HARUN RIAZ and DEBJANI SAHU look into lives of Siddi ethnic groups with African roots in four different states of India. They discover a fascinating story of rich Indo-African history, as well as how Indian authorities are helping the Siddis to improve their lives.
The word Siddi is derived from the Arabic “sayyid” or “saydi” meaning leader or master. The Siddis in India are majorly the Negrito tribes- who are found in the hills and interiors of India and they are not part of the original Negritos of India.
They are descendants of Africans from North East and East Africa who were brought to India as slaves, soldiers or servants.
Indo-Africans trace their ancestry primarily from the East African coast from Sudan, Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) to Mozambique, but some came from as far off as South Africa and even Nigeria.
In the independent India the Siddi’s are majorly concentrated in Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesesh, Goa and Tamil Nadu. It is estimated that the total population of is about 250,000.
Siddi Community are biologically distinct community and they belong to African Negro clan with strong physic and stamina, curly hair with black complexions, well known for being honest, hard working, tolerant, ability to thrive with any adverse condition, nature loving and friendly.
The Siddis have their own unique tribal cultural characteristics, profess and practice different religions such as Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, Africans were brought by Muslim Arab traders to Western India, often as slaves.
Though, divided into different religions the one factor which binds the Siddi’s, irrespective of their religion is the Hiriyaru or ancestor worship.
Long before the first slave ships started supplying labour to the cotton plantations of the American-south, and many centuries before the first Africans were brought ashore to the sugar estates of Brazil and the Caribbean, Africans were being sold as slaves, by the Muslim Arab traders from the Eastern seaboard of Africa to Hindu Indian princes on the West Coast and Central India. A significant portion of this African Siddi slave trade took place centuries before the Portuguese, British, French and Dutch colonised parts of Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
Thus, the Siddi’s are descendants of African slaves, sailors, servants, and merchants who remained in India after arriving through the sea trade with East Africa and the Gulf. That was a process which began in the 12th century or before, and lasted until the late 19th century.
However, another group of Indo- Africans, known as the Shemali, originated in Kano, Nigeria, and came to India via Sudan and Mecca following their Hajj pilgrimage. Under the leadership of a wealthy merchant known as Baba Ghor, the Shemali became prosperous through the mining and trade of the precious stone Agate.
This group of Indo-Africans retains quite a few African customs, and Baba Ghor and the story of their arrival in India is proudly remembered.
Baba Ghor began mining and trading agate s tones from Khambhat. As documented by sixteenth century Portuguese traveler Duarte Barbossa, Ghor's brand of jewellery was popular in India and abroad.
Of the current 2,50,000 Siddis in India, most of them live in Gujarat. Of the current siddis in India, most of them are Muslims, living in Gujarat and worship Baba Ghor whose shrine is situated in Ratanpur near Junagadh.
Although most of the Siddis were brought as slaves and slave soldiers, some were successful as fighters that they managed to usurp power from the rulers they were supposed to be serving. Their descendants are the least visible part of the huge African diasporas.
But today in India, they are a part of the mosaic of different cultures and communities of the country. Today, Siddis can be Hindus, Muslims or Christians.
Siddis of Gujarat
It is estimated that the total population of Siddi’s in western Indian State of Gujarat is between 20,000 to 30,000.
Smaller populations are found in neighboring Maharashtra and two southern states, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. In the village of Jambur, Gujarat everyone is Siddi.
Siddi’s in Jambur speak the same Gujarati language and eat the same flavorful food as other villagers, but nevertheless stand out from their neighbors. In Gujarat and Maharashtra, Siddi’s gained the reputation for physical strength and loyalty.
Some Siddi’s escaped slavery to establish communities in forested areas, and some even established small Siddi principalities on Janjira Island and at Jaffrabad as early as the twelfth century.
A former alternative name of Janjira was Habshan (i.e., land of the Habshis). In the Delhi Sultanate period prior to the rise of the Mughals in India, Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut was a prominent Siddi slave-turned-nobleman who was a close confidant of Razia Sultana (1205–1240CE).
As a power centre, Siddis were sometimes allied with the Mughal Empire in its power-struggle with the Maratha Confederacy.
However , Malik Ambar , a prominent Siddi figure in Indian history at large, is sometimes regarded as the “Military Guru of Marathas”, and was deeply allied with them. He established the town of Khirki which later became the modern city of Aurangabad, and helped establish the Marathas as a major force in the Deccan.
Later, the Marathas adapted Siddi guerrilla warfare tactics to grow their power and ultimately demolish the Mughal Empire.
Although Gujarati Siddis have adopted the language and many customs of their surrounding populat ions, some Af r ican traditions have been preserved.
These include the Goma music and dance form, which is sometimes called Dhamaal. The term is believed to be derived from the Ngoma drumming and dance forms of Bantu East Africa.
The Siddis of Gujarat are Muslims with a strong Sufi tradition. They have to some extent assimilated into the local culture through their dress, food and language, though their dark skin and African features are distinctive. In some districts, the government has accorded them the Scheduled Tribe status.
The fascinating culture and history of the Sidis was unknown to the world beyond their small communities spread across India. Over the past seveneight years, though, Dr Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy's intervention
has changed that. A visiting Associate Professor and Research Scholar in the Department of Ethnomusicology at University of California, Los Angeles, Catlin-Jairazbhoy has explored the cultural and historical significance of the Siddis, not only in Indian society but also as part of the larger African Diaspora. Her work has been much inspired by the groundbreaking anthropological work of Dr Helen Basu – whose book 'Sidi Sklaven, Habshi
Fakiren' (Siddi Slaves, Habshi Faqirs) is considered a classic on the Siddi community; husband Nazir Jairazbhoy's collaboration;
Professor of Women's Studies at University of California at Irvine and the advice of Beheroze Shroff, who guided her initial contacts with Siddis in Mumbai and Gujarat.
A small but important step had been taken towards changing the perception of the Sidis from that of an outsider community to a people who had much to offer through their rich musical tradition. In September 2002, Catlin-Jairazbhoy put together a group of Sidi performers from Gujarat for their first concert and lecture tour outside India.
It seemed destined; Catlin-Jairazbhoy found “everything worked like magic”. The success of the show was followed by more international performances by the Sidis, including a historic tour to East Africa, the land of their ancestors. They performed to excited audiences in Mombasa and in Nairobi followed by 'jamming sessions' with local musicians in a sort of cultural exchange during a two-day stay at Zanzibar.
In 2002, Catlin-Jairazbhoy published the CD 'Sidi Sufis:
African Indian Mystics of Gujarat' and a year later 'From Africa to India: Sidi Music in the Indian Ocean Diaspora, the featurelength documentary, which pieces together the history, religion and sacred music of the Sidis over the centuries, making it an important part of understanding the African Diaspora in the context of the Indian subcontinent. T
he following year, she co-edited 'Sidis and Scholars: Essays on African Indians' containing essays by European, American and Indian scholars who have worked with the Sidis in Gujarat, Karnataka, and Mumbai.
There is also the CD compilation, which comprises field recordings from Sidi shrines (dedicated to Gori Pir) throughout Gujarat, recorded between 1999 and 2002. The Sidis have traditionally been wandering faqirs (mendicants) making their livelihood from alms given for their musical performances.
These performances include a mesmerizing array of instruments – such as coconut rattles and armpit-held drums – which hark back to their African roots.
However, the most distinctive of these instruments is the footed drum, with its pegged head and three or four 'feet'. As Catlin- Jairazbhoy points out, “Similar types of pegged drumheads and footed drums are widespread on the East Coast of Africa, while they are otherwise unknown in India.”
Siddis of Karnataka
The Siddis of Karnataka are a tribe of African descent that has made Karnataka their home for the last 400 years. There is a 50,000 strong Siddi’s population across Karnataka. Their language is a mixture of Konkani and Marathi, but they also speak Kannada.
The majority of the Siddi’ss in Karnataka are descendants of Siddi’s slaves who were brought from East Africa.
Among Siddi ’ s fami l ies i n Karnataka, there are Roman Catholics, Hindus and Muslims.
The Siddi’s in Karnataka who follow Hindu religion perform all the rites connected with Hindu festivals. However one practice which is quite strictly followed is marriage. Siddi’s don't allow their boys and girls to marry outside their community.
Today a significant number of Siddis are farmers and workers. In some regions however, Siddis are doctors, lawyers, businessmen, journalists, teachers, and land owners. The Siddi in India are both self ascribed and ascribed by their hosts as such, which implies that they have an ethnic group consciousness despite their assimilation to the host society in several respects.
Culled from,”Infinities 2012,” a publication of the high commission of india, Abuja.