Gypsy population of the Middle Urals in the late 18th - early 20th centuries

Based on the materials of the central and regional archives, the article describes the peculiarities of the formation of the Gypsy community in the Middle Urals. The migration of the Gypsy population in different historical periods, the character of their presence in the region and the features of their interaction with the authorities are traced. The source database is characterized, and poor documentation of the history of Gypsies is marked. It is noted that the period of the 19th - early 20th centuries was the time of the formation of the Gypsy population in the region. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, Gypsy camps appeared in the region only occasionally, but, starting from the second quarter of the 19th century, their presence became permanent, their population and exploited territory grew. The basis of the Gypsy population of that period was the camps of the ethnic group of Russian gypsies. Only in the early 20th century, did representatives of the so-called "foreign gypsies" appear in the region. They were mostly from Calderash or Lovari. The main feature of the formation of the ethnic minority of Russian Gypsies was migration from two regions - the European part of the country and Siberia. In adjacent Siberian provinces, Gypsy communities had been formed a bit earlier and were larger. The archival materials highlight the peculiarities of state policy in different regions aimed at the resettlement of nomadic camps and the limitation of the Gypsy mobility in the 19th and early 20th century. But this did not bring the expected effect and did not lead to the resettlement of nomadic camps during that period. In the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries, Gypsies became an organic part of the Perm community: performances of Gypsies on Perm ships, Gypsy choirs in the governorate centre and towns, Gypsy sellers on fairs and markets became commonplace in the life of Russian provinces.