Siddi
The Siddi, also known as the Sheedi, Sidi, or Siddhi, are an ethnic group living in Pakistan and India. They are primarily descended from the Bantu peoples of the Zanj coast in Southeast Africa, most of whom came to the Indian subcontinent through the Indian Ocean slave trade. Others arrived as merchants, sailors, indentured servants, and mercenaries.
Etymology
There are conflicting hypotheses on the origin of the name Siddi. One theory is that the word derives from sahibi, an Arabic term of respect in North Africa, similar to the word sahib in modern India and Pakistan. A second theory is that the term Siddi is derived from the title borne by the captains of the Arab vessels that first brought Siddi settlers to India; these captains were known as Sayyid. A different name occasionally used for the Siddi is the term "Habshi". While originally used to refer specifically to people from Abyssinia, the term later became more broadly used to refer to Africans of any ethnicity, but not necessarily referring to the Siddi specifically. Similarly, this term for Siddis is held to be derived from the common name for the captains of the Abyssinian ships that also first delivered Siddi slaves to the subcontinent. Historian Richard M. Eaton states Habshis were initially pagans sold by Ethiopian Christians to Gujarati merchants for Indian textiles.Siddis are also sometimes referred to as Afro-Indians. Siddis were referred to as Zanji by Arabs; in China, various transcriptions of this Arabic word were used, including Xinji and Jinzhi.
History
The Siddi population derived primarily from Bantu peoples of Southeast Africa who were brought to the Indian subcontinent as slaves. Most of these migrants were or else became Muslims, while a small minority became Hindu. The Nizam of Hyderabad also employed African-origin guards and soldiers.The first Siddis are thought to have arrived in India in 628 CE at the Bharuch port. Several others followed with the first Arab Islamic conquest of the subcontinent in 712 CE. The latter group are believed to have been soldiers with Muhammad bin Qasim's Arab army, and were called Zanjis.
Some Siddis escaped slavery to establish communities in forested areas. Siddis were also brought as slaves by the Deccan Sultanates. These Siddis embraced Deccani Muslim culture, and identified with the Deccani Indian Muslim political faction against the Iranian Shia immigrants. Several former slaves rose to high ranks in the military and administration, the most prominent of which was Malik Ambar.
Geographical distribution
India
Harris provides a historical survey of the eastward dispersal of slaves from Southeast Africa to places like India. Hamilton argues that Siddis in India, their histories, experiences, cultures, and expressions, are integral to the African Diaspora and thus, help better understand the dynamics of dispersed peoples. More recent focused scholarship argues that although Siddis are numerically a minority, their historic presence in India for over five hundred years, as well as their self-perception, and how the broader Indian society relates to them, make them a distinct Bantu/Indian. Historically, Siddis have not existed only within binary relations to the nation state and imperial forces. They did not simply succumb to the ideologies and structures of imperial forces, nor did they simply rebel against imperial rule. The Siddi are recognized as a scheduled tribe in 3 states and 1 union territory: Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Daman and Diu.Hyderabad
In the 18th century, a Siddi community arrived with the Arab, and frequently served as cavalry guards to the Asif Jahi Nizam of Hyderabad's army. The Asif Jahi rulers patronised them with rewards and the traditional Marfa music gained popularity and would be performed during official celebrations and ceremonies.Gujarat
Supposedly presented as slaves by the Portuguese to the local Prince, Nawab of Junagadh, the Siddis also live around Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife sanctuary. On the way to Deva-dungar is the village of Sirvan, inhabited entirely by Siddis. They were brought 300 years ago from Portuguese colonial territories for the Nawab of Junagadh. Today, they follow very few of their original customs, with a few exceptions like the traditional Dhamal dance.Although Gujarati Siddis have adopted the language and many customs of their surrounding populations, some of their Bantu 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 traditional dance forms of the Bantu people inhabiting Central, East and Southern Africa. The Goma also has a spiritual significance and, at the climax of the dance, some dancers are believed to be vehicles for the presence of Siddi saints of the past.
Goma music comes from the Kiswahili word "ngoma", which means a drum or drums. It also denotes any dancing occasion where traditional drums are principally used.
The majority of the Siddis in Gujarat are Muslims, with very few following Hinduism.
Karnataka
The Siddis of Karnataka are an ethnic minority group of mainly Bantu descent that has made Karnataka their home for the last 400 years. There is a 50,000-strong Siddhi population across India, of which more than a third live in Karnataka. In Karnataka, they are concentrated around Yellapur, Haliyal, Ankola, Joida, Mundgod and Sirsi taluks of Uttara Kannada and in Khanapur of Belgaum and Kalaghatagi of Dharwad district. Many members of the Siddis community of Karnataka had migrated to Pakistan after independence and have settled in Karachi, Sindh.A plurality of the Siddis in Karnataka follow Hinduism, followed by Islam and Christianity.
Pakistan
In Pakistan, locals of Bantu descent are called "Sheedi" and "SheediMakrani". They live primarily along the Makran in Balochistan, and Southern Sindh. Even though most Sheedis today in Pakistan are of mixed heritage and the number population is complex to determine, the population in 2018 was estimated to be of around 250,000. Many Sheedis have largely assimilated into the larger Baloch identity, and linguistically, they speak variations of Balochi, Sindhi, and have created a distinct dialect of Urdu named Makrani, with Urdu words mixed with Balochi and Sindhi expressions and common English terms, mainly picked up from English films and TV series.Although Sheedi remains a neutral term, many individuals are moving away from it, instead adopting the surname Qambrani, in reverence to Qambar, the freed slave of Ali, while others prefer the name Bilali, referencing Bilal, a companion of Prophet Muhammad.
Sindh
African presence in Sindh is documented from 711 A.D. after the Umayyad conquest of Sindh. However, significant African slave importation to Sindh occurred from the late 18th to mid-19th centuries, during the peak of the Omani-Arab slave trade. Slaves mostly from modern-day Kenya and Tanzania, were captured and sold in Zanzibar, then shipped to Muscat until reaching Karachi. The demand for African slaves increased in Sindh as the Talpur rulers granted land to Baloch warlords, who sought slaves.A few slaves, due to their intelligence and loyalty, rose to prominence. Hoshu Sheedi fought during the British conquest of Sindh, particularly at the Battle of Hyderabad in 1843, where he died fighting. He is remembered as a hero and symbol of Sindhi resistance, with his battle cry: "My head you may take, but my Sindh I will not forsake." After the British defeated the Talpurs, they banned slavery and the slave trade in Sindh, leading to the emancipation of the Siddi community.
Siddis are largely populated in different towns and villages in southern Sindh. In the city of Karachi, the main Siddi centre is the area of Lyari and other nearby coastal areas. The Mombasa street in Lyari is named after the city of Mombasa in Kenya. The children of interracial marriage of a Sindhi man and a Siddi woman are called Gadra/Gada/Guda.
Most Siddi in Karachi are historically associated with the fishing business, traditionally working as fishermen, sailors and small boat operators. They also constitute the largest labour force employed at the Port of Karachi and harbour. Many increasingly have pursued higher professions. Muhammad Siddique Musafir was a popular writer and poet of the Sindhi language. During the British Raj, notable leaders of Siddi descent emerged through local self-government initiatives, including the mayor of Karachi Allah Bakhsh Gabol. His son Abdul Sattar Gabol became one of the founding members of the Pakistan People's Party. Tanzeela Qambrani became the first Siddi woman to be elected as the member of Provincial Assembly of Sindh in 2018 Pakistani general election.
Balochistan
The arrival of Africans on the Makran coast of Balochistan is tied to the same slave trade that brought Sindhi Sheedis from East Africa. However, their journey was likely more intricate due to the historical recruitment of Baloch mercenaries by the rulers of Oman, along with African slaves as soldiers and laborers on date farms. This created a historical link between the two groups. In 1782, the ruler of the Khanate of Kalat, who controlled Makran, ceded Gwadar and surrounding territories to Oman, facilitating further interaction between the two groups. As the 18th century progressed, the Sultan of Oman expanded his influence along the Iranian coast acquiring various ports, which allowed African slaves engaged in maritime activities to reach Gwadar and other regions that are now part of Pakistan. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, famines and slave rebellions in coastal Iran led to the liberation and migration of many slaves and free individuals towards the East, with a significant number settling in eastern Makran. Many ultimately moved to Lyari in Karachi.In the interior of the Makran district and surrounding Balochistan areas, where Sheedis were historically used as slave laborers on date farms, many still find themselves in bonded labor situations today. Despite the formal abolition of slavery by the ruler of Kalat in 1914, the practice of keeping domestic slaves persisted until the late 1950s. Today, some landlords and religious leaders continue to employ black servants.