Gypsies: Ethnic-Cultural Minority in the Finnish Society

Abstract

The article discusses the Kale group of Gypsies which make one of the indigenous ethnic-cultural minorities in Finland. It examines the centuries-long policies of the state and church toward the Gypsies, related to the nomadic ways, means of livelihood, and attitudes to Christian norms among the latter. The author makes estimates on the contemporary situation of the Gypsies both in the social-economic domain and the cultural realm.