Domba Tatars
Hinduism (with overlay of Islam) | related_groups = Krimurja{{•}}Millet{{•}}Nogais{{•}} Crimean Tatars{{•}}Dobrujan Tatars }} The Domba Tatars are found in Bulgaria and Romania. These are Tatars with Romani ancestors.
They are found mostly in the Bulgarian cities Balchik and Dobrich, and in Romania in Medgidia and Constanţa. They are also found in some villages of Dobruja.
Etymology
The name "Domba" comes from dom-dom-dom (the sound of the drum), or means "drummer" or "singer" in South Asia. Similar to Dom in Middle East or Doma in India. They are also known as "Tatar Roma", "Romani Tatar(s)" () or simply "Drummer(s)" (, , ). They just call themselves as "Tatar".
History
These were probably Romani people in Budjak at the time of Crimean Khanate, like Crimean Roma people. This people adopted the Tatar language and the Tatar nationality. While most Crimean Roma groups spoke Crimean Tatar, Domba Tatar were with Nogais in Budjak and spoke Nogai Tatar. The Krimurja group of Crimean Roma in Crimea did settled from Budjak to Crimea (it is claimed that Krimurja did come to Crimea with the Nogais) and they did have Nogai influence in their Romani (also interesting that they were Muslims before coming to Crimea), the ancestors of Domba Tatar do have probably connection with them. They were called in humiliated way as şingene "Gypsy" (in Crimea çingene) or praun "Pharaoh" (in Crimea frauni). There are also towns named in 19. century as Faraonovka "Pharaoh" and Kair "Cairo" (nowadays Krywa Balka, Odessa) in Budzhak, because there was the idea that Roma came from Egypt. Domba Tatars did arrive with other Tatars in Dobruja, mostly after the Crimean War, under the conditions of the Paris Treaty of 1856.
Subgroups
There are two subgroups, Davulcu (Drummer) and Şorapşı (Hosier). The group Davulcu did historicaly horse trades, they also like to play the davul "drum". The group Şorapşı (hosier — because they did knit socks from old clothes) informs that their ancestors are two men, which fleet from a war. They have strong connection with sea and many of them are fishers, they also like to sing. Both groups are nominal Muslims.
Language
They don't know Romani, they speak Nogai Tatar and Turkish. The Tatar language of Domba Tatar (just called Tatarca "Tatar" by them) is a typical Kipchak-Nogai language. It has some differences from standard Nogai, showing some kind of Gagauz/Turkish influence.
Situation
These Tatars are referred by others in a humiliating way as „Tatar gypsy“ (specially in Bulgaria). They are struggling in the region do to discrimination together with Millet (Turkish people having Romani ancestors), this caused a strong connection between them due to having the same fate. They are not counted as "Turks" by the Turkish community in the region, also not as Romani by Romani community due to missing "Romanipen".
And they try to save their "Tatarlık" (Tatarness) in the region. In Romania some researchers did take contact with "Davulcu".