New Delhi – Siddi is an Afro-Indian tribal population whose members live in coastal Karnataka, Gujarat, and in some parts of Andhra Pradesh. According to historical records, the Portuguese brought them to India about 300 to 500 years ago. Even with this kind of record, there is little information about the tribe’s more precise ancestral origins. However, most studies show that they originated from the Bantu people of sub-Saharan Africa.
Slaves to Citizens
The Portuguese brought the Siddi to their country as slaves, similar to numerous accounts of African tribes being shipped to various Western lands. They were initially slave laborers under the Nawab of Junagadh, the Nizam of Hyderabad, and the Portuguese government of Goa. Today, members of the tribe live as Indian citizens, subsisting on construction labor, farming, and army work. They are known to be one of the many interesting groups that share a unique culture as well as colorful practices.
The Junagadh district of Gujarat has the biggest population of the Siddi. There are also in the Dandeli, Haliyal, Sirsi, and Yellapur areas of northwest Karnataka. Even though the members of the ethnic group are Indians by citizenship, they look very much African in the eyes of the native. They have limited their mixing with other races. Their skin color may be similar to those of African lineage but they are now mostly Indian in tradition.
The residents of the community may look different from other Indians. However, local women are seen wearing sarees and children are seen walking to Christian schools or practicing Hinduism. Siddis are mostly Sufi Muslims, but they also practice other religions like Hinduism and Roman Catholicism.
Hidden-Unknown Residents
The Siddi remained hidden for many years such that the majority of the subcontinent does not know that the ethnic group exists. This is possibly due to the insular nature of the Siddis plus the Goa Inquisition when the New Christians were persecuted. During this event, the group fled to the forests where they remain. The places that the residents live in now have been their homes for generations.
Many of the younger members of the group who are now given the chance to study are mostly seen as Africans by the natives. Their looks may be different and they do have a degree of cultural lineage from the past, but the members of the tribe live like any other Hindi-speaking citizens. The people wear sarees, speak Kannada and Konkani, and have deep-rooted ties to the land they work on. Maybe the only time that the residents look back to their Bantu history is through their appearance, music, and dance.
Another troubling concern aside from many people not knowing about the Siddi is the huge impact on the group’s current societal and financial level in the community. The dissociation of the Siddi from those of the native, local communities is creating a large gap. Many communities are poor and a number of young people experience discrimination, not only because of their financial status but also because of their color.
Image from Leonid Plotkin Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/_leonid/6165053171/in/photostream/
