The African Roots Of The Siddi People Of India (videos, information, & comments)

Home Team History, Nov 24, 2019

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides information about the Siddi people of India.

This post also showcases three YouTube videos of Siddi people in India. This videos are given in no particular order.

Selected comments from the discussion threads for these videos are included in this post. 

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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This post replaces a 2016 pancocojams post on this subject that has been deleted.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/01/african-pakistani-sheedi-music-dance.html for a closely related pancocojams post on Sheedi (African Pakistani) music and dance.

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DISCLAIMER
The title for this pancocojams post doesn't mean to imply that these are the only people in India with African roots

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INFORMATION ABOUT SIDDI PEOPLE OF INDIA
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddi
"The Siddi (pronounced [sɪd̪d̪iː]), also known as Siddhi, Sheedi, Habshi or Makrani, are an ethnic group inhabiting India and Pakistan. Members are descended from Bantu peoples from Southeast Africa. Some were merchants, sailors, indentured servants and mercenaries.[1] The Siddi community is currently estimated at around 20,000–55,000 individuals, with Karnataka, Gujarat and Hyderabad in India and Makran and Karachi in Pakistan as the main population centres.[2] Siddis are primarily Sufi Muslims, although some are Hindus and others Roman Catholic Christians.[3]

...The first Siddis are thought to have arrived in India in 628 AD at the Bharuch port. Several others followed with the first Arab Islamic invasions of the subcontinent in 712 AD.[14] The latter group are believed to have been soldiers with Muhammad bin Qasim's Arab army, and were called Zanjis.

Siddis are descended from Bantu peoples from Southeast Africa that were brought to the Indian subcontinent as slaves by the Portuguese.[1] While most of these migrants became Muslim and a small minority became Christian, very few became Hindu since they could not find themselves a position in the traditional Hindu caste hierarchy.[4]

Siddis of Gujarat
Some Siddis escaped slavery to establish communities in forested areas, and some even established the small Siddi principalities of Janjira State on Janjira Island and Jafarabad State in Kathiawar 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 (1205–1240 CE). Although this is disputed, he may also have been her lover.[15]

Malik Ambar, a prominent Siddi figure in Indian history at large, is sometimes regarded as the "military guru of the Marathas", and was deeply allied with them.[16] 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.[16]...

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, the last refuge in the world of the almost extinct Asiatic Lions, in Junagadh a district of the state of Gujarat, India.[21]

...Although Gujarati Siddis have adopted the language and many customs of their surrounding populations, some African traditions have been preserved. These include the Goma music and dance form, which is sometimes called Dhamaal (Gujarati: ધમાલ, fun).[23] The term is believed to be derived from the Ngoma drumming and dance forms of Bantu East Africa.[23] 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.[24]

"Goma" music comes from the Kiswahili word "ngoma" which means a drum or drums and also means any dance occasion where traditional drums are principally used....

Siddis of Karnataka
The Siddis of Karnataka (Kannada: ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಸಿದ್ಧಿಗಳು) (also spelled Siddhis) are an ethnic group of mainly Bantu descent that has made Karnataka their home for the last 400 years.[1] There is a 50,000 strong Siddhi population across India, of which more than a third live in Karnataka….

Siddis of Hyderabad, India
In the 18th century, a Siddi community was established in Hyderabad State by the Arab Siddi diaspora, who would frequently serve as cavalry guards of the Asif Jahi Nizam's irregular army. The Asif Jahi Nizams patronised them with rewards and the traditional Marfa music gained popularity and would be performed during official celebrations and ceremonies.[26][27][28] The Siddis of Hyderabad have traditionally resided in the A.C. Guards (African Cavalry Guards) area near Masjid Rahmania, known locally as Siddi Risala.
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This Wikipedia page also includes information about the Sheedis of Pakistan. 

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From http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=5638
India's African Past by Fatima Chowdhury
"The Sidi community lives mostly in Gujarat (in western India), with smaller populations settled in the neighboring state of Maharashtra and the southern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. There is no accurate census on the number of Sidis in India. According to various publications, there are no more than 20,000 in any one state. Although most Sidis live in villages, many are urban dwellers residing in towns and cities. Some also live in tribal surroundings and villages.

Descendants of African slaves and seamen, the ancestors of the Sidis came to India through sea trade with East Africa and the Gulf around the 12th century. They came from different areas such as Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and later Zanzibar. The Sidis 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. Some have even married outside of their community. But, by and large, they remain marginalized, leading a life of relative obscurity and poverty. In some districts, the government has accorded them the Scheduled Tribe status.

Their history lost in time, the Sidis' only link to their past is their devotional music and dance dedicated to Gori Pir, a Sufi saint from Africa. Known as Hazrat Mubarak Nobi, he is said to have come from Nubia to India from Africa via Mecca, and stopped in Basra (in Iraq) to study with Rifai Sufis. He has shrines throughout Gujarat, in the places stopped at before settling in Bharuch district. Here he set up an agate workshop and became part of the Indian Ocean trade, especially in tasbihs (Islamic prayer beads) for hajis (pilgrims)."...

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR VIDEO #1

 (with numbers added for referencing purposes only).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUv5Tus7LXQ&t=11s

2020

1. Pragmatic Mystic
"I am not always buying to this History that Siddi of India, where brought by European to India. The India and East Coast of African Continent is divided by Indian Ocean. And there is trading between India and Africa that day back to two Thousands years. There are numbers of Indian that arrives to Eastern Coast of African Continent, like in Tanzania, Zanzibar, Lamu, Malindi, Mozambique, Comoros Islands. And many more.

Long before, another waves of Indian brought by the British to East Africa, And more African come to Indian through this trading route. There are some Indian in Lamu and Zanzibar that their Ancestors lived in that Area of the Continent for almost one thousand year, there are also group of Iranians from Shirazi, that have  lived for one thousand year in Zanzibar, Lamu, Pemba and so on. And even Some Siddi were noble, merchant, and Ruler in India. And also Aksumite Empire was up Southern part of Indian in Ancient time. Saying European brought Siddi to Indian is fabricated History. Trading between African and Indian goes back thousands of years, long before European set foot on African Continent."
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I reformatted this comment to increase its readability

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2. Gerard Ruben
"I also  would like to add that not all of the Siddi peoples came to India as Slaves a lot were traders and some became powerful trading dynasties , trade between Africa and India had been ongoing long before the invasion of India by the Arabs and later the Europeans"
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Reply
3. Betty Thomas
"For centuries!"

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Reply
4. T C
"TreeofLife Eden Siddi comes from a different etymological history. It is NOT related to the Sanskrit word “siddhi”. "
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"Tree of Life Eden" may have been an earlier screen name for Gerard Ruben or another commenter. No comments with that name are now found in that discussiont thread. 

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Reply
5. The King of Zamunda
"They are a mixture of merchants and slaves. Malik Ambar and Islak Khan were originally enslaved Africans."

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6. Trishna Moni Lahkar
"Malik Amber is a hero in our Indian history he gave Mughals a though time. He also introduce morden day water channel system which you can still see in Aurangabad."

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7. Opopanax
"They’re also Siddhi in Pakistan. Not all of them were initially slaves. Traders, merchants and so on.They had Swahili descent, some of Ethiopian descent as well. In Pakistan, they follow a sufi traditional of Islam and have a traditional Siddhi mosque, where there are alligators on the lake, in order to protect their buried imam. Mosque been around since the tenth century possibly,Really interesting, you guys should look into it."

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8. Madhura Kamat
"I think even another siddi community is present in Gujarat"

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9. jerina Star
"They didnt come as slaves there has been a East African trade link with India from beginning of time it also was a colony of  Ethiopia/Punt."

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10. Danial Zaman
"Some of them didn't come as slaves some of them did. Also do you have any sources about this Ethiopian colony?"

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11. Ta-seti warrior #1
"Outside of Africa india have the second largest diverse population on the planet.and the original people is the Dravidian black skin woolly hair."

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12. A & O
"Those african descents (dravidians) created the h/indus civilization before the caucasians came from the Kaukus, built a caste system to discriminate and oppress them just like white supremacy did with our world."

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13, olayiwola segun
"This is the second time I watched a documentary about the Siddi people. Your analysis gave more details. The Siddi people also contributed to sport in India, but many Indians are racist towards them."

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2021

14. Hiruth Seyoum
"This is wrong historical analysis. It wasn’t as a result of slavery that they arrived in India. They were there way before Arabs enslavement begun. They are Ethiopians who settled and ruled the area during the time when the Ethiopian Empire extended all the way to India. -Across Ethiopian Ocean called Indian Ocean today.

🙏🙏🙏💕from Ethiopia"

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15. Eyan Lenjorin
"The sidis are the mijikendas of kenyan coast."

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16. Ammit Salam
"This was really cool. I learned something I didn't know. I shared this w/my friends. Unfortunately, many South East Asians simply don't know their own history and yes many Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis (especially living in the US and Canada) like to identify as white (most likely due to colonization). (Being fair skinned in a big thing in these countries.) I don't ID as WOKE nor a SJW. I am proud of my heritage at the same time, I want to be fair and give credit due where it is deserved. Thank you for sharing this."

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SHOWCASE #2: India's Lost African Tribe | The Siddis | Universe One

Universe One, Mar 17, 2022 In a remote Indian village of Jambur in the state of Gujarat, you would be in for a cultural shock - the people living there have strong African resemblance, thanks to their roots in the continent. They're merely descendants of slaves and mercenaries brought by Arab traders from Abyssinia (modern day Eritrea) and other eastern countries like Uganda and Tanzania. -snip-

Here are some comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsKZieOrsio

2022

1. El God 🇲🇦
"No. They didn't come from Africa. Stop lying."

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Reply
2. Universe One
"The people you see in the video are Indians. It's their ancestors who came from Africa. Watching the video carefully could've saved you from the ignorant rant."

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3. El God 🇲🇦
"@Universe One  they've always been in hindustan. they ruled many dynasties ago."

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4. King Kweku
"@El God 🇲🇦  If they are not from Africa, that means African Americans are also not Africans, neither does all the black populated carribean, central and Southern American countries...

You have no idea of what you are talking about!!! European Americans who were born and raised in America that I personaly know, always say that they are Irish, Italian, Greek, Dutch, French, etc...

But when it comes to people of African desent, some people want to ignore the facts of who they truly are...that's ignorance and hypocrisy at its peak!!!!"

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5. ROHANτο αφεντικό
"@El God 🇲🇦  wtf?? You mean Africans ruled india?"

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6. El God 🇲🇦
"@ROHANτο αφεντικό   They ruled before the Mauryan dynasty. This guy is a liar. If you listen to their oral history, they don't say anything about being from Africa. These characters go all around the world bothering the indigenous people, trying to get us to say we are from Africa. 🤨"

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SHOWCASE #3: Forgotten Roots- Siddis of Karnataka

DD India, March 11, 2019
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Here are some comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only).

Note that a number of commenters wrote that some of the information in this video is inaccurate and condescending if not racist. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtrSYxmZFHg

2020

1. Nii Ahene- La
"Very condescending narrator and who is obviously ignorant. Making many assumptions that aren't part of the narrative of the Siddis."

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2. Mario Duddu
"… "Christian missionaries have studied the history, culture and social structure of the Siddis in India. I came across such an article in the press long ago when the Indian Express paper ran a series of weekly articles on ethnic groups of India.

Siddis in India didn't actually come as slaves; may be there were a few cases. Many have come as soldiers and warriors. Once, the queen of Ethiopia gifted a regiment of magnificent warriors to the King of Jaipur. Also, the Sultan of Hyderabad had a battalion of Siddis in his army. More interesting is the fact that there is a village in Karnataka State where the Siddis preserved their ethnic traditions and culture.

Also note that the name "Siddique" appears among the Muslims of South India. This is a relic from their past.

I wish I remembered more details. However, if someone starts researching seriously, we will learn much more about these people who became a part of the Indian society."

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3. Justice Awudu
"Majority of them were brought  to India as soldiers by the mughals and some as workers.Please stop using the word slavery to describe them because there are millions of Indians who were brought to Africa by the British the same way and they call themselves Africans."

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4. Ras Generali
"Most of the siddi group came from Kenya supposedly central brought in to fight the first world war ,the British abandoned them, how ever the group they brought in to fight the second world war made it back home. The African Generals came back to Kenya and help fight for Kenya's independence from their experience from the war. I would guess the British government wouldn't wanna speak of it because they owe this group of nice people abandoned on foreign land."

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Reply
5. Anand Kitekar, 2021
"Not correct. Sidis have atleast 500 year old history in india. They were part of the Muslim armies"

6. Joseph Kenga
"The drum named DAMAM; if one follows the Bantus at Coastal plateau of Kenya, have the same drum called NDAMA, which means FEMALE drum; and it’s same meaning of the DAMAM, of these  SIDDIS; and moreover the name SIDDIS; is a female name from the Mijikenda; ( Bantus )! Kenya coast; known as SIDI"

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2021

7. Abraham kowo
" "Economically, Socially and Educationally they are ''very very very backward people''-R.V Deshpande.. Incharge District Minister ,Government of Karnataka. This was a very racist statement to make. SIDDIS LIVES MATTER. The Sidis may appear ''backward'' like he said because they have not the same opportunities as many communities. The way we see dark or darker skinned persons must change."

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8. Bomb Whippie
"I watched a BBC documentary that said most Siddis came as hired soldiers due to their strength and even helped rule certain areas and were highly respected. Most blended in with the people of India through intermarriage. It wasn’t until later were the Siddis treated badly. It is inaccurate to say they came as slaves. Some did, but most did not. It’s like the creators of the video wanted to demean the people. The BBC documentary that I watched on YouTube even interviewed Indian officials who said Siddis were rulers in India and were greatly respected. This video makes sure to strip that from these beautiful people."

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9. Bomb Whippie
"When I went to college I learned about these people. This video is only partially correct when the woman narrates. Some were slaves, others came as warriors of the Arab militia. Many stayed as warrior class and were hired as warriors by locals and even still some blended in with the locals. But they were not just slaves. Some areas even have names after black rulers of certain regions in India. Really interesting history."

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Reply
10. Anand Kitekar
"Another part is that some of them tried to go back to their African original community but were not accepted by them. So they came back"

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11. Just As I Am
"You can’t say the dark complexion coz most Indians are black in Colour"

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12. The Random Nomad
" @Bomb Whippie  an example is Malik Ambhar, a native Ethiopian who ruled a part of India.

And I come from kerala which had linked with the rest of the world through textile and spice trade. (Indian spices and textiles mostly from kerala was a valued commodity ). Amd there are two different names given to ethnic African people in medivial kerala. They were Akshumar and Khushar. I think one refers to Ethiopians and the other to Sudanese."

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13. Chandra Mo
"The way they look is not pure African but of a mix of Indians and Africans in Guyana we have  Africans and Indians that makes children that we call Douglas these people looks just like them"

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Reply
14. fam fam, 2021
"Douglah!"

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15. hiddenfallsmystic, 2022
"These videos are very misleading because the siddi are aborigines that have been there all along (ancient) and it's all in the same region, Bharat (now called India) also included areas with Arab speaking tribes like Pakistan and Bangladesh which they have also been in and have origins in as well all along."

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16. Bomb Whippie, 2022
"@hiddenfallsmystic  my wife who grew up in Pakistan and says the Siddi have been there a long time. But this particular branch came from African warriors who joined ancient militias. They always say they were slaves. Some where but not all.

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17. Carol Asberom
"I don't know how much of this true, regarding the Indian Government taking good care of these people.  Look at how the People of India treat the Black Dalit people. India has a strict caste system(read Isabel Wilkerson's latest book"Caste"), which places the Dalit at the very bottom of the social ladder. Where do the Siddis fit in this social arrangement? Also it is not true that these people were the first Africans to settle in India. Black Africans have been in India for thousands of years and they did not come as slaves!  Read  "A History of the African-Olmecs" in which the author states  ..."it was during this period that great Black civilizations of Africa and Asia(India's Indus Valley) felt the onslaught of barbarian white tribes from the north, who  went on a rampage of destruction"(pg.149). Also the Ethiopian empire in ancient times comprised most of India.  Stop looking down on Africans! There are numerous books which detail the history of India before the coming of the Indo-Europeans."

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18. Montessori With Assiya
"Some of the language used in the documentary is very racist and they are not even aware of this"

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19. Cheryl Collins
"What do this woman mean the Siddi people are naturally good in sports? That sounds like a white supremacist remark!!!"

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20. BigFoeNation
"Why are they being portrayed as some sort of rare animal species?? I feel like I'm watching the nature channel. Closes up shot of a spider followed by, you can spot them by their "snub noses,"?? Wow. Did any Siddis people sign off on this? I doubt it.

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2022

21. aulene Beckford
"I was told by an Ethiopian that Indians of India are their descends i believe it, the bible says a river from Eden run through cush all the way to India ."

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22. mackson dzombo
"I am from Kenyan coast and the name SIDI in Mijikenda Community is a name given to a baby Girl, am yet to the really meaning of the word SIDI."

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23. Joe Dee
"In Hindi/Urdu/Punjabi and many other Indian languages Sidi(Sidhi) means "simple/straight forward" "

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24. Rachel Kateve
"Their drums beatings are the same as those in East coast of east Africa. Mainly Kenyan Coast of malindi Lamu and Mombasa . The Mijikenda group of tribes dance and beat their the same way"

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