(historic nationymum: "Tatars"): After their arrival in central Europe, Roma were often identified as representatives of other nomadic ethnic groups – most frequently with the Tatars. The historic designation has been kept for the first group of Roma to come to Sweden before later waves of immigrants from Russia (beginning of the 20th century), and from Poland, the Balkans, the former Czechoslovakia, etc. (after World War II). Most Swedish Tattare (autonymum: Résande) are linguistically assimilated.

Source:
ROMBASE © by Milena Hübschmannová 2003

The term "tattare" (Norwegian Tater) derives from the historical misconception which confused early arriving Roma with the Asian people called Tatars. From the 19th century, the term was used in Scandinavian languages as a category in racial biology, meaning "racially mixed” people. It was imposed on people belonging to the Roma group Resande, but also on other persons associated with "tattare lifestyle". Many of those became victims of forced sterilisation and forced child custody. The use of the term is problematic because it cannot be detached from the stereotypes it conveys and therefore has a discriminatory effect. However, in Norway some Reisende have reappropriated the notion and prefer to be called Tater.

Source:
Jan Selling 2019