Ḍom(b)a – Dobošari – Romanies Migrations of Indian Musician Castes to the West

The paper deals with the Indian etymology of the name for the Roma (Rroma, Romanies, Gypsies). It is generally known that the Roma are originally from India and migrated to Europe about 1,000 years ago. Although the Roma are constantly undergoing linguistic assimilation and losing their Indian language, it is still spoken by large populations, especially in Eastern and Southeastern Europe. This language is the only old Indo-Aryan language present in Europe and differs from all known languages of the Indian subcontinent.The name Rroma originates from the Indian word ḍom(b)a, which denotes a lowstatus caste (jat?) composed of nomadic or semi-nomadic musicians and dancers. Members of this group also engage in various other low-value occupations, such as scavenging, undertaking, cremation and similar tasks. Women, in particular, are often involved in dancing and singing, divination, and fortune-telling. Similar Gypsi-like groups with closely related names can be found elsewhere in Asia. These include the Ḍumaki in Pakistan (blacksmiths and musicians), the Lomari in Armenia, Turkey and neighbouring countries in the Middle East (Caucasian Roma), and the Domari in Palestine and surrounding countries in the Middle East and Central Asia. Comparable groups also exist in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan and elsewhere in the region. While these communities are Indian in terms of language and origin, they do not use the Romani name or derivatives of ḍom(b)-. The word ḍom(b)a itself is not Indo-Aryan but originates from a language belonging to the Mundic group. In Munda, the term simply means “drum, tympanum” and refers to the main instrument used by Roma musicians. The paper further discusses the relationship between language, religion and caste in India. A related term, Pārya, originates from the Dravidian word for drum (cf. Tamil paṛai “drum”), and is associated with a similarly low caste status. Pārya also denotes a Gypsi-like group in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan that speaks a Rajasthani idiom. The Roma are, therefore, ḍom(b)a – “drummers”. From this Munda loanword, a whole family of words for various types of drums, tympanums, and tambourines developed in Indo-Aryan languages, including Hungarian and Romanian, as well as Croatian and Serbian dob(oš). The root dob- in Croatian is quite obscure and appears primarily in the word dobovati (which describes the sound of pouring rain, resembling the rhythmic beating on the skin of a taut drum). Its near-synonym rominjati (referring to drizzling – rain that falls slowly yet steadily, with accompanying sound) remains a puzzle, unexplained by etymological dictionaries. It may be a remnant from ancient linguistic times that preserved both the forms dom and rom in their original, drumming-related meaning. The paper thus explains the origin of the ethnic name Roma (drummers of non-Aryan origin) while also shedding light on two obscure Croatian words related to drumming.