THE AFRICAN CONNECTION ======================== 1 Black Skin The most evident similarity between Africans and dravidians is their black skin colour. It often approaches deep black, and when shiny resemble tar. The Adi Dravidas (true Dravidians) of South India are black like the Africans with a slightly different hair texture.
2 Nasal Index The nose of dravidians closely resembles that of Negroids and Australoids, being very broad. In both pure black African and pure dravidian it is often as wide as it is broad, ie. the nasal index (ratio of width to height) is 100. By contrast Caucasians are fine- nosed. The Indo-Aryan is thus very similar to the European, possessing a fine nose, while the Sudroid is related to the Africa.
3 Wavy-Curly Hair & Thick Lips The hair of dravidians is wavy and often curly, with imported Africans ( eg. the Makranis, the Siddis of Sind and the Dakhin ) it is frizzy. It is a common misconception to asume all Africoids have frizzy hair; it is often curly and wavy in Nubia and Abyssinia.
4 Prognathism Pronounced prognathism is characteristic of all black races from Africa to southern India and Oceania - Australia. In addition, the teeth are relatively larger in case of Australoids and Kolarians, as well as Dravidians.
5 Skeletal Similarities Long Forearm - The forearm of Suroids and Africans are long. Dolicocephaly - Dolicocephaly ( long-headedness ) is common amongst Sudras. In fact, many are classed as hyperdolicocephalic. Dolicocephaly is common amongst East Africans in general ( Nilotes, Sudanic Blacks and Cushites - Hamites or Abyssinians )
6. Boomerang & Hunting Customs The boomerang is used by Dravidian aboriginals, Australoids and is recorded from Egypt.
7. Theological Both Africans and Dravidians held a common interest in the cult of the Serpent and believed in a Supreme God, who lived in aplace of peace and tranqulity. Murugan the Dravidian god of the mounatins parallels a common god in East Africa worshipped by 25 ethnic groups called Murungu, the god who resides in the mountains.
8. Burial & Death Rites Burning of the dead body is a characteristic of Indo-Aryans, while burial of the dead was common to Indo-Africans. In both South India and the Western Sudan and Senegal/Gambia the dead were buried and interned in terra cotta jars.
9. Circumcision & Initiation Rites Circumcision, both male and female, was practiced by Dravidians and is still widely practiced in Africa.
10. Agricultural Both groups use the hoe for tilling the ground, manuring the ground to fertilize crops, terracing irrrigation and canal building. Wheat of the 6-row variety, which is found in predynastic graves in Egypt, has been discovered at Harappan sites dating much later, as late as 2300-1750 BC. On the Gangetic plain, barley was found at neolithic Hallum in Mysore state (1800 BC). Pearl millet has been found at Saurasthra and Ahar (1200-100 BC). Indian sorghum is clearly of African origin. Cultivated cotton which came from West Africa appear at Mohenjo-Daro and harrapa from 2300-1700 BC
11. Inheritance Among the ali tiravitar (Adi Dravidas, or real Dravidians), the system of inheritance passes from the uncle to his nephews, instead of his sons (maru makkal tayam) as in Africa and is still practiced by some communities in South India.
12. Calendrical The Dravidians and Africans used the same calendrical systema 13. Megalithic Cultures Megalithic cultures in India and Africa dating to the third millenium BC are very similar: both contain black-and-red ware, bones and pottery sarcophagi near water tanks. Cave paintings are also very similar, pointing to ancient contacts. 14. Pottery : Red-and-Black Ware The black races are consistently associated with red-and-black pottery all over the world. Pottery of the Nubians is very similar to Dravidian pottery.
15. LINGUISTIC
Evident linguistic connections such as these are abundant: AFRICAN INDIAN
Botswana, Bophutatswana (reg) Gondwana (region) Ila (tr.) Irula Ila Bhilla Iramba (rift Bantu) Irula Ganda (tr.) Ganda (anus, Sans.) Gonder (town, reg.) Gond (tribe) Gongola Gond Gonga (people,Ghana) Gond), Galla (tribe) Goala (caste), Gaya (town Kongo (river, reg., tribe) Kongu Nadu (reg.), Kond or Khond (tribe Kadamba Kurumba (tribe, dyn.) Katanga (distt., Congo) Kurumba Karanga (eth.Zimbab.) Kurumba Kamba (n.e. Bantu) Kadamba (or Kurumba) Kinga (tr.) Kalinga (nation) Kinga (Nyasa Bantu, Tanz.) Kalinga (natn.,race) Manyika Mleccha (sans. for barbarian Masai (e. Nilotes) Malay or Malabar, Mallas Mende (w.afr.people) Manda (Drav.people) Nuer Nayar (caste)
Pongo Pengu (tr.,Orissa Turu (rift Bantu) Tulu Toga Toda Tsonga (tribe) Tunga (Kalinga abor. rulg. family) Tonga (tribe) Tunga Ubangi (river) Bhangi (caste Uganda Konda (Dr.tr.), Gonda
Zulu (tr., S.Af.) Tulu The `Congo' river and the `Kongo' tribes are cognate to the Kongu Nadu comprising the Salem tract in Tamil Nadu prior to its conquest by the Cholas. The Mbangala or Imbangala warrior tribe of central Angola are cognate to the Bangala tribe and the region named after them in eastern India. The Galla are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, forming 40 % of the population. They are cattle-herders, as are the black-skinned low-caste known as Goala (cow-herders) in central India. The Mbundu are the second-largest ethnic group of Angola while the Munda are in Eastern India. The Godabas of Somalia may have given their name to the Godavari River in the Deccan. Congates of `gond' and `gong' are widespread in Africa and Dravida. Gonder or Gondar is the ancient capital of Ethiopia 1652-1855 as well as the surrounding region. The Gond are a large group of Draviidan tribes in Central India. Senegalese and Dravidian languages are closely related grammatically, structurally and lexically.