The
Siddi,
Siddhi, or
Sheedi ' onMouseout='HidePop("48801")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Hindi">Hindi
Standard Hindi, also known as High Hindi, Nagari Hindi or Literary Hindi is a standardised register of Hindi. It is one of the 22 languages with official status in India, and is used, along with English, for administration of the central government.Standard Hindi is a sanskritised register derived...
: सिद्दी or शीदि;
GujaratiGujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family...
: સિદ્દી) are an
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
n ethnic group of
Black AfricanThe term black people usually refers to a racial group of humans with skin colors that range from light brown to nearly black. It also has been used to categorize a number of diverse populations into a common group. Some definitions of the term include only people of relatively recent Sub Saharan...
descent. The Siddi population is currently estimated to be 20,000-55,000, with
GujaratGujarat is the westernmost state in India. It is home to the Gujarati speaking people of India. The state encompasses major sites of the Indus Valley Civilization such as Lothal and Dholavira. Gujarat played an important role in the economic history of India throughout the history of India...
state of India being the main population center. Siddis are mainly
Sufi MuslimsSufism or ' , also spelled as tasavvuf and tasavvof, is generally understood to be the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a ' , though some adherents of the tradition reserve this term only for those practitioners who have attained the goals...
, although some are
HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
s and some Roman Catholic
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
s.
Names of the community
There are conflicting hypotheses on the origin of the name
Siddi. One theory is that the word was a term of respect in
North AfricaNorth Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa.Geopolitically, the UN definition of Northern Africa includes the following seven countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia,Mauritania, and...
, similar to the word Sahib in modern India and Pakistan. Another holds that it is a degeneration of the word
Sayyid or
Sayyadi, which is used for descendants of
Prophet MuhammadMuhammad ibn ‘Abdullāh , is the founder of the religion of Islam [ إِسْلامْ ] and is regarded by Muslims as a messenger and prophet of , the last and the greatest law-bearer in a series of Islamic prophets as taught by the...
. A third theory is that the term
Siddi is derived from the title borne by the captains of the Arab vessels that first delivered Siddi slaves to India. These captains were known as
Sayyid (again, signifying the lineage of Prophet Muhammad), so their black captives were named after them.
Similarly, another term for Siddis,
habshi (from
Al-Habsh, the Arabic term for
AbyssiniaEthiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast. Its size is 1,100,000 km² with an...
), is held to be derived from the common name for the captains of the
EthiopiaEthiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast. Its size is 1,100,000 km² with an...
n/
AbyssinianThe term Habesha refers to a South Semitic-speaking group of people whose cultural, linguistic, and in certain cases, ancestral origins trace back to the tribes of the Axumite and the Da'amat kingdom...
ships that also first delivered Siddi slaves to the subcontinent. The term eventually came to be applied to other Africans as well, and referred not only to emancipated Siddis but to their descendants too.
Siddis are also sometimes referred to as Afro-Indians. Siddis were referred to as
ZanjZanj was a name used by medieval Arab geographers to refer to both a certain portion of the East African coast and its inhabitants.-Location and inhabitants:...
by Arabs, and
Seng Chi (a
malapropismA malapropism is the substitution of a word for a word with a similar sound, in which the resulting phrase makes no sense but often creates a comic effect. It is not the same as an eggcorn, which is a similar substitution in which the new phrase makes sense on some level...
of Zanj) by the Chinese.
History
The first Siddis are thought to have arrived in the
Indian subcontinentThe Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent and other terms, is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate south of the Himalayas, forming a peninsula which extends southward into the Indian Ocean...
in 628CE at the
BharuchBharuch, Gujarati ભરૂચ , is today is a large seaport city of more than a million inhabitants and a municipality in the Bharuch district, in the state of Gujarat, India...
port. Several others followed with the first Arab Islamic invasions of the subcontinent in 712CE. The latter group are believed to have been soldiers with
Muhammad bin QasimMuhammad bin Qasim Al-Thaqafi was an Umayyad general who conquered the Sindh and Punjab regions along the Indus river at the age of seventeen. He was born in the city of Taif...
's Arab army, and were called
Zanjis.
Most Siddis, however, are believed to be the descendants of
slavesSlavery is a form of forced labor in which people are considered to be the property of others. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive compensation...
, sailors, servants and merchants from the
BantuThe Bantu languages constitute a grouping belonging to the Niger-Congo family. This grouping is deep down in the genealogical tree of the Bantoid grouping, which in turn is deep down in the Niger-Congo tree. By one estimate, there are 513 languages in the Bantu grouping, 681 languages in Bantoid,...
-speaking parts of
East AfricaEast Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
who arrived and became resident in the subcontinent during the 1200-1900CE period. A large influx of Siddis to the region occurred in the 17th century when
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
slave traders sold a number of them to local princes.
In
Western IndiaWest India or the Western region of India consists of the states of Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra, along with the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. It is highly industrialized, with a large urban population. Most of Western India was part of the Maratha Empire and...
(the modern
Indian statesIndia is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.- States and territories :...
of
GujaratGujarat is the westernmost state in India. It is home to the Gujarati speaking people of India. The state encompasses major sites of the Indus Valley Civilization such as Lothal and Dholavira. Gujarat played an important role in the economic history of India throughout the history of India...
and
MaharashtraMaharashtra is a state located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's third largest state by area and second largest by population....
), the Siddi gained a reputation for physical strength and loyalty, and were sought out as mercenaries by local rulers, and as domestic servants and farm labor. Some Siddis 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 SultanateThe Delhi Sultanate was one of many Muslim states that ruled in India from 1206 to 1526. Several Turkic and Afghan dynasties ruled from Delhi: the Mamluk dynasty , the Khilji dynasty , the Tughlaq dynasty , the Sayyid dynasty , and the Lodi dynasty...
period prior to the rise of the Mughals in India,
Jamal-ud-Din YaqutJamal-ud-Din Yaqut was an Abyssinian slave who was a close confidante of Razia Sultana, the first female monarch of the Delhi Sultanate in India and is speculated to have been her lover...
was a prominent Siddi slave-turned-nobleman who was a close confidant of
Razia SultanaRazia al-Din , throne name Jalâlat ud-Dîn Raziyâ , usually referred to in history as Razia Sultan or Razia Sultana, was the Sultana of Delhi in India from 1236 to 1240...
(1205-1240CE). Although this is disputed, he may also have been her lover.
As a power center, Siddis were sometimes allied with the
Mughal EmpireThe Mughal Empire was an Islamic and Persianate imperial power of the Indian subcontinent which began in 1526, invaded and ruled most of Hindustan by the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and ended in the mid-19th century...
in its power-struggle with the Maratha Confederacy. However,
Malik AmbarMalik Ambar was an Ethiopian born in Harar, sold as a child by his parents due to poverty and rose to the level of Prime Minister of Ahmadnagar in India. He eventually arrived in India, where he was educated and given opportunities, but he remained a slave. Nevertheless in time he created an...
, 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. He established the town of Khirki which later became the modern city of
AurangabadAurangabad Aurangabad Aurangabad ( ( , meaning "Built by the Throne", named after Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb), is a city in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, India. The city is a tourist hub, surrounded with many historical monuments, including the Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves, which are UNESCO...
, and helped establish the Marathas as a major force in the Deccan. Later, the Marathas adapted Siddi
guerrilla warfareGuerrilla warfare is the irregular warfare warfare and combat in which a small group of combatants use mobile military tactics in the form of ambushes and raids to combat a larger and less mobile formal army....
tactics to grow their power and ultimately demolish the Mughal empire. Some accounts describe the Mughal emperor
JahangirNur-ud-din Salim Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death...
as obsessed by Ambar due to the Mughal empire's consistent failures in crushing him and his Maratha cavalry, describing him derogatorily as "the black faced" and "the ill-starred" in the royal chronicles and even having a painting commissioned that showed Jahangir killing Ambar, a fantasy which was never realized in reality.
Some Indian Siddis are descended from Tanzanians and Mozambicans brought by the Portuguese.
Siddis of Gujarat
Presented as slaves by the
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
to the local Prince, Nawab of Junagadh, the Siddis also live around
Gir Forest National ParkThe Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is a forest and wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat, India...
and Wildlife Sanctuary, the last refuge in the world of the almost extinct Asiatic Lions, in
JunagadhJunagadh is a city and a municipal corporation, the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city is located at the foot of the Girnar hills. Literally translated, Junagadh means "Old Fort"...
a district of the state of Gujarat, India.
On the way to Deva-dungar is the quaint village of Sirvan, inhabited entirely by Siddis, a tribe of African people. They were brought 300 years ago from Africa, by the Portuguese 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 African traditions have been preserved. These include the
Goma music and dance form, which is sometimes called
Dhamaal (Gujarati: ધમાલ, fun). The term is believed to be derived from the Ngoma drumming and dance forms of East 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.
Sheedis of Pakistan
In
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
, locals of Black African descent are called "Makrani", "Sheedi" or "Habshi". They live primarily along the Makran Coast in
BalochistanBalochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by geographical area, constituting approximately 48% of the total area of Pakistan. At the 1998 census, Balochistan had a population of roughly 6.5 million. Its neighbouring regions are Iran to the west, Afghanistan and the North West Frontier...
(see also
MakraniMakrani are the inhabitants of Makran coast of Balochistan in Iran and Pakistan.- Sheedi :The African people were enslaved and brought to Balochistan in medieval times. The descendents are called Makrani or Sheedi. The Sheedis are a Negroid people in Pakistan...
), and lower
SindhSindh , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhis. Different cultural and ethnic groups also reside in Sindh including Urdu-speaking Muslim refugees who migrated to Pakistan from India upon independence as well as the people migrated from other provinces after...
. In the city of
Karachiis the largest city, main seaport and the financial capital of Pakistan, and the capital of the province of Sindh. It is the 3rd largest city in the world by population and 20th largest city of the world, in terms of metropolitan population. It is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, and...
, the main Sheedi centre is the area of Lyari and other nearby coastal areas. Technically, the Sheedi are a brotherhood or community distinct from the other Afro-Pakistanis. The Sheedis are divided into four clans, or houses: Kharadar Makan, Hyderabad Makan, Lassi Makan and Belaro Makan. The sufi saint
Pir ManghoPir Mangho is the popular name for Sufi Pir Haji Syed Khawaja Hassan Sakhi Sultan. The settlement around the shrine has been named as Manghopir and is part of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.-Biography:...
is regarded by many as the patron saint of the Sheedis, and the annual
Sheedi MelaThe Sheedi Mela or Sheedi Jaat is an annual spiritual festival in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, that is the most important event in the cultural calendar of the Sheedi community—a community of African-descended Pakistanis. It is held every year at the shrine of Mangho Pir, usually in the summer, for...
festival, is the key event in the Sheedi community's cultural calendar. It features songs and dance clearly derived from
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
.
Linguistically, Makranis are
BalochiBalochi is a Northwestern Iranian language. It is the principal language of the Baloch of Balochistan, Pakistan, eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan. It is also spoken as a second language by some Brahui...
or
SindhiSindhi may refer to more than one article:*the Sindhi people, an ethnic group from the Sindh region in Pakistan.*the Sindhi language, an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Sindhi people.*a resident of Sindh province of Pakistan-See also:*Sindhu Kingdom...
and speak a dialect of Urdu referred to as Makrani.
Famous Sheedis include the historic Sindhi army leader
Hoshu SheediHoshu Sheedi, whose full name is Shaheed Hosh Mohammad Sheedi was army leader of Talpur Mirs' army which fought against British in the Battles of Miani and Dubbo...
and Urdu poet
Noon Meem DanishNoor Mohammed Danish , more commonly known as Noon Meem Danish or N. M. Danish, is a Pakistani poet of African and Baloch descent. He was raised in a working class family in Lyari, a largely African neighbourhood, which he describes as "Karachi's Harlem"...
. Sheedis are also well known for their excellence in sports, especially in football and
boxingBoxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. There are three ways to win...
. The musical anthem of the ruling
Pakistan Peoples PartyThe Pakistan Peoples Party : is a centre-left political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan. To date, its leader has always been a member of the Bhutto family...
, "Bija Teer", is a Balochi song in the musical style of the Sheedis with Black African style rhythm and drums
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5us7DISO0v4. Younis Jani is a popular Sheedi singer famous for singing an
UrduUrdu is a Central Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-Iranian branch, belonging to the Indo-European family of languages. It is one of the two official languages of Pakistan. It is also one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of five Indian states...
version of the
reggaetonReggaeton is a form of urban music that became popular with Latin American youth in the early 1990s. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European and Asian audiences. Reggaeton's predecessor was originated in Panama as reggae en español...
song
Papi chulo... (te traigo el mmmm...)"Papi Chulo... " is a 2003 song recorded by rapper and reggaeton Lorna. Released as her debut single in 2003 summer, the song achieved a huge success in many countries, becoming a top five hit in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m_tiPGFl9s.
In
SindhSindh , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhis. Different cultural and ethnic groups also reside in Sindh including Urdu-speaking Muslim refugees who migrated to Pakistan from India upon independence as well as the people migrated from other provinces after...
province, the community is represented by the 'All Sindh Al Habash Jama’at', which has complained about discrimination and a lack of economic opportunities.
Films
- 2003 - From Africa...To Indian Subcontinent: Sidi Music in the Indian Ocean Diaspora. By Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy, in close collaboration with Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy and the Sidi community. DVD-R. ISBN 1880519291.
- 1983- Razia Sultan , an indian urdu film directed by Kamal Amrohi , is about The film is based on the life of Razia Sultan (played by Hema Malini) (1205-1240), the only female Sultan of Delhi (1236-1240) and her speculated love affair with the Abyssinian slave Jamal-ud-Din Yakut (played by Dharmendra, he was reffered to in the movie as a habshee.
- 1999 - Mon petit diable (My Little Devil). Directed by Gopi Desai. Om Puri, Pooja Batra, Rushabh Patni, Satyajit Sharma.
See also
- Zanj
Zanj was a name used by medieval Arab geographers to refer to both a certain portion of the East African coast and its inhabitants.-Location and inhabitants:...
- Afro-Asian
- List of Scheduled Tribes in India
- Murud-Janjira
Murud-Janjira is the local name for a fort situated at the coastal village of Murud, in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. It is famous for being the only fort along India's western coast that remained undefeated despite Maratha, Dutch and English East India Company attacks.-Origins of the...
- Siddhis of Karnataka
- Malunga
The malunga is a single-stringed musical bow played by the Siddi of India, who are the descendants of East African immigrants. It produces two tones, an octave apart, and the knuckle of the hand supporting the instrument may also presses against the string to vary the pitch...
- Black Indians
Black Indians is a term that refers to people of African-American descent, usually with significant Native American ancestry, who also have strong ties to Native American culture, and social and historical traditions...
(the Americas)
- Chaush
Chaush literally means a guide, but in India they are the one who migrated to India in the 18th century, primarily from the Hadhramaut region in Yemen. They have a big community mainly in the Deccan region of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. They have relatives living/working in the...
- Makrani
Makrani are the inhabitants of Makran coast of Balochistan in Iran and Pakistan.- Sheedi :The African people were enslaved and brought to Balochistan in medieval times. The descendents are called Makrani or Sheedi. The Sheedis are a Negroid people in Pakistan...
- African Pakistani
African Pakistani or Pakistani African may refer to:*Pakistani migrants or descendants in Africa:**Pakistanis in Libya*Siddi, descendants of black African slaves in Pakistan*Multiracial people of African and Pakistani descent in any country...
External links