Vol 2, No 8 2001 pp. 445 - 455
UDC 316.723:236(=914.99)+393(=914.99)
THE GYPSY CEMETERY IN DONJI KOMREN
Dragan Todorović1, Dragoljub B. Đorđević2
1Faculty of Philosophy, Niš
2Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Niš
Abstract. The typology of the Romany cemeteries is that the Romanies
are buried at (a) their own Gypsy cemetery that is physically separated
from the so-called Serbian one, (b) their own cemetery, the so-called Gypsy
cemetery that is physically connected to the so-called Serbian one, (c)
the so-called Serbian cemetery together with the other citizens, and (d)
some other cemetery outside their place of residence.
The people of Donji Komren are not to blame for having a separate Gypsy
cemetery since, on one hand, the Romanies were always in recent or - sometimes
for centuries - in the far past buried at a separate and from their place
of residence distant terrain for at least three reasons: (a) severe segregation
and stigmatization of the majority, (b) the internal characteristics of
their own culture and their culture of death, and (c) turbulent historical
events. On the other hand, except for the burials outside their place of
residence (type d), the other types of cemeteries (a, b, and c) are utterly
legitimate and desirable. The reason for this might be that the first Romany
who died in Donji Komren was buried - at some time between the first two
world wars - on the northern-western side of a small hill named "Grobljišta"
for inherent reasons peculiar to the Romany culture of death. This might
have been a coincidence. Or maybe the reason for this was his stigmatization
by the citizens of the village. This can be only guessed at since there
is no written evidence. Neither is there reliable memory of the citizens.
Key words: Typology of Romany Cemeteries, Romany Culture of
Death
DONJOKOMRENSKO CIGANSKO GROBLJE
Tipologija romskih grobalja glasi, tj. Romi se sahranjuju na: (A) sopstvenom,
tzv. ciganskom groblju koje je fizički odvojeno od tzv. srpskog, (B) sopstvenom,
tzv. ciganskom groblju koje je fizički spojeno sa tzv. srpskim, (V) tzv.
srpskom groblju, pomešano sa ostalim meštanima, (G) drugom groblju, van
domicilnog mesta.
Donjokomrenčanima ne treba upisivati u greh postojanje izdvojenog DCG-a,
jer, sa jedne strane, Romi su se u bliskoj i, ponegde vekovima, dalekoj
prošlosti svagda sahranjivali na odvojenom i od boravišta udaljenom terenu
iz, najmanje, tri razloga: a) oštre segregacije i stigmatizacije većinskog
okruženja, b) unutrašnjih odlika sopstvene kulture i kulture smrti, i v)
burnih društveno-istorijskih dešavanja; i, sa druge, sem pogreba van mesta
življenja (tip "G"), ostali su tipovi grobalja ("A", "B", "V") sasvim legitimni
i poželjni. Možda je, tako, i prvi umrli donjokomrenski Rom sahranjen,
tamo negde između I i II svetskog rata, na severozapadnoj strani brdašca
"Grobljišta" iz inherentnih pobuda, svojstvenih romskoj kulturi smrti,
možda je odlučivala čista slučajnost, a možda je u igri bilo i žigosanje
od strane žitelja sela. O tome se jedino da nagađati s obzirom da nema
pisanih tragova i pouzdanog pamćenja seljana.
Ključne reči: tipologija romskih grobalja, romska kultura smrti
