Istro-romanians: the legacy of a culture

Abstract

The Istro-Romanians are one of Europe’s smallest ethnic groups. They inhabit villages like: Šušnjevica (i.e. Suşnieviţa), Zejane (i.e. Jeiani), Brdo (i.e. Bârdo) and Nova Vas (i.e. Noselo), in the central and north-eastern corner of the Istria Peninsula, Croatia. Their dialect is currently included in the UNESCO Red Book of Endangered Languages as Seriously Endangered. Istro-Romanians are not accepted by the Croatian Constitution as a national minority. In the lack of any institutions to preserve their language and cultural heritage, the very existence of this ethnic group is threatened. In this paper I am presenting potential solutions for preserving the culture of Istro-Romanians.

Keywords

• Istro-Romanians
• Legacy
• Ethnic group
• Culture