Class 8 History Chapter 4 Notes - Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age

Facts that Matter

• The customs and rituals of tribal societies differ from those laid down by the Brahmans. Unlike the caste societies, the societies of tribals did not have sharp social divisions. Those who belonged to the same tribe shared common ties of kinship. But, this did not mean that there were no social and economic differences within tribes.
• By the 19th century, tribal people in different parts of India were involved in a variety of activities.
• Some tribal people engaged in jhum or shifting cultivation. In this type of cultivation, small patches of land were cleared of trees. The cultivators burnt the vegetation and spread the ash from the firing, which contained potash to fertilise the soil. They used equipment like axe and hoe to prepare the soil for cultivation. They did not plough the land and sow the seeds. Instead, they used to scatter the seeds on the field. Once the crop was ready and harvested, they moved to another field.

• Shifting cultivators were found in the hilly and forested tracts of north-east and central India.
• Some tribal groups earned their livelihood by hunting animals and gathering forest produce. They saw forests as essential for survival. The Khonds were such a community living in the forests of Orissa. They ate fruits and roots collected from the forest. They used many forest shrubs and herbs for medicinal purposes and sold forest produce in the local markets.   
• At times they exchanged goods—getting what they needed in return for their forest produce. Some of them were engaged in odd jobs in villages such as carrying loads or building roads, etc.   
• But a time came when supplies of produce shrank. As a result, more and more tribal people began to wander around in search of work.     
• However, Baigas remained in the forest. They did not go anywhere.
• Several tribal groups were engaged in heeding and rearing animals. They were pastoralists who moved with their herds of cattle or sheep according to the seasons. The Van Gujjars of the Punjab hills and the Labadis of Andhra Pradesh were cattle herders, the Gaddis of Kulu were shepherds and the Bakarwals of Kashmir reared goats
• Many tribal groups preferred to settle down instead of moving from one place to another. They began to use plough, and gradually got rights over the land they lived on.
• The British officials found the settled tribal groups like the Gonds and Santhals more civilised than hunter-gatherers or shifting cultivators.
• The British rule, however, changed the life of the tribal people.
• The tribal chiefs were considered important people because it was they who controlled their territories. Under British rule, they lost their administrative power and were forced to follow laws made by British officials in India. 
• The British never liked those tribal groups who moved about and did not have a fixed home. They wanted these tribal groups to settle down. Settled peasants were easier to control and administer than people who were always on the move.
• The British also wanted a regular revenue income for the state. Hence, they introduced land settlements—that is, they measured the land, defined the rights of each individual on that land and fixed the revenue demand for the state.
• The British effort to settle jhum cultivators was not very successful.
• The British brought several changes in forest laws. This affected the tribal lives. The British extended their control over all forests and declared that forests were state property. Some forests were classified as Reserved Forests for they produced timber which the British wanted. In these forests, people were not allowed to move freely and practice jhum cultivation. As a result, several jhum cultivators moved to other areas. 
• Now, the British faced a problem of shortage of labour. Hence, they decided that they would give jhum cultivators small patches of land in the forests and allow them to cultivate these on the condition that those who lived in the villages would have to provide labour to the Forest Department. After this forest villages were established around the Forest Department.
• Many tribal groups reacted against the colonial forest laws.
• During the 19th century, traders and moneylenders began to come into the forests. They offered cash loans to the tribal people and asked them to work for wages.
• The case of the silk growers is worth mentioning in this regard. In the 18th century, Indian silk was in great demand in European markets. Hence, the East India Company officials tried to encourage silk production to meet the growing demand.
•  The Santhals of Hazaribagh reared cocoons. The silk traders sent in their agents who gave loans to them to collect the cocoons. The growers were paid three to four rupees for a thousand cocoons. These were then exported to Burdwan or Gaya where they were sold at five times the price. Thus, the silk growers earned very little.
• The plight of the tribals who had to go far away from their homes for work was even worse.
• Finally, the tribal groups in different parts of the country rebelled against the changes in laws, the restrictions on their practices, the exploitation by traders and moneylenders, etc. The movement that Birsa Munda led is worth mentioning here.
• Birsa Munda himself declared that God had appointed him to save his people from trouble and free them from the slavery of dikes (outsiders). Soon, thousands became the followers of Birsa. They all were unhappy with the changes they were experiencing and the problems they were facing under British rule. They wanted to recover their golden past.
• A movement began under the leadership of Birsa Munda. The political aim of the Birsa Movement was to drive out missionaries, moneylenders, Hindu landlords and the government and to set up a Munda Raj with Birsa at its head.
• As the movement spread, the British officials arrested Birsa in 1895.
•  In 1897, he was released. Afterwards, he toured the villages to gather support. He urged people to destroy ‘Ravana’ (dikes and the Europeans) and establish a kingdom under his leadership.
• Birsa died in 1900 and the movement initiated by him faded out, but its significance cannot be undermined. 

Words that Matter

• Dikus. Outsiders or foreigners
• Jhum Cultivation. In this type of cultivation, the cultivators clear off a patch of land, burn the vegetation and spread the ash from the firing, which contains potash to fertilise the soil. Then they prepare the soil for cultivation. They scatter the seeds on the field. Once the crop is ready they move to another land.
• Fallow. A field is left uncultivated for a while so that the soil recovers fertility.
• Mahua. A flower that is eaten or used to make alcohol.
• Beware. It is a term used in Madhya Pradesh for shifting cultivation.
• Sleeper. The horizontal planks of wood on which railway lines are laid.
• Akhara. Wrestling ground
• Sirdars. Leaders
• Vaishnav. Worshippers of Vishnu
• Satyug. The age of truth

Dateline 

• 1821-32 — The Kols rebelled against the colonial forest laws.
• 1855 — Santhals rose in revolt.
• Mid-1870s — Birsa was born.
• 1895 — Birsa was arrested.
• 1897 — Birsa was released.
• 1900 — Birsa died.     
• 1906 — Songram Sangma revolted in Assam.     
• 1910 — The Bastar Rebellion in central India broke out.  
• 1930s — The forest satyagraha in the Central Provinces.   
• 1940 — The Warli Revolt in Maharashtra.