Activities

Civil Society Education For Doms 18/01/2011

There have been a NGO training based on needs for members of Dom Tribes Association For Solidarity, Cooperation and Research with participation of Civil Society İmprovement Center in Antakya (STGM).

The association was established last year to introduce Dom culture to young Doms and to open communication channels among Dom individuals. Administration of the association organized many activities for this purpose and they also organized a football team for young Doms in the course of time. It's announced that there will a meeting to introduce activities organized last year by the association at the end of January. The association, in which too many Dom women participate the activities organized as members and administrators, will do much more for Dom Gypsies in collaboration with STGM.

Doms are one of the ancient Gypsy groups of Middle East. It's possible to see Dom settlements all over Middle East. Tradional occupations of Dom Gypsies are sieve-making, blacksmithing, silversmithing, tatoo making, fortune telling and folk medicine. However, Doms living in Antakya have a different tradional occupation: dentistry. They have provided some services like pulling tooth or making dental plates to settled agriculturalist and nomadic herders in exchange of food.

Source: STGM