The Kalderash Roma in Russia in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries

Based on the materials of the State Archive of the Russian Federation, the article observes the peculiarities of the migration processes of the Kalderash Roma from the South East Europe to the Russian Empire and the formation of the Roma community of the Kalderash ethnographic group. All the studied documentary materials give the possibilith th ty to state the continuity of the Roma migration to Russia in the second half of the 19 and early 20 centuries. It was not a momentary migration of a numerous Roma group. During the whole period, certain migratory movements took place: separate groups came to the Russian Empire both voluntary and as a result of forced deportations. The completion of the great migration of Roma to Russia falls on the Soviet period (the 1920s). The article also examines the peculiarities of Russian lawmaking in relation to foreign Roma and their implementation, as well as the peculiarities of the foreign Roma position in the Russian Empire during the World War I. Bringing new territories of Russia under th th cultivation in the second half of the 19 and early 20 centuries, Kalderash turned out to be the most movable group of Russian Roma. The amplitude of their movement during the period was not limited to the western territories of the Russian Empire. They were registered in the Urals, Siberia and the Far East. The status of foreigners gave them a chance to avoid a lot of restrictive measures undertaken against Russian Roma at that time. Maintaining all the main activities, such as tinning of dishes or metalworking, they also tried to master other economic niches and proved themselves in music, taking part in Roma choruses that were popular in Russia at that time. The successful adaptation led to the fact that Kalderash settled in Russia forming a large part of the Roma population of Russia and, in the fol- lowing Soviet period, preserved the peculiarities of their motility and occupations and the main complexes of ethnic culture.