My Wanderings with Bart McDowell

[Eugenia Shmulevich]

When preparing to review my first book, I didn't really have any specific plans how I would do it. Though possessing only 215 pages more than half of which were photographs, the book presented a major challenge to me as a learner. In the end I decided to approach my review by structuring it around several questions that presented themselves as I was reading.

The first question was of course, why this book? I first chose Bart McDowell's "Gypsies. Wanderers of the World" written for the National Geographic Society on recommendation of my adopted sister. She said that specifically this would be a very good gentle introduction into our heritage for someone like me who has very recently learned through genetic testing that a small percentage of my DNA is from East Asia and India. Upon the first glance, I thought it would be easy too. The essays were well written but not overwhelming. The story was easy to follow. The photography was breathtaking. I was in the clear or so I thought. I was hoping for a straight-forward bullet point work but instead found much controversy and complexity.

I read "Wanderings" over several weeks. Though I anticipated an easy read, I ended up taking something like 6 pages of notes which probably translate rather poorly into a synopsis of the book. The book refers to Roma as Gypsies throughout the entirety of it, but FYI, I will personally refer to Roma people as Roma only. I will only use the term "Gypsy" when it has been specifically used in the book  and I can't get out of using it.

So without further adieu, it was childhood nostalgia that brought Bart McDowell to writing a book about the many named Roma. He felt a kinship with the romantic vagabond lifestyle of the Roma and wanted to learn as much as he could about the mysterious people and where they came from.Through the years he would meet many of them until his thirst brings him to Liverpool and a Gypsy scholar (who is not Roma herself) who introduces McDowell to Clifford Lee, his eventual companion on the journey of discovery from the banks of River Thames to India, the generally accepted alma mater of all Roma. As soon as they meet, McDowell feels an immediate kinship with Lee and in the course of their conversation about Lee himself and his Romani heritage, the two men stumble upon a novel idea. Wouldn't it be something to travel the route that the Roma took to get to Europe but trace their steps back to their homeland?

After planning for almost a year, McDowell, Cliff and his wife Sheila, and photographer Bruce Dale depart England in a rented car and start making their way south and onward. Through the many months of travel, all four meet hundreds of Rom in France, Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, Turkey, and Iran and hear their stories. Walking backwards through time, we learn the stories of survival of Porrajmos, enslaved and persecuted life under the emperors and kings in Europe for hundreds of years, and ultimately of the flight west from India escaping the Turks. For Lee, the amazing things he saw and Rom in every land, ascertained the specialness of his people because of how welcome and same he felt with other Roma. Lee achieved a pilgrimage to his homeland and answered all the questions he had about where he was from. For McDowell, though he learned much, the mystery of the Roma still remains. There are no definite answers, only likelihoods and theories of who the Roma are and where they come from. 
  

3. As for me, there is no doubt that I've learned plenty from the material presented by McDowell. Being the ever so slightly anal accountant (it's the truth!), I decided that the sheer number of observations merited a bulleted list.

First, for the positives (relatively so):

• In the 1970s, despite the genocide of WWII, the number of Roma ranged between 1-10 million. Much more than I imagined
• Roma are exceptionally talented people. They speak many languages. They are incredibly artistic. They dance, they create visual art. They appreciate colors and precious metals
• My God, are Romani photogenic. The book wasn't even supposed to be a book of photography but I couldn't take my eyes off of people. They are described as "the most expressive people."
• They are wonderfully welcoming to their own while rightfully of strangers because after all, they are far from stupid and have to be cautious.
• They love celebrations and seek any opportunity to celebrate moments in life and extend the parties as much as possible
• They are hard-working and do not shy away from any job, even ones that are seen by whites as demeaning.

Unfortunately, the list of the negative observations I observed was much larger. In order to keep things balanced, I will only include the major ones:

• McDowell never calls them Roma, only Gypsies despite acknowledging in the very beginning of the book that they call themselves Rom. Cliff Lee also refers to his people as Gypsies while referring to the language as Romani. I didn't quite understand the disparity.
• McDowell does want to know answers to cliché questions - i.e. is there a Gypsy kind? What is Gypsy religion? Do they really steal children? Do they steal or cheat others?
• Most of the historical mentions of Gypsies that he references from various countries refer to them in solely criminal manner - they are thieves, adventuters, vagabonds, heathens. And in a sad repetition, the vast majority of the Romani McDowell mentions that they meet are Roma of more fringe professions - they are bricklayers, musicians, beggars, pick-pocketers, factory workers. The number of educated professionals he mentions could be counted on one hand and even they dream about caravans. McDowell's Romanis seem to have absolutely desire to endlessly wander. They ultimately seem perfectly happy to be separate from the rest of the world.  
• Every Roma scholar that McDowell speaks to is not Romani him/herself. He ascribes this to the fact that Roma don't like to tell strangers anything because they are evasive. These scholars vary from being friends of the Rom such as Pr. Yates that introduces McDowell to Cliff Lee to the professor in Hungary who spends time talking about the physical appearance of various Roma that make them look more or less like whites. Eugenics much? I would like to hope that this so because the book was published in 1970 but I had a very hard time believing that he couldn't find Roma scholars who were not racist or who actually were Romani.

Ultimately despite the negatives, I enjoyed the book. Amidst threads of racism, I got to hear stories of Roma lives, stories about their culture and families. I got to see unforgettably beautiful photographs of Roma children. I walked the path from the banks of River Thames where I've actually been, through Hungary and Greece, Iran and Pakistan, all the way to India, all the places I would love to someday visit. 

Romani people have been given many names by various others in the lands they came to: Athingani, Heathens, Bohemians, Tartars, Charami, Pharaoh's People, Atzigan, Cigani, Zingani, Tsygany, Zigauner, Zingari, Zincali, Gypsy. Yet they call themselves simply Roma. Scholars know they come from India but which tribe is theirs? They could be Dom, they could be Lulis or Jats or Sansi. Or they could be all of them. They are one and many people. They were chased out of India by war and though most of them have never been back, they carry their Indian identity on their faces and in their traditions.

[Wout J. van Vloten]

Thanks Eugenia for your personal review. Very appreciated ! Your sister was certainly right, the book is an introduction, not more and no less, written at the end of the '70's. it's a book full of anecdotes ( not speaking of their own experiences during this trip to India ), lent from very early publications up to the mid- 60's anecdotes with often a lot of old phantasy on "Zigeuner".. Too much style à la the "Gypsy Lore Soc." ! Even a lot of the photographes are well to discuss ( subjects & photo-quality ). But ....as I already said....usuable as a first simplified introduction in english to the world of the Rom(s). Further Indeep info by some USA ( Ian Hancock)/Canadian scholars ( as Ronald Lee) and further on to find in Europe and Russia. Once again Thanks for your publication here !