The Siddi community in India represents one of the most distinct African diasporic populations in South Asia, with a historical presence shaped by migration, trade, slavery, and cultural interaction across centuries. Despite their long settlement in India, the Siddis have preserved elements of their African heritage simultaneously adapting to diverse Indian social and cultural environments. This process has produced a unique form of cultural hybridity reflected in their everyday social and religious practices. The present study analyzes cultural hybridity among the Siddis in India within the broader framework of the African Indian diaspora. The study examines hybrid cultural identity among the Siddis and how their cultural and religious practices have transformed through continuous interaction with Indian society. It analyzes how African and Indian cultural elements are negotiated and integrated in everyday social life. Using a qualitative approach based on existing literature on diaspora and identity, it focuses on rituals, music, language, festivals, and religious traditions. It argues that Siddi identity is dynamic and shaped by adaptation, continuity, and negotiation, contributing to broader discussions on diaspora, hybridity, identity formation, and multicultural coexistence in South Asia. The findings show that Siddi cultural hybridity is shaped by long term interaction between African heritage and Indian society. Cultural and religious practices have transformed through religious conversion, language shift, and institutional integration retaining African elements in music, dance, rituals, and oral traditions. Goma and Dhamal performances, along with Yellamma worship, reflect this synthesis. African and Indian elements are continuously negotiated in daily life, producing a dynamic Afro Indian identity that balances adaptation, preservation, and identity assertion.
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