Towards the Gypsies’ mentality: a lesson of the perception of gadjé (strangers)
Towards the Gypsies’ mentality: a lesson of the perception of gadjé (strangers)

Summary/Abstract: The author attempts to describe a component of the Gypsies’ mentality: the attitude towards the non-Gypsies,“gadjé”. She builds on facts from the life of some XIX century European ethnographers, who joined the Roma communities in order to obtain authentic firsthand folklore material using the method of participant observation. It is well known that Gypsies around the world adhere to a certain scale of values, which is an integral part of their mentality. Closeness is one of the inalienable characteristic of the Roma community; its origin should be seen in the history of this people, which experienced persecution, humiliation, and accusations of all “mortal sins” for centuries, as well as even the risk of complete physical annihilation. Scientists still do not understand how the Roma, being the natives of the midst of the poorest Indian tribes of dancers and craftsmen, have survived as a nation after they left their native lands, while highly developed civilizations of Maya, Inca and Aztec disappeared from the face of Earth. The solution, in our opinion, should be seen in the mentality of the Roma people. The Roma mentality has preserved a set of rules and laws that determines the behaviour of people, their way of life. These rules cause their insulation from the outside world, their peculiar mysteriousness, and high survival rate in extreme conditions. They also contributed to developing the ability to “occult sciences”, the knowledgeof magic and hypnosis, the knowledge of practical psychology, suggestion, and extrasensory perception.

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