Tareef
Salazar, a leather worker, was adopted by the Tribe, but not before enduring
hardship and tragedy. Through his travels he befriended a Moor (who has since
traveled his own path). The Gypsy Rag was able to speak with him awaiting
the end of a hot, terrible dust storm.
Gypsy Rag: What was it that brought us to adopt you into our tribe?
Tareef: My mother was originally a Salazar, but she married Georg and joined his tribe in France. My father was a leather worker as I am now. I stayed with my family until I was of fifteen years.
TGR: What caused you to leave?
Tareef: Like a fool, I fell in love with a gadji girl. I was ashamed to talk about her with my father; I was afraid he would not understand. He was right. I left my family to search for my love in the city where she lived. I discovered in the course of a few weeks, she was already married to a rich gadjo man. I believe her father introduced her to him.
TGR: What did you do then?
Tareef: There was nothing I could do except to find my family. When I returned to the place where I had left them, they were gone. It looked like they left in a hurry. I traveled around the country to find them; after two years I gave up.
TGR: Where did you go?
Tareef: I first traveled south to Spain, where I heard about the atrocities being comitted against the Gypsies in France. This is where I met the Moor, Shabal, who was hiding from the Inquisition. We fled to Morocco to escape our persecutors, then to Algeria and Tunisia. We then took a boat to Italy and journeyed to the solitude of Switzerland. I learned that my entire tribe, including my family was slaughtered.
TGR: So how did you find Roman Morga?
Tareef: I heard that a tribe with Salazars, my mother's family, was traveling in France. Shabal and I decided to find this tribe. We caught up with the Salazars near the coast. I told them my story, and they welcomed me into their family.
TGR: What are you going to do now?
Tareef: I make pouches, vests, belts--anything that can be made from leather. Perhaps I will marry soon. I really could not tell you much more.
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