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== Sheedis of Pakistan == |
== Sheedis of Pakistan == |
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In Pakistan, locals of Black African descent are called "Makrani", "Sheedi |
In Pakistan, locals of Black African descent are called "Makrani", "Sheedi". They live primarily along the [[Makran Coast]] in [[Balochistan (Pakistan)|Balochistan]] (see also [[Makrani]]), and lower [[Sindh]]. In the city of [[Karachi]], 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.<ref name="thenews.com.pk">[http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=122726 Sheedi Mela begins with ritual aplomb]{{dead link|date=March 2011}}, [[The News International]], July 7, 2008</ref> The [[sufi]] saint [[Pir Mangho]] is regarded by many as the patron saint of the Sheedis, and the annual [[Sheedi Mela]] festival, is the key event in the Sheedi community's cultural calendar.<ref name="thenews.com.pk"/> Some glimpses of the rituals at Sidi/Sheedi Festival 2010 include visit to sacred alligators at Mangho pir, playing music and dance.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2010/06/100615_sheedi_mela.shtml], [[BBC Urdu (online news service)]], 18 June 2010</ref> Clearly, the instrument, songs and dance appear to be derived from Africa.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1869876.stm Pakistan's Sidi keep heritage alive], [[BBC News]], 13 March 2002</ref><ref>[http://www.dawn.com/2007/07/16/local9.htm Manghopir urs a living tribute to Sheedi culture], ''[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]'' July 16, 2007</ref> |
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Linguistically, Makranis are [[Balochi language|Balochi]] and [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] and speak a dialect of [[Urdu language|Urdu]] referred to as Makrani. In [[Sindh]], the Sheedis have traditionally intermarried only with people such as the Mallahs (fisherpeople), Khaskeli (laborers), Katri (dyeing caste) and Kori (clothmakers). This accounts for the existence of non-African features such as the straight nose and lighter skin among some Sheedis. In [[Makran]], many have intermarried with the [[Baloch people|Baloch]].<ref name=autogenerated1>''Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River'', Alice Albinia, W. W. Norton & Company, 2010, p. 69</ref> |
Linguistically, Makranis are [[Balochi language|Balochi]] and [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] and speak a dialect of [[Urdu language|Urdu]] referred to as Makrani. In [[Sindh]], the Sheedis have traditionally intermarried only with people such as the Mallahs (fisherpeople), Khaskeli (laborers), Katri (dyeing caste) and Kori (clothmakers). This accounts for the existence of non-African features such as the straight nose and lighter skin among some Sheedis. In [[Makran]], many have intermarried with the [[Baloch people|Baloch]].<ref name=autogenerated1>''Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River'', Alice Albinia, W. W. Norton & Company, 2010, p. 69</ref> |
Revision as of 19:08, 2 May 2012
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Siddi_Woman.jpg/220px-Siddi_Woman.jpg)
Total population | |
---|---|
20,000 – 55,000 (estimated) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka states of India, Sindh and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan and southern coastal Iran (where they are considered Arabs). | |
Languages | |
Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Konkani, Sindhi, Makrani dialect of Balochi | |
Religion | |
Mainly Sufi Sunni Islam, with Hindu and Catholic Christian minorities |
The Siddi, Siddhi, or Sheedi (Urdu: شیدی ; Hindi,Marathi,Konkani: सिद्दी or शीदि; Gujarati: સિદ્દી; Kannada: ಸಿದ್ಧಿಗಳು), also known as Habshi, are an Indian and Pakistani ethnic group of Afro-Arab and/or Black African descent. The Siddi population is currently estimated to be 20,000–55,000, with Gujarat and Hyderabad in India and Karachi in Pakistan as the main population centres.[1][2] Siddis are mainly Sufi Muslims, although some are Hindus and some Roman Catholic Christians.[3] Villages in the forests of northern Karnataka, for instance, have residents who likely are descended from Mozambican/Angolan slaves who escaped from Portuguese traders and ships.
Etymology of name
There are conflicting hypotheses on the origin of the name Siddi. One theory is that the word was a term of respect in North Africa, similar to the word sahib in modern India and Pakistan.[2] A second theory is that the term Siddi is derived from the title borne by the captains of the Arab vessels that first brought Siddi settlers to India. These captains were known as Sayyid.[4]
Similarly, another term for Siddis, habshi (from Al-Habsh, the Arabic term for Abyssinia), is held to be derived from the common name for the captains of the Ethiopian/Abyssinian ships that also first delivered Siddi slaves to the subcontinent.[5] The term eventually came to be applied to other Africans and not only to emancipated Siddis. In time, it came to be used to refer to their descendants as well. It is sometimes pronounced "Hafsi" and is considered an insult.[6]
Siddis are also sometimes referred to as Afro-Indians.[7][8][9] Siddis were referred to as Zanji by Arabs; in China, various transcriptions of this Arabic word were used, including Xinji (辛吉) and Jinzhi (津芝).[10][11][12][13]
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Sidi-Saiyyed-Jaali-Ahmedabad.jpg/250px-Sidi-Saiyyed-Jaali-Ahmedabad.jpg)
The first Siddis are thought to have arrived in the Indian subcontinent in 628 AD at the Bharuch port. Several others followed with the first Arab Islamic invasions of the subcontinent in 712 AD.[15] The latter group are believed to have been soldiers with Muhammad bin Qasim's Arab army, and were called Zanjis.
Most Siddis, however, are believed to be the descendants of slaves, sailors, servants and merchants from East Africa who arrived and became resident in the subcontinent during the 1200-1900 AD period.[16] A large influx of Siddis to the region occurred in the 17th century when Portuguese slave traders sold a number of them to local princes.[2]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Flag_of_Janjira.svg/175px-Flag_of_Janjira.svg.png)
In Western India (the modern Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra), 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.[2] 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 Sultanate period prior to the rise of the Mughals in India, Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut was a prominent Siddi slave-turned-nobleman who was a close confidant of Razia Sultana (1205–1240 CE). Although this is disputed, he may also have been her lover.[17]
As a power centre, Siddis were sometimes allied with the Mughal Empire in its power-struggle with the Maratha Confederacy.[2] However, Malik Ambar, 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.[18] He established the town of Khirki which later became the modern city of Aurangabad, and helped establish the Marathas as a major force in the Deccan. Later, the Marathas adapted Siddi guerrilla warfare tactics to grow their power and ultimately demolish the Mughal empire.[18] Some accounts describe the Mughal emperor Jahangir 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 realised in reality.[19]
Some Indian Siddis are descended from Tanzanians and Mozambicans brought by the Portuguese. While most African slaves became Muslim and a small minority became Christian, very few became Hindu since they could not find themselves a position in the traditional Hindu caste hierarchy.[20]
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Siddis of India
Siddis of Gujarat
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Siddi_Folk_Dancers%2C_at_Devaliya_Naka%2C_Sasan_Gir%2C_Gujarat.jpg/220px-Siddi_Folk_Dancers%2C_at_Devaliya_Naka%2C_Sasan_Gir%2C_Gujarat.jpg)
Supposedly presented as slaves by the Portuguese to the local Prince, Nawab of Junagadh, the Siddis also live around Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, the last refuge in the world of the almost extinct Asiatic Lions, in Junagadh 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.[21]
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).[22] The term is believed to be derived from the Ngoma drumming and dance forms of Bantu East Africa.[22] 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.[23]
Siddis of Karnataka
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Siddi_Girl.jpg/220px-Siddi_Girl.jpg)
The Siddis of Karnataka (Kannada: ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಸಿದ್ಧಿಗಳು) (also spelled Siddhis) are a tribe of African descent that has made Karnataka their home for the last 400 years. There is a 50,000 strong Siddhi population across India, of which more than a third live in Karnataka. In Karnataka, they are concentrated around Yellapur, Haliyal, Ankola, Joida, Mundgod and Sirsi taluks of Uttara Kannada and in Khanapur of Belgaum and Kalghatgi of Dharwad district. Many members of the Siddis community of Karnataka had migrated to Pakistan after independence and have settled in Karachi, Sindh. The majority of the Siddhis in Karnataka are descendants of Siddhi slaves who were brought from East Africa (mostly Mozambique) and Ethiopia to Goa by the Portuguese, British and the Arabs between the 16th and 19th centuries. During the Goan Inquisition, some of these slaves were freed and some escaped into the forests of the neighbouring Karnataka state. It has been reported that these Siddis believe that Barack Obama shares their genepool and that they wanted to gift a bottle of honey to him on his visit to India in 2010.[24]
Siddis of Hyderabad, India
In 18th century siddi community was established in Hyderabad State by the Arab Siddi community diaspora, who used to serve as a Cavalry Guards of Asif Jahi Nizams irregular army. Asif Jahi Nizams had patronized them with rewards and there music called Marfa Music got popular which was performed during there official celebrations and ceremonies.[25][26][27]
Sheedis of Pakistan
In Pakistan, locals of Black African descent are called "Makrani", "Sheedi". They live primarily along the Makran Coast in Balochistan (see also Makrani), and lower Sindh. In the city of Karachi, 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.[28] The sufi saint Pir Mangho is regarded by many as the patron saint of the Sheedis, and the annual Sheedi Mela festival, is the key event in the Sheedi community's cultural calendar.[28] Some glimpses of the rituals at Sidi/Sheedi Festival 2010 include visit to sacred alligators at Mangho pir, playing music and dance.[29] Clearly, the instrument, songs and dance appear to be derived from Africa.[30][31]
Linguistically, Makranis are Balochi and Sindhi and speak a dialect of Urdu referred to as Makrani. In Sindh, the Sheedis have traditionally intermarried only with people such as the Mallahs (fisherpeople), Khaskeli (laborers), Katri (dyeing caste) and Kori (clothmakers). This accounts for the existence of non-African features such as the straight nose and lighter skin among some Sheedis. In Makran, many have intermarried with the Baloch.[32]
Famous Sheedis include the historic Sindhi army leader Hoshu Sheedi[33] and Urdu poet Noon Meem Danish.[34][35] Sheedis are also well known for their excellence in sports, especially in football and boxing. The musical anthem of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, "Bija Teer", is a Balochi song in the musical style of the Sheedis with Black African style rhythm and drums.[36] Younis Jani is a popular Sheedi singer famous for singing an Urdu version of the reggaeton song "Papi chulo... (te traigo el mmmm...)."[37]
Most Makranis in Pakistan have Black Africans links from the female side. Many Sindhi feudals imported African female slaves; so did the Omani Arabs of Gwadar, a coastal city of Balochistan which was in control of Oman in the 17th century. According to Dr. Sengupta's seminal study, the Y-DNA analysis reveals E3a at a frequency distribution of 5%. On the other hand, mtDNA analysis reveals approx 40% L1a, L2a, L2b, L2d.[38]
Famous Siddis or Sheedis
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Sidis_of_Bombay.jpg/220px-Sidis_of_Bombay.jpg)
- Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut, confidante of Razia Sultana
- Yakut Khan, naval admiral
- Malik Ambar, prime minister of Ahmadnagar Sultanate
- Hoshu Sheedi, Sindhi commander
- Noon Meem Danish, Urdu poet
- Nawab of Janjira
- Juje Siddi, former Indian national football team and Salgaocar SC goalkeeper[39]
Films
- From Africa...To Indian Subcontinent: Sidi Music in the Indian Ocean Diaspora (2003) by Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy, in close collaboration with Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy and the Sidi community.
- Mon petit diable (My Little Devil) (1999) was directed by Gopi Desai. Om Puri, Pooja Batra, Rushabh Patni, Satyajit Sharma.
- Razia Sultan (1983), an Indian Urdu film directed by Kamal Amrohi, 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 referred to in the movie as a habshee.
See also
- African Pakistani
- Afro Asians (African Asians)
- Chaush
- List of Scheduled Tribes in India
- Lyari
- Makrani
- Malunga
- Manghopir Urs
- Murud-Janjira
- Noon Meem Danish
- Pir Mangho Urs
- Pir Mangho
- Sheedi
- Sheedi Mela
- Sri Lanka Kaffirs
- Siddis of Karnataka
- Zanj
References
- ^ Kumar Suresh Singh, Rajendra Behari Lal (2003), Gujarat, Anthropological Survey of India (Popular Prakashan), ISBN 8179911063,
... At present the Siddis are living in the western coast of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka states. Their main concentration is in Junagadh district of Rajkot division. They are a scheduled tribe. According to the 1981 census, the population of the Siddi tribe is 54,291, The Siddi speak Gujarati language within their kin circle as well as with the outsiders. Gujarati script is used ...
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at position 224 (help) - ^ a b c d e P.K. Mohanty (2006), Encyclopaedia Scheduled Tribes In India, Gyan Publishing House, ISBN 8182050529,
... Rough estimates put the current Siddi population at 20 to 30 thousand, mostly living in the state of Gujarat ... gained a reputation as being physically powerful and fiercely loyal ... small Siddi kingdoms were established ... at Janjira and Jaffrabad ... Some scholars (and many Siddis) claim that the word Siddi is an expression of respectful address commonly used in North Africa, like Sahib in India or Sir in England ...
- ^ Shanti Sadiq Ali (1996), The African dispersal in the Deccan, Orient Blackswan, ISBN 8125004858,
... Among the Siddi families in Karnataka there are Catholics, Hindus and Muslims ... It was a normal procedure for the Portuguese to baptise African slaves ... After living for generations among Hindus they considered themselves to be Hindus ... The Siddi Hindus owe allegiance to Saudmath ...
- ^ Vijay Prashad (2002), Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting: Afro-Asian Connections and the Myth of Cultural Purity, Beacon Press, ISBN 0807050113,
... since the captains of the African and Arab vessels bore the title Sidi (from Sayyid, or the lineage of the prophet Muhammad), the African settlers on the Indian mainland came to be called Siddis ...
- ^ Vijay Prashad, Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting: Afro-Asian Connections and the Myth of Cultural Purity, (Beacon Press: 2002), p.8
- ^ Ronald Segal (2002), Islam's Black Slaves: The Other Black Diaspora, Macmillan, ISBN 0374527970,
... Ethiopians were particularly favored; the term Habashi or Habshi— from the Arabic word for Ethiopian – came to be applied to other Africans as well, and referred not only to the freed but to their descendants ...
- ^ Ali Al'Amin Mazrui, Toby Kleban Levine (1986), The Africans: a reader, Praeger, ISBN 0030062098,
... continue to exist in three main communities. These Afro-Indians, known as "Siddis" ...
- ^ Joseph E. Harris (1971), The African presence in Asia: consequences of the East African slave trade, Northwestern University Press, ISBN 0810103486,
... In fact, it is frequently said that Afro-Indians in western Gujarat are descendants of escaped slaves. ...
- ^ Ruth Simms Hamilton (2007), Routes of Passage: Rethinking the African Diaspora, Michigan State University Press, ISBN 0870136321,
...
- ^ David Brion Davis, Challenging the boundaries of slavery, (Harvard University Press: 2006), p.12
- ^ Ci Hai 7(1): 125
- ^ Roland Oliver, Africa in the Iron Age: c.500 BC-1400 AD, (Cambridge University Press: 1975), p.192
- ^ F.R.C. Bagley et al., The Last Great Muslim Empires, (Brill: 1997), p.174
- ^ Brajesh Kumar, Pilgrimage Centers of India, (Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd.: 2003), p.154.
- ^ Yatin Pandya, Trupti Rawal (2002), The Ahmedabad Chronicle: Imprints of a Millennium, Vastu Shilpa Foundation for Studies and Research in Environmental Design,
... The first Muslims in Gujarat to have arrived are the Siddis via the Bharuch port in 628 A.D. ... The major group, though, arrived in 712 A.D. via Sindh and the north ... With the founding of Ahmedabad in 1411 A.D. it became the concentrated base of the community ...
- ^ "The lost Africans of India", BBC, 2000-11-27, retrieved 2009-04-27,
... "The Sidis are descendants of African slaves, sailors and servants, and merchants who remained in India after arriving through the sea trade with East Africa and the Gulf", says Amy Catlin of the University of California, who is making a special study of Sidi culture. "That was a process which began in the 12th century or before, and lasted until the late 19th century" ...
- ^ Josef W. Meri, Jere L. Bacharach (2006), Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 0415966922,
... she appointed Jala ad-Din Yaqut, an Abyssinian slave, to the post of master of the stables, a position traditionally reserved for a distinguished Turk. Her partiality for Yaqut has led later historians to speculae whether there had been a sexual relationship between them, but contemporaneous sources do not indicate that this was necessarily the case ...
- ^ a b "Malik Ambar: Military guru of the Marathas", The Hindu, 2008-10-12, retrieved 2009-04-27,
... Malik Ambar provided the inspiring leadership for this enterprise ... the Marathas, fostered and trained by him, would soon be a force to reckon with. Skilfully adopting the guerrilla tactic, they would bring about the downfall of Aurangzeb ...
- ^ Richard M. Eaton (2005), A Social History of the Deccan, 1300–1761: Eight Indian Lives, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521254841,
... In his memoir for the year 1612, Jahangir calls him "Ambar, the black faced" ... the portrait reveals the emperor's profound frustration with his failure ever to vanquish Ambar: he fantasised in art what he could not accomplish on the battlefield ...
- ^ Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River, Alice Albinia, W. W. Norton & Company, 2010, p. 61
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b Journal of the Indian Anthropological Society, vol. 28, Indian Anthropological Society, 1993,
... The word goma is derived from the Swahili word for dance, ngoma, which in the East African ... Siddi servants used to perform goma dances with drums ...
- ^ Shihan de S. Jayasuriya, Richard Pankhurst (2003), The African diaspora in the Indian Ocean, Africa World Press, ISBN 086543980X,
... At the climax, when large numbers of people are simultaneously possessed, the presence of Sidi saints among the living is experienced through the bodies chosen by the saints as vehicle. This happens during dancing sessions called damal or goma ...
- ^ Anil Budur Lulla, A Bottle of Honey for Our Brother Prez, Short Takes section, Open Magazine, October 30, 2010
- ^ "'Marfa' band of the Siddis 'losing' its beat". Hyderabad, India: The Hindu. 10 July 2011. Retrieved 19 september 2011.
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(help) - ^ Ababu Minda Yimene (2004). An African Indian community in Hyderabad: Siddi identity, its maintenance and Change. cuvillier verlag gottingen. pp. 209–211. ISBN 3-86537-206-6. Retrieved 19 september 2011.
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(help) - ^ Shanti Sadiq Ali (1995). The African dispersal in the Deccan: from medieval to modern times. oriental longman ltd. ISBN 8125004858. Retrieved 22 september 2011.
{{cite book}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help) - ^ a b Sheedi Mela begins with ritual aplomb[dead link], The News International, July 7, 2008
- ^ [2], BBC Urdu (online news service), 18 June 2010
- ^ Pakistan's Sidi keep heritage alive, BBC News, 13 March 2002
- ^ Manghopir urs a living tribute to Sheedi culture, Dawn July 16, 2007
- ^ Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River, Alice Albinia, W. W. Norton & Company, 2010, p. 69
- ^ ‘Hoshu Sheedi Day’on March 23, Dawn (newspaper), March 21, 2007
- ^ A poet in New York, Dawn (newspaper), December 09, 2007
- ^ Afro-Asia in Pakistan Hasan Mujtaba, Samar Magazine, Issue 13: Winter/Spring, 2000
- ^ YouTube - teer bija
- ^ YouTube - Younis Jani - Papi Chulo
- ^ Genetic Map of Pakistan
- ^ GOALKEEPERS | Goa Football Association
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Karnataka's Indian-African Tribe
- Alice Albinia, Empires of the Indus, W. W. Norton & Company, 2010, 52–78.
- Shanti Sadiq Ali, The African Dispersal in the Deccan: From Medieval to Modern Times, Orient Blackswan, 1996
- Ababu Minda Yimene, An African Indian Community in Hyderabad: Siddi Identity, Its Maintenance and Change, Cuvillier Verlag, 2004, pg 201
- Omar H. Ali, The African Diaspora in India, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library
- Bantu origins of the Sidis of India; By Abdulaziz Y. Lodhi (2008-10-29) in PAMBAZUKA NEWS
- Siddi Jana Vikas Sanga
- Indians of African Origin
- Black, Indian, & Hindu
- Habshis and Siddis – Africans and African descendants in South Asia
- The Global African Community/Great Habshis in Ethiopian/Indian History
- History of the Ethiopian Diaspora
- Historical overview of South Asian communities with African roots by Dr Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya
- Pakistan's Sidi keep heritage alive
- BBC: The lost Africans of India
- BBC In pictures: India's African communities
- http://travel.expressindia.com/story/20499.html
- http://www.cybernoon.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=xtras&subsection=womensextra&xfile=January2007_extraspecial_standard805&child=extraspecial
- Wikipedia neutral point of view disputes from November 2010
- Ethnic groups in India
- Ethnic groups in Pakistan
- Peoples of the African diaspora
- Muslim communities
- Muslim communities of India
- Sindhi tribes
- Africa–Pakistan relations
- Africa–India relations
- Social groups of Gujarat
- Social groups of Balochistan, Pakistan
- Social groups of Sindh
- Social groups of Karnataka
- Tribal communities of Gujarat
- Muslim communities of Gujarat
- African diaspora
- Immigration to India