim of the program for "cultivating" the Yenish.
The Swiss journalist Jenish Venants Nobel (born 1956) publishes articles in German in newspapers and magazines about the history of the Yenish and their life at present. [12]
Helga Röder (born 1929) published two documentary and biographical novels. [13]
Holidays and cultural events
In the period from 1722-1817 in the commune of Gersau (until 1798, an independent republic), a feast called Feckerhilby was annually held on Lake Firwaldstet . The word "fecker" ("Fecker", "Fekker") in the Swiss dialect of German is a derogatory term for nomads regardless of nationality. It was a fair where traditional crafts were sold and entertainments were held. In 1832, the fair was banned. At present, after the emergence of an organization representing the interests of the Yenish, the tradition of holding the fair is being revived, it has been held again since 1982. Gypsy synthis also participate in the festival.
A similar holiday called Fête de la Brocante [14] has been held since 1973 in the commune of Landern (Le Landeron) . Sinti also take part in this holiday along with the Yenishis.
Most celebrations and cultural events among the Yenishis take place in a narrow circle. Public holidays include some pilgrimages, as well as feckerhilby .
See also
- Irish travelers
Notes
- ↑ Ulrich Siewers PR - Öffentlichkeitsarbeit in der Region für die Region
- ↑ So die Schweizerische Bischofskonferenz 1978 bzw. eine Studienkommission 1983, zit. nach: Hansjörg Roth: Jenisches Wörterbuch. Aus dem Sprachschatz Jenischer in der Schweiz. Frauenfeld 2001, S. 23.
- ↑ 1 2 Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft, Bundesamt für Kultur: Sprachen und kulturelle Minderheiten - Fahrende in der Schweiz. Archived June 9, 2007 on the Wayback Machine
- ↑ 1 2 3 Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft, Bundesamt für Kultur: Fahrende - Anerkennung als nationale Minderheit. Archived December 20, 2007 on Wayback Machine
- ↑ On Swiss Crimes against Yeniche (German)
- ↑ Le Temps (Geneva) December 12, 2007. Article: “Le passé enfin écrit des enfants enlevés en Suisse” (“On the abduction of children in Switzerland”), a historical study covering the years from 1926 to 1973.
- ↑ Helena Kanyar Becker, Klischee und Realität, in: dies. (Hrsg.), Jenische, Sinti und Roma in der Schweiz, Basel 2003, S. 15-18, hier: S. 17.
- ↑ Entscheid des Bundesgerichts vom 28. März 2003. (129 II 321, veröffentlicht in Pra 3004/52 / 263I).
- ↑ vgl. Romed Mungenast (Hg.): Jenische Reminiszenzen. Geschichte (n), Gedichte. Landeck / Tirol: EYE, 2001. ISBN 3-901735-06-2 .
- ↑ Simone Schönett: Im Moos. Bibliothek der Provinz 2001. ISBN 3-85252-423-7 . Textauszug Archived May 16, 2005 on Wayback Machine
- ↑ Peter Paul Moser, Textauszüge seiner Autobiographie
- ↑ Venanz Nobel: Wie dr Jänisch sich gspient ... Eigenverlag, 2000. Textauszug
- ↑ Helga Röder: Tamara aus dem Volk der Jenischen. Kindheit und Alltag eines Zigeunermädchens. Marsilius-Verlag, Speyer o. J. ISBN 3-929242-33-8 ; Helga Röder: Tamara. Kriegsjahre eines Mädchens. Schaffen und Wirken in guten wie in schlechten Tagen. Scheinerling-Verlag, Neulußheim o. J. ISBN 3-9809779-0-0 .
- ↑ brocantelanderon.ch - Fete de la Brocante
Links
- Wikimedia Commons has media files for the Yenishi
- jenischer-bund.de - union of German Jenisch
- members.aon.at/jenisch.at - union of austrian jenisch
- fahrende.ch - union of swiss yenishis
- radgenossenschaft.ch - Swiss Society of Enish, Roma and Sinti
- jenisch.info - Schäft Qwant Interethnic Swiss Union