Lom people
 Bosha gypsies, 19th century | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 Armenia | unknown[1] |
 Georgia | 2,000[2] |
 Turkey | ~1,000[3] |
| Languages | |
| Lomavren, Armenian, Georgian, Turkish | |
| Religion | |
| Armenian Apostolic Church, Islam (In Turkey) | |
The Lom people or Template:Lang-tr, also known in Template:Lang-tr as (Bosha or Posha) by non-Loms (Template:Lang-hy, Georgian: ბოშა, romanized: bosha; Template:Lang-ru) or Armenian Romani[4] (Template:Lang-ru; Template:Lang-hy) or Caucasian Romani[4] (Template:Lang-ru), are an ethnic group in historic Armenia.[5] Their Lomavren language is a mixed language, combining an Indo-Aryan substrate with Armenian.
History
The Lom, like the Dom people, are sometimes considered a separate branch of the proto-Romani people who remained in the Caucasus Mountains in the 11th century, while the ancestors of the contemporary Romani migrated further west in the 13th and 14th centuries. In Fayyumic coptic Lomi (ⲗⲱⲙⲓ) means "human".
Number
| Lom/Bosha in Soviet Transcaucasia | |||
| Year | Armenia | Georgia | Azerbaijan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926[6] | 2
|
333
|
333
|
| 1939[7] | 7
|
727
|
400
|
| 1959[8] | 18
|
1,024
|
577
|
| 1970[9] | 12
|
1,224
|
843
|
| 1979[10] | 59
|
1,223
|
121
|
| 1989[11] | 48
|
1,744
|
145
|
The exact number of existing Bosha is difficult to determine, due to the dispersed and often mostly-assimilated nature of the group. Estimates suggest only a few thousand of the people can be found across Armenia and Georgia, while the Armenian Government's census reports only 50 living in the former.[12]
Distribution
Concentrations of Bosha can be found in Yerevan and Gyumri in Armenia. Some of the Bosha in Armenia have adopted the Armenian language and assimilated with the larger Armenian population.[13] In Georgia they live in such cities as Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Akhalkalaki and Akhaltsikhe.[5] They are noted for such occupations as sievemakers.
In Turkey the Lomlar adopted Islam at the 19th century and assimilated Turkish culture. They mostly live in Artvin, Rize, Ardahan and Kars and identify themselves as Meshketian Turks, hiding their Lom origins, while taking Armenian words from their contact with the Hemshin.
References
- ^ Project, Joshua. "Armenian Bosha Romani in Armenia". joshuaproject.net.
- ^ "The Gypsies". www.researchgate.net. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ "Tarihten günümüze Lomlar veya Poşalar". Agos.
- ^ a b Journal / Gypsy Lore Society, Volume 1. Gypsy Lore Society. 1908 – via University of California.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|url-https://books.google.com/books?id=ignored (help) - ^ a b "Info on Bosha – Armenian Roma". RomNews Network Community. 2007-10-28. Archived from the original on 2007-10-28. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
- ^ "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011.
- ^ "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011.
- ^ "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". demoscope.ru. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011.
- ^ "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
- ^ "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
- ^ "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Archived from the original on January 4, 2012.
- ^ "POPULATION AND PEOPLE – People – Armenia Travel, History, Archeology & Ecology – TourArmenia – Travel Guide to Armenia". Tacentral.com. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ Wixman. The Peoples of the USSR. p. 30