The Romani, also spelled Romany or Rromani (/ˈroʊməni/ ROH-mə-nee or /ˈrɒməni/ ROM-ə-nee), colloquially known as the Roma (SG: Rom), are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group who traditionally lived a nomadic, itinerant lifestyle.
Estonian Roma were killed during the Romani Holocaust of World War II, with estimates between 800 and 1,000 people killed; approximately 5-6% of Estonian Romani people survived. In 2007, a memorial for the murdered was unveiled in Kalevi-Liiva.[1]
Based on 2013 data, the Council of Europe estimates that approximately 1,250 Romani people reside in Estonia (0.1% of the population).[2]
The Estonian Roma speak mostly the Lotfitka Latvian dialect but also speak the Xaladytka Russian Romani (also called Ruska) dialect.[3]
