 Romani encampment in Ballarat, 1908 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 5,000-25,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia | |
| Languages | |
| Australian English, Romani, various Para-Romani languages | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity |
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The Romani people in Australia are citizens of Australia who are of Romani descent. They are sometimes referred to as Roma. Most Roma in Australia trace their roots to the United Kingdom and Greece, who in return trace their roots to northern India.
The first Roma arrived in Australia in 1788, with migration patterns continuing throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The population is currently estimated to be between 5,000 and 25,000 peoples, with significant numbers of Roma living in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.[1][2]
The Romani community is underrepresented in Australian society, and is commonly referred to as the ‘invisible community’.[3] Many members are not registered on the electoral roll, nor do they identify as Romani in the census.[4] Reasons behind this include the nomadic lifestyle of many Roma, where they temporarily live in various states and regions, and fear of discrimination.[3]
In Australia, the Romani community engages in many traditional practices, including marriage, fortune-telling, nomadism and poetry writing. These cultural practices are central to the diaspora as a whole; however, they slightly vary across populations due to contextual influences.
- ^ "Angloromani". Ethnologue. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
- ^ Yvonne Slee. "A History of Australian Romanies, now and then". Australia: Open ABC. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ a b Morrow, Wendy (2009). Travellers, Nomadic, and Migrant Education. New York: Routledge. p. 89.
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