Who We Are?
Dom Research Workshop
The term Dom is used to include all of the sub-groups of the Peripatetic (Gypsy) people who are identified by Middle Eastern People with generic terms such as Nawar, Zott, Ghajar, Bareke, Gaodari, Krismal, Qarabana, Karachi, Abdal, Tribe, Qurbet, Mitrip, Gewende Gypsy, Dom, Abdal, Tanjirliyah, Haddadin, Haciye, Albanian, Alebî, Haramshe, Kaoli. Kırkayak Kültür, who prepared this report, preferred to use the name Dom considering the main body of the Peripatetic (Gypsy) live in similar, even entwined conditions and their kinship.
Another peripatetic society living in the Middle East, called Abdals/Tebers, are named “Per-Dom” (signifying a lower status) by Doms. Despite differences in terms of language, religious beliefs and historic backgrounds, these peoples are called with various generic terms by locals: Gypsy, Nawar, Ghajar or Mitrip, hence were gathered under the term “Dom”. The language of the Abdals, called Teberî, includes terms from Farsi and Turanian languages and constitutes a particular collection of vocabulary.
Today, many peripatetic groups live all around the world with different names: Gypsies, Dom, Rom/Roma, Lom, Teber/Abdal and so on. Despite the generic terms used by non-gypsies, these names are all self-denominated.
The name Gypsy was used to include all of these self-given names.
Kırkayak Kültür considers the self-given names of the groups reflects the best definition considering the conceptualization.
The term peripatetic has become widely used in the social sciences especially in the second half of the 20th C. The term translates into craftsmen nomads. Such crafts include: Blacksmithing, tinning, coppersmith, acrobatics, musicianship, jewelry, dentistry, folk medicine, circumcision and so on. These people perform divers occupations according the demands of the clientele in the region as well as the knowledge and skills they acquired during their travel .
Kırkayak Kültür – Dom Studies Program; carries out efforts to improve life socio-economic conditions of Dom communities and other relevant groups living in Middle East countries, improve education, housing, health services, and employment for these communities, prevent discrimination, improve human rights, and provide them with access to social and public services. The main objective of the center is to conduct social, cultural, and artistic activities in order to ensure Dom groups become active members of the society in counties where they settle, participate in and contribute to economic, social, cultural, civil, and politic life of these countries, develop socially and culturally as socially and culturally risky and disadvantaged communities, and ensure cohesion in society within the framework of coexistence, dialog, and solidarity to fight against prejudices and discrimination. In this context, the center creates strategies and action plans, and aims to conduct cultural studies in countries where Dom communities and other relevant groups live in cooperation with public institutions and civil society organizations.