King John, an American Roma tribal leader (rom baro), at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, during the burial of his wife Queen Eleanora
InRoma communities in North America and some areas of Europe,[1] the rom baro (lit.'big man') is the tribal leader. He earns his position through merit, and his decisions ‒ although considered wise ‒ do not have the automatic approval of the community.[2] Other factors in the selection of a rom baro include knowledge of the language of the areas of planned travel and resourcefulness in emergency situations.[3]
The term baro is of Indic origin, and implies not only "big", but also powerful and important. Some Canadian and American Roma groups have substituted the term shato, a contraction of O Baro Shato, "the bigshot".[4]
The rom baro are chosen by their communities; the main criteria for choosing a rom baro is their intelligence and a sense of fairness.[5] The leaders are usually older in age, as the older a Roma is, the better knowledge of Roma law and traditions they are viewed as having.[6] They act as advisors for the king of their respective tribe or company and are usually fairly wealthy.[7]Arom baro is elected for life and the position is not inheritable.[8] The rom baro is the head of their patriarchal groups known as familias but, their authority extends far beyond their own familias, encompassing their respective tribes or companies (Romani: kumpania). The role of the rom baro is to handle all the internal problems in their tribe or company such as disagreements in work, marriage, family relations, trials, funerals, etc., while also, dealing with Gadjo (non-Roma) authorities in making sure their tribe is in good standing with the American law, arranging work, and handling outside pressures to assimilate.[9] While the rom baro has a considerable amount of power and influence among their Roma tribe (Romani: vitsa), they are still subject to the Roma law and the Kris (Romani court). A rom baro who fails to provide for his community or breaks the Roma law will be removed from his position by Kris. This includes getting in trouble with gadje authorities and revealing Roma secrets which will make them not only lose their position, but also be outcasts from the tribe and considered impure.[5][10]
^Sharon Bohn Gmelch. "Groups that Don't Want In: Gypsies and Other Artisan, Trader, and Entertainer Minorities". Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol. 15, (1986), p. 317.
^Paul R. Magocsi. Encyclopedia of Canada's peoples. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999. p. 644.
^The Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier, 1981. p. 650.
^William W. Zellner (2001). "Leadership: The Rom Baro". Extraordinary Groups: An Examination of Unconventional Groups. Worth Publishers. p. 127. ISBN9780716770343.
^Michael L. Chohaney (2014). "Hidden in plain sight: mixed methods and the marble orchards of the Vlach Rom in Toledo, Ohio". Journal of Cultural Geography. 31 (1). Routledge: 63. doi:10.1080/08873631.2013.873297. S2CID144278333.
^Walter Otto Weyrauch; Maureen Anne Bellt (1993). "Autonomous Lawmaking: The Case of the "Gypsies"". The Yale Law Journal. 103 (2): 352. doi:10.2307/797098. JSTOR797098. Gypsies have no kings in the traditional meaning of the term. Every vitsa has a rom baro, literally meaning "Big Man," commonly referred to as the chief. The chief is elected for life, and the position is not inheritable.
