Understanding the Roma

Roma people are from Northwest India. Historians have known this fact for a long time, but now a DNA study has confirmed this truth.
"Roma people in England are traditionally known as ‘Gypsies’ because of the medieval belief that they originated in Egypt.  More recently it became established that they actually originated on the Indian sub-continent, but, in the absence of archaeological evidence and written records, nobody knew for sure.  Now, a new DNA study published this week, has pinpointed both their ancestry in northwest India and the timing of their departure from the region to around 1,400 years ago." Quoted from Abroad in the Yard:https://www.abroadintheyard.com/dna-study-finds-european-gypsies-left-their-ancestral-home-in-northwest-india-1400-years-ago/

A study led by Indian and Estonian academics, including Dr Toomas Kivisild of Cambridge University, has confirmed their origins in the Indian sub-continent, and even identified the location and social background from which they emerged.

The findings have been welcomed by Britain's Gypsy Council, which said it would help to promote understanding of Roma people throughout Europe. "We are Britain's first Non-Resident Indian community," said council spokesman Joseph Jones.

The study, which was published this month in the journal Nature, examined Y chromosomes in DNA samples to compare the genetic signatures of European Roma men with those of thousands of Indians from throughout the sub-continent. Quoted from The Telegraph:
European Roma descended from Indian 'untouchables', genetic study shows

Travelers in Painted Wagons on Cohay Creek by Mary Lou Cheatham and Sarah Walker Gorrell, a historical novel based on the migration of the Roma people from northern India all the way to the states of Louisiana and Mississippi, gives insights into what their lives could have been. 

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