Lyuli

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Lyuli children in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Lyuli children in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Lyuli or Luli [lju`li:] are a South Asian/Desi people living in Central Asia, primarily Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. They are also known as Central Asian Roma although it is most probable that the two populations emigrated at different times out of the Indian subcontinent.

The origin of the Lyuli and their name is unclear.

The same as the Roma, they originate from India. The Lyuli practice Islam. They have a clan organization (the Lyuli word for clan is tupar). Division into sub-clans is also practiced. The Lyuli community is extremely closed towards non-Lyuli.[1]

Lyuli speak a Lyuli dialect of the Domari language.[2]

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[edit] Name

There are many names for the Lyuli: Jughi, Multani or Luli. However, they refer to themselves as Mugat or Mughat (Arabic: موغات), which means "fire-worshipper", as well as Ghurbat (Arabic: غربات), which means "lonely". All of these words are derived from Arabic. The term Multani signifies a person who originates from the city of Multan (in modern-day Pakistan), because some of the Lyuli emigrated from Multan around 1380 CE. According to Professor Khol Nazarov, the ancestors of the Lyuli belonged to a caste of singers, musicians and dancers. Faced with hardship in their homeland, they were forced to leave, and dispersed worldwide.

[edit] Lyuli in Kyrgyzstan

The Lyuli live in the south of Kyrgyzstan, in Osh Province. Their living standard is extremely low due to discrimination. Many children are devoid of education in their mother tongue and many Lyuli have no documents. Lyuli society is working towards improvement of their living standards and preservation of their culture.[3]

[edit] Lyuli in Russia

Lyuli woman with child at the Bolaq embankment, Kazan, Russia.
Lyuli woman with child at the Bolaq embankment, Kazan, Russia.

In the beginning of the 1990s, Lyuli started migrating into Russian cities, placing especially near railway stations and markets. At first, Russians mistakenly identified them as Tajik refugees, ethnically Tajiks and Uzbeks, due to their dress in traditional Oriental robes. Russian Roma emphasize that the Lyuli are a different South Asian/Desi population. However, Russians consider the Lyuli to be Gypsies, because of the resemblance with the Roma.[1] They are a frequent target of Russian far right skinheads.[4][5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b (Russian) Николай Бессонов. Цигане и пресса. Эпопея о люли - Some photos of Lyulis
  2. ^ (English) Report at www.ethnologue.com
  3. ^ (Russian) Интернет-Журнал "Оазис" Народ без прав
  4. ^ Russia's far-right on rise
  5. ^ Russia 2004

[edit] External links