Roma History: Tracing a Lost Ethnic Group

In Armenia, people are generally somewhat familiar with the Roma people. Most of their understanding of these nomadic people’s lifestyles and traditions comes from literature and films, which often perpetuate stereotypes, shaping biases against them.

However, very few in Armenia know about the Romas' origins or the circumstances of their global dispersal. Even fewer are aware that Armenia once had a Roma community that lived alongside Armenians for 8 centuries. Locally, they were traditionally called "Bosha."

Historical records indicate that the Bosha were a tribe of Roma people who migrated from the northwestern regions of India. However, specific details about when and why they left their homeland remain uncertain.

According to historical theories, a group that separated from India’s "Dom" caste was displaced during the Indian campaigns of the Ghaznavid dynasty. They migrated to Iran and, by the late 11th or early 12th century, reached Armenia. In Iran and the Middle East, Romas retained the name "Dom," while those who came to Armenia adopted the name "Lom."

The Phenomenon of Armenian-Bosha Identity 

Unlike the Roma who moved to the Middle East and later to European countries, the groups that arrived in Armenia quickly established themselves as a distinct sub-ethnic group.

Unlike their nomadic counterparts, these groups chose to assimilate into Armenian society, gradually losing two key components of ethnic identity: language and religion.

The Armenian-Bosha primarily lived in areas such as Yerevan’s Sari Tagh (“Tagh”=neighborhood), Kanaker (Boshi Tagh), Nork Marash neighborhoods, as well as Nor Kharberd village and the city of Gyumri (Boshi Mayla).

Various sources suggest that the Bosha population in historical Armenia reached up to 50,000. However, as a minority, they were recorded only during the 1926 census, with just a few dozen individuals.

By the 1989 census, only 48 people identified themselves as Bosha. The 2001 census showed no one identifying as Bosha, and the 2022 census data also reported no self-identified Bosha in Armenia.

Unlike other Roma groups, the Bosha in Armenia never practiced fortune-telling. Their primary occupations were trade and craftsmanship.

In Kanaker, even today, people refer to women who leave home early in the morning and return in the evening as "sieve sellers," a nod to Bosha women who once sold handmade sieves and baskets door-to-door. Men mainly engaged in animal husbandry.

Armenian-Christian: The Voluntary Assimilation of the Bosha

Anyone searching for Bosha in Boshi Tagh must come to terms with the fact that their efforts will be in vain. Here, people do not identify as Bosha. Everyone considers themselves "Armenian-Christian," speaks Armenian, and practices Christian traditions indistinguishable from the rest of the community.

The assimilation of Boshas with Armenians is an intriguing phenomenon for several reasons. It is crucial to note that the Roma in Armenia never faced the same level of discrimination and persecution as they did in other countries. (The peak of anti-gypsyism occurred in Nazi Germany, where around 600,000 Roma were killed in concentration camps). On the other hand, the Bosha lived alongside Armenians during historical periods when Armenia itself was under the rule of foreign powers, including Muslim Turks, Persians, and Christian Russians. In such circumstances, the assimilation of the Boshas into Armenian society was exclusively influenced by cultural and everyday life factors.

Longtime Kanaker residents recall that decades ago, elderly Bosha spoke among themselves in an unfamiliar and unintelligible language, though they never used it in written form.

Orientalist Vardan Voskanian, one of the few specialists who has studied the ethnogenesis and history of the Bosha in Armenia, notes that today, the Bosha who have fully assimilated into Armenian society mostly speak Armenian, which they regard as their native language. Within their community, they typically use the dialects of the Karno region. When speaking with outsiders, they adopt the local Armenian dialect or colloquial form. Additionally, some older Bosha, primarily those aged 60-70 and above, still use a unique language known as Lomavren. This language serves as a kind of secret code used exclusively to communicate in a way that non-Bosha cannot understand.

The long-term settlement and assimilation of the Roma (or Loms, as they are known in Armenia) have left subtle yet lasting impacts on Armenian culture and traditions. Many customs common in Armenian life, such as gifting gold at weddings, symbolically offering money to the bride’s family, and the dowry tradition, resemble Romani practices. These traditions are also widespread among many Middle Eastern peoples.