Dom people

For caste in India, see Dom (caste).

Dom
Total population
2.2 million (estimated)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Balkans and Hungary, Eastern Anatolia Region, Middle East and North Africa
Languages
Domari (primarily),[2] Albanian, Arabic (also various dialects), Hebrew
Religion
Islam, irreligion[3]
Related ethnic groups
Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians,[3] Domba,[2] Ghorbati,[2] Lom,[2] Romani,[2] Abdal of Turkey, other Indo-Aryans[2]

The Dom (also called Domi; Arabic: دومي / ALA-LC: Dūmī, دومري / Dūmrī, Ḍom / ضوم or دوم, or sometimes also called Doms) are descendants of the Dom caste with origins in the Indian subcontinent which through ancient migrations are found scattered across the Middle East and North Africa, the Eastern Anatolia Region, and parts of the Balkans and Hungary.[2] The traditional language of the Dom is Domari, an endangered Indo-Aryan language, thereby making the Dom an Indo-Aryan ethnic group.[2][4]

The Doms were formerly grouped with other traditionally itinerant ethnic groups originating from medieval India: the Rom and Lom peoples.[2] However, these groups left India at different times and used different routes.[5] The Domari language has a separate origin in India from Romani,[2] and Doms are not closer to the Romani people than other Indians, such as Gujaratis.[6] Dom people do not identify themselves as Romanis.[7]

  1. ^ Maltby, Kate (June 2014). "Bordering isolation: Attitudes to minorities in Turkey". Index on Censorship. 43 (2): 62–66. doi:10.1177/0306422014536301. ISSN 0306-4220. S2CID 147052237.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Matras & Tenser 2020, pp. 14–17.
  3. ^ a b Ismaili, Besa (2013). "Kosovo". In Nielsen, Jørgen S.; Akgönül, Samim; Alibašić, Ahmet; Racius, Egdunas (eds.). Yearbook of Muslims in Europe. Vol. 5. Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers. pp. 369–381. doi:10.1163/9789004255869_025. ISBN 978-90-04-25586-9. ISSN 1877-1432.
  4. ^ Türki̇ye'de Rom, Dom Ve Lom Gruplarinin Görünümü
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hubschmannova was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Hancock, Ian F. (2002). We are the Romani People. Centre de recherches tsiganes. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-902806-19-8. OCLC 52312737.
  7. ^ Özateşler, Gül (1 December 2013). "The "Ethnic Identification" Of Dom People In Diyarbakir". Journal of Modern Turkish History Studies. 13 (27): 279. ISSN 1300-0756.