Využití a zpracování hlíny u Romů na území bývalého Československa

The aim of the study is to summarize as much available information as possible that concern the former and today’s processing and use of clay by Romanies living in the territory of former Czechoslovakia; it focuses mainly on the subethnic group of Slovakian Romanies. The approach of Romanies to clay can be divided into two levels – it is considered ritually unclean, but on the other hand, it gives people their energy. Romanies used clay as building material in a simile way the majority population did. Some groups of Romanies in Slovakia dealt with production and deliveries of unburnt bricks dried in the sun or field kilns. We have just sporadic information about the Romani manufacturers of pottery. Current economic situation forces the Romanies, who live in segregated Slovakian settlements, to use their knowledge about the work with clay, which provides us with new opportunities for field researches.