Siddi

The Siddi, Siddhi, or Sheedi (Urdu: شیدی ‎; Hindi, Marathi, Konkani: सिद्दी or शीदि/ಸಿದ್ಧಿ; Gujarati: સિદ્દી; Kannada: ಸಿದ್ಧಿಗಳು), also known as Habshi, are an ethnic group in Sub-continent mainly in India and Pakistan of Black African and/or Afro-Arab descent. The Siddi population is currently estimated to be 20,000–55,000, with Gujarat and Hyderabad in India and Makran and Karachi in Pakistan as the main population centres. Siddis are mainly Sufi Muslims, although some are Hindus and some Roman Catholic Christians. 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.