An African Indian Community in Hyderabad
Siddi Identity, Its Maintenance and Change
Dissertation
Zur Erlangung des sozialwissenschaftlichen Doktorgrades
der
Sozialwissenschaftlichen Fakultat
der Georg-August-Universitat Gottingen
vorgelegt
von
Ababu Minda Yimene
aus Debre Birhan, Athiopien
Gottingen 2004 Table of Contents
Table of Contents i List of Maps v List of Tables v List of Figures v List of Illustrations vii Acknowledgements ix Preface xi
1. INTRODUCTION 1 LlProfile of the Study Area / 1.1.1 Hyderabad 1 1.1.2 A Glimpse on the History of Hyderabad 2 1.1.3 Geography and Climate 5 1.2 Objectives and Significance of the Study 10 1.3 Methodologies 13 1.3.1 Participant Observation 13 1.3.2 Interviews 13 1.3.3 Group Discussions 14 1.3.4 Literature Review 14 1.3.5 Biographies 14 1.3.6 Oral Traditions 15 1.3.7 Network Analysis 15 1.4 Informants and Interpreters 16
2. CONCEPTS OF ETHNICITY 19 2.1 Ethnic Group 21 2.2 Ethnicity 28 2.2.1 Primordialism 28 2.2.2 Instrumentalism 29 2.2.3 Combining Both Approaches 30 2.3 Migration and Ethnicity 32 2.4 Diaspora and Ethnicity 35 3. CONCEPTS OF SLAVERY AND SERVILE INSTITUTIONS ... .39 3.1 Slavery in Greek and Roman Antiquity 41 3.1.1 Aristotelian View of Slavery 42 3.1.2 Stoical View of Slavery 43 3.2 Medieval Slavery - The Ottoman Empire 45 3.3 African Slavery - The Case of Ethiopia 48 3.4 Modern Slavery - America 55 3.5 Cross-Cultural Notions of Slavery 57
4. HISTORY OF THE TRADE IN AFRICAN SLAVES TO INDIA . .63 4.1 Indo-African Trade Relations 63 4.2 Indo-Ethiopian Trade Relations 67 4.3 Slave Trade Across the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean 69
5. HISTORY OF INDIANS OF AFRICAN ORIGIN 79 5.1. The Siddi of Gujarat Past and Present 85 5.2. The Siddi ofJanjira 92 5.3. The Present Siddi of Karnataka 97 5.4. History of the Siddi ofBijapur 104 5.5. Renowned Siddi Nobles 107 5.6 The Words Habshi and Siddi 119 5.6.1 Habshi 119 5.6.2 Siddi 125
6. AC GUARDS AND THE SIDDI 129 6.1 African Cavalry Guards 129 6.2 The Quarters of AC Guards 134 6.3 Christian Siddi of AC Guards 138
7. SOCIO - CUTURAL IDENTITY OF THE SIDDI 143 7.1 Marital Life 143 7.1.1 Matrimony 146 7.1.2 'Illegitimate' Romance and Sexuality 153 7.1.3. Pregnancy and Birth 155 7.2 Rites of Passage 156 7.2.1 Male Circumcision 156 7.2.2 Bismillah 157 7.2.3 Hakikah 158 7.2.4 Hafis 159 7.3.Purda 160 7.4 Economic Situation of the Siddi 163 7.5 Sport, Games and Leisure 170
8. SIDDI ETHNIC IDENTITY 177 8.1 Common Geographic Origin 178 8.2 Common History and Tradition 180 8.3 Religion 182 8.3.1. Religious Practices and Symbols 183 8.3.2. Durgha and Chile 183 8.3.3. Amulets 191 8.3.4. Annual Holidays 192 8.3.5. Identity Symbols 192 8.4. Communal Names 197 8.4.1. African 197 8.4.2. Somali 198 8.4.3. Habshi 199 8.4.4. Siddi 199 8.4.5. Negro 200 8.4.6. Chaush 201 8.4.7. Arab 201 8.4.8. Bin 202 8.5. Language 203 8.6. Communal Territory 205 8.7. Similarities in Somatic Features 205 8.8. Music 207
9. INTRA AND INTERETHNIC RELATIONSHIPS 217 9.1. Intra-Siddi Relationships 217 9.2. Siddi Networks 233 9.3 Relations With Other Siddi Communities 237 9.4.Relations Between Muslim and Christian Siddi 241 9.5.Relations Between Siddi and Non-Siddi Muslims 244 9.6.Relations Between Siddi and Hindus 248
10. IDENTITY MAINTENANCE AND CHANGE 255 10.1. Daff Music 255 10.2. Residence-AC Guards 261 10.3 Costumes and Amulets 263 10.4. Intermarriage 264 10.5. Occupational Change 267 10.5.1. Externally Induced Occupational Change 268 10.5.2. Self-Induced Occupational Change 270 10.6. Change in the Belief System 270
11. SYNTHESIS AND CONCLUSION 275 //./. Africans' Immigration in the Orient 276 11.2. The Siddi - Serviles and Nobles 277 11.3. The Siddi as a Diaspora Community 282 11.4. The Siddi as an Ethnic Community 283 11.5. The Siddi as an Ethnic Minority 290 11.6. Reflections on Siddi Interactions 290 11.7. The Future of the Hyderabadi Siddi 297 11.8. Summary and Recommendation 300
BIBLIOGRAPHY 305
APPENDIXES 319 Appendixl. Glossary 319 Appendix 2. Abbreviations and Acronyms 325 Appendix 3. Abstract 327 Appendix 4. Zussamenfassung 329