Yoors 'Hidden Culture In The Book The Gypsies'

The idea of running away as a child with a band of travelers is often romanticized in book and movies; it is hard to know what it would be like to run away with a group of gypsies. This is due to the fact that their culture is hidden from outsiders, so it is hard to get an understanding of their communities. Yoors book The Gypsies gives us a look at a hidden culture from the perspective of someone who was accepted into their community. This unbiased perspective lets us peer at stereotypes that are used to describe life of the Roma and we can see if they are true or false. When most people think of the Roma the image that comes to mind is one of fortune tellers and palm readers. Even I thought that they believed in the supernatural forces they would claim to use when telling the future. But in truth they use either as a way of taking small amounts of money or items they need from the non Roma as well as making fun of them (pg 55).
Gaining full acceptance into such a close knit and secretive culture you would imagine would require an elaborate ceremony to join the family. But instead it is as simple as Putzini’s father Pulika saying that he will let it be known among all his people that from now on he claimed full responsibility” (82). And with those words Jan was considered family, not only for Pulika and his immediate family, but now for all of the other traveling