ABSTRACT

This chapter provides a description of the geographical regions where the descendants of Africans are settled in South Asia which include: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in India; Sindh in Pakistan; Sri Lanka; and the Maldives Islands. Their ancestors may have arrived in India as slaves, mercenaries or may have been sailors who opted to remain and settle in India voluntarily. These descendants of Africans provide interesting and valuable materials for scholarly investigation and study on the largely unexplored field of the African presence in India. The culture of the Sidis in Western India also sheds light on the interplay between the forces of continuity and change in the cultures of immigrants and displaced people. The chapter explores the origins of the words ‘Sidi’, and ‘habshi’ and provides a discussion of their physiognomy, their genetic traits and biological inheritance from Africa. The chapter also deals with the linguistic diversity of the Sidis and their adoption of the languages and dialects of the communities where they settled.