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Origin of the Romani People Pinned Down

Europe's largest minority group, the Romani, migrated from northwest India 1,500 years ago, new genetic study finds.

The Romani, also known as the Roma, were originally dubbed "gypsies" in the 16th century, because this widely dispersed group of people were first thought to have come from Egypt. Today, many consider "gypsy" to be a derogatory term.

The Indian theory has been around for awhile, but has now been backed up through genetic testing. The Romany people have suffered discrimination throughout Europe and, like the Jews, were targeted by the Nazis during World War II and sent to death camps. In some post-war Communist countries, there was forced sterilisation. Even outside Europe there is a lot of prejudice against the group. The phrase 'I was gypped', for example, comes from the term 'gypsy' and relates to the perception of thievery and trickery of the often nomadic people. This, to my mind, is as offensive as the phrase 'to jew a deal', which is used to a lesser extent by the ignorant around here and beyond. Most people know enough not to use the latter expression. They don't realise the origin of the former, though, and the Romany are sparse enough here that thoughtless words don't get corrected. While I never heard the latter phrase growing up, I did grow up with the former, and I try to make sure I do not use it.