Identifying Africans in Asia: What's in a Name?

This chapter draws attention to the different terms used for Africans in Asia. In the Middle East, Africans were referred to as Takruni, Sambo, Abid and Mawalid . Africans in Asia have also been known as Cafre, Caffre, Caffree, Kafara, Kafra, Kaphirs, Khafris, Kafirs, Kaffrs, Kapiris, Kapilis and Hapris . Seedee, Seede, Scidee, Scidy, Sciddee, Seydee, Sheedi, Sidi, Sidy, Siddi, Siddy and Sidhi are terms used for Afro-Indians and Afro-Pakistanis. In Pakistan, people of African descent are called Makrani, Dada, Syah, Gulam and Zangibari . Africans are called Chaush in India. African migrants to Indonesia were part of the Dutch colonial regime. They were called Orang Belanda Hitam . Mulatto was a Spanish and Portuguese term, which means 'a person of mixed African-European' heritage. When historical documents refer to slaves and freed slaves, their ethnicity is not specified. Some names used for Africans in Asia reveal information about their origins while others conceal them.