Lost
African Tribe: 7 Things You Didn’t Know About The Sidi Of India
While
people of African origin have been recognized and have played a key role in the
development of their countries in North and Latin America, this has not been
the case in Asia. The culture of the Sidi, an Afro-Asian group, spread across
India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka is fast disappearing.
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| The Sidi People of India |
The
Siddi people are Africans of Bantu descent, taken away from East Africa to
India and Pakistan by Arab and Portuguese slave traders in the 16th
century. Thousands of others went as mercenaries and merchants.
Pakistan
is home to the largest community of African descendants, who number around
50,000. Many of these of them live in abject poverty without access to
education or employment. In Pakistan they are known as Sheedi.
In
Gujarat and Karnataka where most Sidis live, music remains the enduring link to
Africa. In 2003, Karnataka State included Sidis on the list of ‘Scheduled
tribes’ a status which helps them access reserved quotas of government jobs,
quotas in schools, bursaries and subsidized housing.
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| Karnataka Sidi People of India |
The Sidi people consider themselves as part of
the Indian Ocean diaspora. Despite being Indian for centuries, they constantly
face racial discrimination where their identities are not fully understood. The
community has established the African Diaspora in Asia, a society of
African-Indian descendants and international scholars in their search for
identity.
Although
they have lost much of their culture due to assimilation, they have retained
their very distinct African music. They play the goma, an African drum which is
a feature of African music across the continent.
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| A Sidi Dance Troupe Getting Ready to Perform on Independence Day |
They
dress in the same way as other locals and speak local languages. Men work as
drivers, mechanics or security guards while women work as domestic help. Their
food consists mainly of rice, dal and pickles. But unlike the other Afro-
Americans across the Atlantic the Sidi have a long way to go and need
affirmative action to preserve their culture.
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