The Siddis of Karnataka (sometimes spelt Siddhis) are a Bantu ethnic minority tribe who have lived in Karnataka for the last 400 years. There are 50,000 Siddhi people in India, with more than a third residing in Karnataka. In Karnataka, they are concentrated in the taluks of Uttara Kannada’s Yellapur, Haliyal, Ankola, Joida, Mundgod, and Sirsi, as well as Belgaum’s Khanapur and Dharwad’s Kalaghatagi. Through their musical instruments (traditionally African drum rhythms and percussion instruments), musical performances (which use call-and-response singing), dance, cultural festivals and ceremonies, as well as their dialect Siddi Basha (which contains words tracing back to the Bantu languages of Sub-Saharan Africa), the Siddis have maintained a distinct identity over the years, which is remarkable to say the least.