The Big Black Tatras
The High Tatras
Tatra
1. Tatras. The Communist years were good for the Gypsies in eastern Europe, until those in power began also riding around in the big black Tatras - must mean big cars. Tatras were in for the authorities at a time when the Gypsies were moving in their caravans, and horse carts. The image of parallel cultures, and the heavies not leaving the other alone to live as they wish, haunts.
Tatra - It does mean cars - and good heavens, look at this! Do an Images search.
Looks like all the old Nazi photos or film, the 1920's anywhere, and later with any big government. See picture at ://www.tatra.demon.nl/. Click on cars/history on the left menu. The 1930's through 1950's.
The Tatra Company itself goes back to 1850.
2. Tatra Mountains.
The High Tatras- the car has to be named for these. Without a picture of our own of a Tatra car, here are the High Tatra Mountains, seen from the Polish side - Slovakia just over the top there.
From Zoli, "It was better under the Communists," character Boshor speaking) ***"back with the Communists we had jobs, we had houses, we had food,"*** "They didn't knock us 'round...." pp. 9-10.3. Roma under Muslim rule in Spain. That was also good. It was only after the reconquest 1492, when the Moors were pushed back, that laws were put in place prohibiting Romani from dressing in traditional ways, practicing their customs. See http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/oldworld/europe/gypsy.html
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