Description
ROMANI JIVAPEN JINAPEN cast by the Crucible Foundry, London. The artist writes: �This medal is designed as a tribute to the
historic and continuing struggle of Gypsies world-wide. This ethnic group has resourcefully avoided extinction over the last
millennium despite continuous assaults on their unique culture. There has previously been little attempt to pay public tribute
to the Romani people. �The obverse of the medal shows a human figure, its body suggesting the vulnerability and struggle of
a people oppressed. At the same time this depiction of humanity conveys the sense of nobility and integrity that is central
to Gypsy culture. �The reverse shows a creature highly regarded by the Gypsies: the hedgehog. Like the Gypsy, it lives on
the fringes of the wild, neither owned nor desired by most societies, disregarded and of no value to Gajos (non-Gypsies).
Along with the horse, the hedgehog is considered by Gypsies to be symbolically truly clean (or unpolluted). They consider
it good to eat, and it is also valued for its medicinal purposes. By consuming the hedgehog, the Gypsy identifies with its
qualities. This process could be interpreted as the Gypsies� act of liberation from the oppression they have always suffered.
�On the edge of the medal, written in the Romani language, are the words ROMANI JIVAPEN JINAPEN (Gypsy Life Knowledge). This
pays tribute to the oral transmission of Romani culture, which has enabled beliefs and wisdom to be carried on to present
generations in the absence of a written language. The edge of the medal also bears the symbol of the cart-wheel, to signify
the historic diaspora of the Gypsy people and their ongoing journey.�