Lyuli
Luli or Lyuli [lju`li:] are a people from Central Asia, primarily Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. They are also known as Central Asian Gypsies or False Romas.
The origin of the Luli and their name is unclear, but romantic legend tells that once there were poor parents that had a son Lu and a daughter Li. One day, during an enemy invasion, the parents lost their children when they escaped. Lu and Li came to look for them and were separated. Many year later they met, but did not recognize each other and got married. When the truth was discovered, a mullah damned them and their offspring be nomads in the world. (Template:Ru icon [1])
Probably, like the Roma, they originate from India. The Luli practice Islam. They have a clan organization (Luli for clan is tupar). Division into sub-clans is also practiced. The traditional occupations are similiar to those of the Roma: chiromancy, quackery, musicians, etc. The Luli community is extremely closed towards non-Luli. [1]
Luli in Kyrgyzstan
The Luli live in the south of Kyrgyzstan, Osh oblast. Their living standard is extremely low. Many children are devoid of education in their mother tongue and many people have no documents. Luli society is working towards improvement of their living standards and preservation of their culture.[2]
Luli in Russia
In the beginning of the 1990s, Luli started migrating into Russian cities, placing especially near railway stations and markets. At first, Russians identified them mistakenly Tajikistani refugees, ethnically Tajiks and Uzbeks, due to their dress in traditional "Oriental" robes.
Russian Romas disclaim any Luli relationship to themselves. However, Russians consider the Luli to be a part of the Gypsies, due their mode of life: many Luli move from one city to another, many Luli women and children make living by begging. This fact, also with affirmation that Central Asian people may be related to drug traffic and international terrorism, gave a rise to negative relations towards the Luli among Russians. [3] Some even claim that Luli women master in NLP, which they use to swindle. Often Luli fall prey to attacks from Russian skinheads.