In addition to fights at particular front-lines, war conflicts influence the otherwise quite calm life in the hinterland areas as well. This manifests itself not only in material poverty of the people living in the hinterland areas, but also by infringements of close and wider family relationship. The young men, who must go fighting, leave at home not only their parents, grand-parents, brothers and sisters and other relatives, but very often also their girl-friends, fiancées, wives as well as children. No one of them knows whether they will meet again. This is a big intrusion into existing and possible future family relations, of course.
On a particular example, the text follows two young people separated by the call-up order during World War I (in spring 1915), their fates, better said how their fates were passed on in family memories within the space of almost one century, namely from the World War I up to the outset of the 21st century. The reflexion of this family story passed down from generation to generation in its basic outlines, showed itself in a quite different light after almost one hundred years, than it was passed on through family gatherings and repeated narrations over a long period.
The subjecí of this study ís the issue of the relationship of children from Romany (as well as Czech, Slovák and other) families to the Czech Republic. This issue was investigated as part of a wider study in 1998, during the period of the first large-scale migration of
Romanies out of the Czech Republic. The investigation was carried out by means of an anonymous questionnaire given to pupils in the 8th class at elemeníary schools in 46 towns in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. The subjects of the enquiry were therefore children aged' 13 or 14, that is children who are theoretically capable not only of expressing the ethnic identity of their parents but also of expressing the nátuře of their relationship to the Czech Republic. The investigation received 5921 replies from children of different ethnic origins. Of these only 33 (0.56 %) explicitly declared themselves to be of Romany origin. Other
respondents indirectly acknowledged their Romany roots even though they officially declared their parents to be Czech, Slovák, Hungarian, Polish, Ukrainian etc. or in some cases omitted to put down any parental nationality. Totalling the replies that gave an
indication of Romany ethnic origin gave a figuře of only 76 (1.28 % of the total sample). The relationship of the sample group of 13 - 14 year old Romany (as well as Czech, Slovák and other nationality) elementary school pupils to the Czech Republic was investigated on the basis of an expression of agreement or disagreement from the respondents (the option of „don ’t know“ was also added) to three statements: (1) „Ilike Czech film and theatre“; (2) „I would like to learn about the cultures of ethnic groups living in the Czech Republic (3) „It is good to be a Citizen of the Czech Republic “.
Based on an analysis of their replies it is possible to statě: (1) The group of Romany children who professed their Romany roots, consequently a group comingfrom a family background hardest hit by the transformation of society, exhibited in their opinions and
attitudes a relatively high level ofpositive agreement with the first statement. (2) From 40 the standpoint of cultural self-isolation in the sample group, Romany children came out as the most dosed with the greatest proportion that doesn 7 want to learn about the
culture of ethnic groups living in the Czech Republic. It is obviously important to
emphasise that representatives of the majority (pupils from Czech families) were not much more forthcoming, with more than 40 % expressing no interest in learning about the cultures of other ethnic groups with whom they live in the Czech Republic. (3) The group of pupils with Romany roots, which professed a pride in being a Citiz and en of the Czech Republic, was for the most part composed ofthose who had declared their parents to be of Czech nationality, and therefore seemed to identijy nationality with citizenship. From the information gained can be derived the necessity of forming a relationship between all groups and the statě of which they are a part, whether they arrived recently or are indigenous. An atmosphere of openness and approachability between the individual cultural models is very important in this. All minorities should maintain their identity and roots. Generally a shared respectfor the values of the statě results in a unified country and
creates a positive relationship to the country in which, regardless oforigin, they all live.