JAMBUR VILLAGE
They call themselves the Sidi, derived from an Arabic word meaning mister or lord.
One Sidi village is Jambur, several kilometres inland from the Gujarat coastline.
"All the people here were brought from Africa," village elder Hassan Bhai told me. "They came all the way from Africa in olden times, and they went on increasing one by one."
Today they number about 500, making Jambur one of the largest communities of the descendants of Africans in India.
In most respects it is like any other Indian village. The women wear colourful saris, the men chew a potent mix of tobacco and spices, and the children play cricket.
They all speak the Gujarati language and eat dal and chapati (split-pea stew and bread).
Jambur's Sidis cultivate the limited land available to them, but also make a living labouring and selling firewood.
SIRWAN VILLAGE
Living deep within the confines of the forest area in Karnataka are the unique Indo-African Siddi tribe in Tavargatta. The tribal village is inhabited by people from the African decent.
This Siddi tribal village of Sirwan can be easily accessed from the town of Junagadh.On first look the Siddi tribal’s have nothing in common with Indians other than their dressing and the fact that since they have been staying here for over hundred years they speak the local languages. The features of these people are typically African with their dark skin tone and thick curly hair. The major reason why their features have remained so strong over the past 400 years of their existence in India is because the Siddi tribal’s marry only within their community. It is extremely rare for a Siddi person to marry anyone outside their community.
