By Shraddha Kukkuje
Their ancestors once came from Africa. Today, the Siddis in India are one of the most marginalised groups. Community-led tourism can help to improve their situation, both in economic terms and with regard to their social standing.
The Siddis in India are an ethnic group with a unique cultural heritage. Believed to be descendants of Bantu people from Southeast Africa, the Siddis were once brought to India as slaves, sailors, and soldiers by Portuguese and Arab traders. Today, they are primarily concentrated in the coastal areas of the South Indian state of Karnataka and also have a presence in Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
Assimilated, yet discriminated
The Siddis show a high level of assimilation with local culture. They have been trying to strike a balance between protecting their original culture and bringing in elements of mainstream Indian culture in order to become “more acceptable”. However, their status in the social hierarchy has often been considered below Dalits, making them one of the most marginalised communities in India. “At school, we were always bullied for our curly hair and dark colour of our skin. The teachers made us sit separately, away from rest of the students”, recounts Manjunath Siddi.
A Community-led Tourism Project
Today, Manjunath works as a tourist guide for a new tourism project designed by the Siddi community in Yellapur in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. For the Siddis, tourism is not just about economic returns, but a medium to embrace their identity and find back their voice and dignity after living through years of oppression and discrimination.
The Damami project has been designed in a participatory process by 13 Siddi women of Nisarga Sparsha Self Help Group, facilitated by Suyatri, a community tourism company based in Bengaluru. Recognition of the Siddis as a “Scheduled Tribe” under the Indian constitution made them eligible for financial support under the National Rural Livelihood Mission, a government programme for poverty alleviation of the rural poor.
In preparatory workshops, the women discussed the opportunities and risks associated with tourism. They made use of Suyatri’s support for the development of tours and design of their cottages, with a focus on sustainability and cultural sensitivity. They learned how to manage the cottages and finances and built a project management team. They mapped their cultural and natural resources which they think can be leveraged for tourism and compiled an agricultural and festival calendar.
During a visit to Wayanad in the neighbouring state of Kerala, the Siddi team got opportunities to engage with local home stay providers, entrepreneurs and farmer families, gaining practical insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with community-based tourism.
Close to nature
The Damami tourist accommodation is built in a traditional style, utilizing the Siddi community's expertise in traditional mud house construction. Collectively owned by the community, the cottages were opened in March 2024.
Tourism products and services also involve the surrounding Siddi villages. During guided treks through the forest, visitors can experience how the Siddis identify the trails of the honeybees for their nests. The Siddis have incredible knowledge on wilderness medicines and can share fascinating facts about various plants and animals, such as the combination of herbs to heal snake bites. The guests can also go fishing and hunting river crabs with the Siddis, which is seasonal and done in a sustainable manner. They can also learn about Siddis’ old hunting rituals and listen to folktales that revolve around the natural world. Cultural sensitivity is prioritized, with a code of conduct communicated to travellers.
“It is a great feeling to know that people from different cultures are willing to come here and experience our culture, eat the food we make and are keen on listening to the stories we share”, says Sudha Ganesh Siddi, one of Damami’s team members. The Siddis’ close connection with the forest has a lot of influence on their lifestyle and food. Their diet includes seasonal wild produce, like tubers and wild fruits that blend into the local cuisine of Uttara Kannada.
Music and Dance
Though, the Siddis have lost their much of their ancestors’ original culture, they have retained some African traditions in the form of dance and music. Their tourism initiative is named after the Damami, a kind of drum that they believe was once brought by their ancestors from Africa. It became a representation of a home that their forefathers once remembered. This musical instrument reflects their happiness, sorrows and trepidations during celebrations and even holds religious significance. Tourists can take part in traditional music and dance in the evenings.
“Something for ourselves”
In the past, the Siddis have been working mostly as daily wage workers. Most of the community members do not have their own land. “We hope that we and our children no more have to work as labourers in someone else’s land,” says Sudha. “We know that many upper classes people here might see our progress quite threatening”, adds Lalitha Manjunath Siddi. “We have more choices now than just being agricultural labourers.”
Tourism gives them an opportunity to embrace their cultural identity and leverage it for their own development. “We are finally doing something for ourselves, instead of working for someone else”, says Vathsala Siddi. The project brings dignity, creates scope for entrepreneurship and ownership of their work. The women are proud of the work they have taken up and are keen on motivating their children to engage in entrepreneurship. On the longer run, the tourism project may help them overcome their marginalised status. Their visibility so far has been mostly about the way they look. The visibility they need, however, is for their unique culture and for the potential of their knowledge of sustainable practices in contributing to the modern society.
Shraddha Kukkuje works as Programme Lead for Community Tourism Projects with Suyatri Community Tourism Pvt Ltd, a start-up founded in 2022 in Bengaluru. Suyatri has been working with the Siddi community of Yellapura for more than two years, in collaboration with the Uttara Kannada Zilla Panchayat and the Seetarama Sanjeevini Gram Panchayat Level Federation, Idagundi, a federation of self-help groups at local level.
