Not to be confused with the Hindu term Siddhi (though sometimes spelt in the same way).

The Siddi or Siddhi people are Indians of mainly North-East and East African descent, whose ancestors arrived in India from the 1st to the 19th century. The Siddis came from Africa as slaves, soldiers, sailors and merchants. This is not the earliest African presence in India, since the original people in that region were Africans. However, this presence was on the Konkani Coast as a result of the Arab slave trade. The 17th century saw the largest influx of Siddis, as many were sold to Hindu princes by Arab and Portuguese slave traders, and mainly used as domestic servants and farm labourers. Some Siddi slaves escaped into the forests to form their own communities. Siddis occasionally rose to prominence — a few rulers of Bengal in the 15th century were Siddis, and during the British colonial period Siddis attained military and governmental leadership positions. A Hindu (archaic Hindoo), as per modern definition is an adherent of philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, the predominant religious, philosophical and cultural system of the Indian subcontinent and the island of Bali. ... // 1. ... A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. ... The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ... A soldier is a person who has enlisted with, or has been conscripted into, the armed forces of a sovereign country and has undergone training and received equipment (such as a uniform and weapon) to defend that country or its interests. ... A sailor is a member of the crew of a ship or boat. ... Merchants function as professionals who deal with trade, dealing in commodities that they do not produce themselves, in order to produce profit. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب Ê»arab) are a large and heterogeneous ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa, originating in the Arabian Peninsula of southwest Asia. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

Rough estimates put their population at 20 to 30 thousand, mostly living in the state of Gujarat. Since they are generally dark-skinned, they occupy the bottom rung of the Indian caste system, and exist mainly on the margins of Indian society. Siddis have adopted the indigenous religions (most Siddis are Muslim), food, and customs of India; though remnants of their African heritage are retained in their music. Siddis are employed mainly in the agricultural sector. Gujarat (Gujarati: , Hindi: ; , IPA ; also spelled Gujrat and sometimes Gujarath) contained many of the former Princely states of India, and is the second-most industrialized state in the Republic of India after Maharashtra. ... Caste systems are traditional, hereditary systems of social stratification. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم is an adherent of Islam. ...

External links

• African By Nature
• The African Presence in India
• Who are the Siddis of India?
• The African connection: A Pictorial Essay on an African Indian Community in the Southwestern India
• Pictures of Siddis - 1, 2, 3