Romani people in Montenegro explained

Group:	Romani people in Montenegro
Regions:	Podgorica, Nikšić, Bijelo Polje, Berane and Herceg Novi
Total:	6,251
Langs:	Balkan Romani, Albanian, Serbian, Montenegrin
Rels:	Islam, Eastern Orthodoxy

The oldest settled group are the Kovači (Blacksmiths), a subgroup of the Arlije, who have lived there since the Middle Ages and who converted to Islam during the Ottoman period, they do not speak Balkan Romani, but rather Montenegrin language or Albanian language, they live especially in the towns of Bar, Montenegro and Ulcinj. They do not want to be called Roma and distance themselves from other Roma groups. They have no roma traditions. They call themselves only as Muslims (ethnic group).^[1]

There are also the Gurbeti who belong to the Čergarja group, they were once nomadic. In the 1960s they became sedentary. Most of them have the Christian faith of the Eastern Orthodox Church.^{[2] [3]}

Then there are Muslim Roma, Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians refugees, who came to Montenegro during the Kosovo War in 1999.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Advancing Education of Roma in Montenegro.
2. Gypsies/Roma in Montenegro: Group identity and the role of language. Sofiya. Zahova. In: Schrammel-Leber, Barbara and Tiefenbacher, Barbara, Eds. Grazer Romani Publikationen 02: Romani V. Papers from the Annual Meeting of the Gypsy Lore Society . January 2013 . www.academia.edu.
3. Vukadinović. Srđan. 2008. The Status of Gypsies in Montenegro. Facta Universitatis. 2. 517–525.
4. Web site: Move on: Roma refugees from Kosovo in Montenegro. European Roma Rights Centre.