Test: Tribes, Nomads & Settled Communities

As the rise and fall of various kingdoms was happening, there were changes in the economic, political and social scenario over the centuries. But the changes in the social aspects were not the same everywhere. This is because different societies evolved differently. And already the society was divided according to the rules of Varna in large parts of the subcontinent. These rules were prescribed by the Brahamanas and accepted by the rulers of large kingdoms. The gap between the high and low, and rich and poor, widened. Hence, the hierarchy between social classes grew further under the Delhi Sultans and the Mughals.

The main occupation of the tribal people was agriculture but apart from that, there were also hunter-gatherers and herders. They combined these activities to make full use of the natural resources of the area in which they lived.

Weaving was not one of the occupations which the tribals followed to obtain their livelihood. 

Tribal people were found in almost every region of the subcontinent. Many large tribes thrived in different parts of the subcontinent. They usually lived in forests, hills, deserts and places difficult to reach. Sometimes they clashed with the more powerful caste-based societies. In various ways, the tribes retained their freedom and preserved their separate culture. But the caste-based and tribal societies also depended on each other for their diverse needs. This relationship, of conflict and dependence, gradually caused both societies to change.

The Mundas and Santhal tribes belong to the area of Chota Nagpur. Santhals speak the language of Santhals and Mundas speak the language of Mundari. Both groups are found in India's Chota Nagpur Plateau region, which spans the Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, and Assam states.

The large tribe of Bhils was spread across western and central India. By the late sixteenth century, many of them had become settled agriculturists and some even zamindars.

The emergence of states is closely related to social change amongst tribal people. One example of this important part of our history was the emergence of large states changed the nature of Gond society. Their basically equal society gradually got divided into unequal social classes.

Brahmanas received land grants from the Gond rajas and became more influential.