Historically speaking, the Roma saw themselves as they were, i mean they were BLACK. That’s why the WELSH gypsies called themselves with the autonym KALE-Blacks. Another Roma group called KALE are the Finnish gypsies, and finally the third grup is the Spanish Gypsies. The KALE spanish gypsies even call their language with the name CHIP I KALI- THE BLACK LANGUAGE.
Tineo Rebolledo, J. (1900) wrote the book A Chipicalli (la Lengua Gitana).
The Spanish Roma, use the expression ROMANI CHIB-the Romani language in parallel with the expression I CHIP I KALI- ”the black language”. In Romani the noun ”jib,chip,chib,shib” is a feminine one. Also the Welsh gypsies used to say Romani chib-the Romani language. Simply the names ”Romani chib” and ”I kali chip” means both ” THE LANGUAGE OF THE BLACK PEOPLE”.
”Like the Romani populations of Scandinavia, Britain, and the Iberian Peninsula, up to the late 18th century the Sinti referred to themselves as ‘Kale’ (lit. ‘blacks’)”
The ancient gypsies knew very well the meaning of the sanskrit RAMA. Rama means BLACK in the Sanskrit language. Another HINDU word for BLACK is KALA in Hindi language, and KALO in Bengali language. The NAME of the Goddess KALI, means the black one goddess.
Is very curious how all the so-called gypsy linguists like Ian Hancock,Yaron Matras or Marcel Courthiade were unable to decipher why the KALE gypsies call themselves KALE.
I heard recently from an old Roma in Ploiesti city the expression Parni shib-White tongue, applied to those who try to learn Romani shib, but actually are Gaje.
I forbid to anyone to ”borrow” from me the link made by me between the Hindi/Romani words Kali/Roma/Ram(black) and the expression ” I CHIP I KALI”for the first time in the history of the Romani language.
The Romanichal are called KALE, too.
Author: Cirpaci Marian Nutsu, a KALO ROM, not white.