Posha
Encyclopedia
The Lom people or Bosha are an ethnic group of Transcaucasia.
Their Lomavren language
is a mixed language
combining Indo-Aryan and Armenian
.
are sometimes considered a separate branch of the proto-Romani people who remained in Eastern Asia Minor
and Armenia
in the 11th century, while the ancestors of the contemporary Romani people immigrated further west in the 13th-14th centuries. The names Dom, Lom and Rom are likely to have the same origin (see Names of the Romani people
for details).
The exact number of existing Bosha is difficult to determine, due to the dispersed and often mostly-assimilated nature of the group. Estimates suggest only a few thousand of the people can be found across Armenia
and Georgia
, while Government census reports only 50 living in the former.
and Gyumri
in Armenia. Some of the Bosha in Armenia have adopted the Armenian language
and assimilated with the larger Armenian population
. In Georgia they live in such cities as Tbilisi
, Kutaisi
, Akhalkalaki
and Akhaltsikhe
. They are noted for such occupations as basket weaving
and metalsmithing, which are common among settled Roma.
Their Lomavren language
Lomavren language
Lomavren is a nearly extinct mixed language, spoken by the Lom people that arose from language contact between proto-Romani-speaking people and the Armenian language.-Linguistic features:...
is a mixed language
Mixed language
A mixed language is a language that arises through the fusion of two source languages, normally in situations of thorough bilingualism, so that it is not possible to classify the resulting language as belonging to either of the language families that were its source...
combining Indo-Aryan and Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
.
History
The Lom like the DomDom people
The Dom of the Middle East are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group. Some authors relate them to the Domba people of India.- Culture :...
are sometimes considered a separate branch of the proto-Romani people who remained in Eastern Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
in the 11th century, while the ancestors of the contemporary Romani people immigrated further west in the 13th-14th centuries. The names Dom, Lom and Rom are likely to have the same origin (see Names of the Romani people
Names of the Romani people
The Romani people are also known by a variety of other names, in English as Roma and Gypsies, in Greek as . In Central and Eastern Europe as Tsigani , in France as gitans besides the dated bohémiens and manouches....
for details).
Number
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1926 | 2 |
| 1959 | 18 |
| 1970 | 12 |
| 1979 | 59 |
| 1989 | 48 |
The exact number of existing Bosha is difficult to determine, due to the dispersed and often mostly-assimilated nature of the group. Estimates suggest only a few thousand of the people can be found across Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
and Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, while Government census reports only 50 living in the former.
Distribution
Concentrations of Bosha can be found in YerevanYerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
and Gyumri
Gyumri
Gyumri is the capital and largest city of the Shirak Province in northwest Armenia. It is located about 120 km from the capital Yerevan, and, with a population of 168,918 , is the second-largest city in Armenia.The name of the city has been changed many times in history...
in Armenia. Some of the Bosha in Armenia have adopted the Armenian language
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
and assimilated with the larger Armenian population
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
. In Georgia they live in such cities as Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, Kutaisi
Kutaisi
Kutaisi is Georgia's second largest city and the capital of the western region of Imereti. It is 221 km to the west of Tbilisi.-Geography:...
, Akhalkalaki
Akhalkalaki
Akhalkalaki is a small city in Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a population of 60,975. Akhalkalaki lies on the edge of the Javakheti Volcanic Plateau. The city is located about 30 km from the border with Turkey. 90 percent of the city's population are ethnic Armenians...
and Akhaltsikhe
Akhaltsikhe
Akhaltsikhe is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. It is situated on the both banks of a small river Potskhovi, which separates the city to the old city in the north and new in the south. The name of the city translates from Georgian as "new fortress".- History...
. They are noted for such occupations as basket weaving
Basket weaving
Basket weaving is the process of weaving unspun vegetable fibres into a basket or other similar form. People and artists who weave baskets are called basketmakers and basket weavers.Basketry is made from a variety of fibrous or pliable materials•anything that will bend and form a shape...
and metalsmithing, which are common among settled Roma.