Pastoralists in the Modern World Class 9 Worksheet History Chapter 5

Multiple Choice Questions

Q1: The Maru Raikas herded
(a) camels
(b) goats
(c) sheep
(d) all the three
Ans: (a) 

Q2: Banjaras were not found in
(a) Punjab
(b) Rajasthan
(c) Delhi
(d) Maharashtra
Ans: (c)

Q3: The Massais are located in the
(a) east Africa
(b) west Africa
(c) north Africa
(d) South Africa
Ans: (a) 

Q4: The warriors consisted of
(a) elder people
(b) younger people
(c) children
(d) healthy people
Ans: (b)

Q5: Why were some forests classified as “protected”?
(a) In these the customary grazing rights of pastorals were granted but their movements were severely restricted.
(b) The colonial officials believed that grazing destroyed the saplings and young shoots of trees that germinated on the forest floor.
(c) Both (a) and (b)
(d) None of the above
Ans: (c)

Q6: Which of these are the pastoral communities of the mountains?
(a) Gujjars
(b) Gaddis
(c) Bhotiyas and Sherpas
(d) All the above
Ans: (d) 

Q7: Dhangars were an important pastoral community of
(a) Gujarat
(b) Maharashtra
(c) U.P.
(d) Assam
Ans: (b) 

Q8: Where were the Banjaras found?
(a) Uttar Pradesh
(b) Punjab, Rajasthan
(c) Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra
(d) All the above
Ans: (d) 

Q9: According to the ‘Wasteland Rules’
(a) uncultivated lands were taken over and given to select individuals
(b) these individuals were granted various concessions and encouraged to settle these lands
(c) some of them were made headmen of villages in the newly cleared areas
(d) all the above
Ans: (d) 

Q10: Which of the following statements best explains pastoralist nomads?
(a) The villagers who move from one place to another
(b) The people who do not have a permanent place to live in
(c) The herdsmen who move from one place to another looking for pasture for their herd
(d) The people who visit many places for enjoyment
Ans: (c)

Fill in the Blanks

Q1: The Gujjar Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir are great herders of _________ .
Ans: The Gujjar Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir are great herders of Goat and sheep

Q2: When the high mountains were covered with snow, the herds were grazed in the _________ .
Ans: When the high mountains were covered with snow, the herds were grazed in the Low hills

Q3: The Gaddi shepherds belong to _________ .
Ans: The Gaddi shepherds belong to Himachal Pradesh

Q4: The Gaddi shepherds spent their winter in _________ .
Ans: The Gaddi shepherds spent their winter in The low hills of Siwalik range

Q5:  Africans depend on some form of pastoral activity for their _________ .
Ans: Africans depend on some form of pastoral activity for their Livelihood

Very Short Answer Questions

Q1: Pushkar is famous for what?
Ans: Cattle fair

Q2: Name the nomad communities of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Ans: Gollas, Kurumas and Kurubas.

Q3: Name the crop which is generally harvested in March April months.
Ans: Rabi Crops- Mustard and wheat.

Q4: Where does Dhangar shephered live in Maharashtra?
Ans: Central Plateau.

Q5: What are the vast meadows in the high mountain called?
Ans: Bugyal.

Short Answer Questions

Q1: What were the instructions given to the police to check the movement of pastoralists in colonial Africa?
Ans: The police were given instruction to keep a watch on the movements of pastoralists,and prevent them from entering white areas. Passes to enter the Territory should not be given to these natives unless exceptional circumstances necessitate their entering.Ordinary visiting passes should not be given to the locals.

Q2: What are Reserved Forests and Protected Forests?
Ans: Reserved Forests: The forests which produced commercially valuable timber likeDeodar or Sal. No pastoralist was allowed to access these forests.
Protected Forests: In these forests some customary grazing rights of pastoralists weregranted but their movements were strictly restricted.

Q3: Which conditions are responsible for the death of pastoral animals in the semi-arid regions of South Africa?
Ans: High temperature combines with low rainfall. It creates conditions which are dry and extremely hot. Drought conditions are common in this semi arid land of equatorial heat.
During such times pastoral animals die in large numbers

Q4: How did the Grazing Tax change the lives of pastoralists?
Ans: The British tried to discourage Nomads tribes in all possible ways.
Grazing Tax was one such measure adopted by the colonial power.
They wanted to increase revenue income. So Grazing Tax was imposed on many items including grazing land.
The Tax on grazing land was step to discourage Nomadism.
Pastoral tribes had to pay tax on every animal they grazed on the pastures

Q5: How the pastorals have survived in the modern times?
Ans: Their grazing lands were disappeared. Their number of cattle was reduced but still they have adapted themselves in newsituations. They have changed the path of their cyclical movement as Raikas have done in India. Now come to Haryana instead of Sind.

Q6: How did drought affect the pastoralists in Africa?
Ans: Droughts made a severe effect on the pastoral tribes.
When rain is less and pastures are dry, pastorals move to new grazing lands but thecolonial powers restricted their movement to a small area.
They were forced to live in the semi-arid areas.
During the drought period, a large number of cattle used to die due to starvation anddisease.

Q7: What are factors that affect the pastoral movement in plains?
Ans: There are many factors which affect the pastoral movement in plains.
Their movement is not like the mountain nomad pastoralists.
They move according to the time of advancing monsoon and retreating monsoon.
In the dry season they move towards the main area and return back at the arrival of monsoon.

Q8: Explain the Taxation Policy imposed by colonial government upon the pastoralists to expand their revenue income.
Ans: To expand its revenue income, the colonial government looked for every possiblesource of taxation.
Taxes were imposed on land, on canal water, on salt, on trade goods and even on animals.
Pastoralists had to pay tax on every animal they grazed on the pastures.
In most pastoral tracts of India, grazing tax was introduced in the mid-nineteenth century.
The tax per head of cattle went up rapidly and the system of collection was made increasingly efficient.
In the decades between the 1850s and 1880s the right to collect the tax was auctioned out to contractors.

Q9: Explain the annual movement of Dhangars.
Ans: Dhangars move from central plateau of Maharashtra during the months-October and November.
Due to the shortage of fodder, they move to konkan which is flourished agricultural tracts with high rainfall.
The Konkani peasants welcome them as their field had to be fertilized and made ready for the Rabi crops.
The flocks of Dhangars manure the fields and feed on the stubble.
With the onset of the monsoon the Dhangars leave the Konkan and the coastal areas with their flocks and return to their settlements on the dry plateau.
This is because sheep cannot tolerate the wet monsoon conditions.

Q10: How did the reserves affect the Movement of Massai Community?
Ans: Massai groups were forced to live in the confines of special reserves.
The boundaries of these reserves became the limits with which they could now move.
They were not allowed to move out with their stock without special passes.
It was very difficult to get permits without trouble and harassment.
Those who found guilty of disobeying the rules were severely punished.

Long Answer Questions

Q1: Describe the social organisation of the Maasai tribe in the pre-colonial times.
What changes occurred in Maasai community during colonial period ?
Ans: Maasai society was divided into two social categories – elders and warriors. The elders formed the ruling group and met in periodic councils to decide on the affairs of the community and settle disputes. The warriors consisted of younger people, mainly responsible for the protection of the tribe. They defended the community and organised . cattle raids. Raiding was important in a society where cattle was wealth. It is through raids that the power of different pastoral groups was asserted. Young men came to be recognised as members of the warrior class when they proved their manliness by raiding the cattle of other pastoral groups and participating in wars. They, however, were subject to the authority of the elders.
To administer the affairs of the Maasai, the British introduced a series of measures that had important implications. They appointed chiefs of different sub-groups of Maasai, who were made responsible for the affairs of the tribe. The British imposed various restrictions on raiding and warfare. Consequently, the traditional authority of both elders and warriors was adversely affected.

Q2: Discuss the main features of life of the Dhangars pastoral community of Maharashtra.
Ans: The main feature of life of the Dhangars :

• Dhangars were an important pastoral community of Maharashtra. In the early twentieth century, their population in this region was about 4,67,000.
• Most of the Dhangars were shepherds, some were blanket weavers and still others were buffalo herders.
• The Dhangar shepherds stayed in the central plateau of Maharashtra during the monsoon. This was a semi-arid region with low rainfall and poor soil. It was covered with thorny scrub. Nothing but dry crops like bajra could be sown here.
• In the monsoon, the central plateau became a vast grazing ground for the Dhangar flocks.
• By October, the Dhangars harvested their bajra and started on their move towards west. After a march of about a month, they reached the Konkan. This was a flourishing agricultural tract with high rainfall and rich soil. Here, the shepherds were welcomed by Konkan peasants.

Q3: How did the Indian pastoralists cope with the changes that was brought about by the British colonial officials ?
Ans: Under colonial rule, the life of pastoralists changed dramatically. Their grazing grounds shrank, their movements were regulated, and the revenue they had to pay increased.

• Some reduced the number of cattle in their herds, since there was not enough pasture to feed large numbers.
• Others discovered new pastures when movement to old grazing grounds became difficult. After 1947, the camel and sheep herding Raikas, for instance, could no longer move into Sindh and graze their camels on the banks of the Indus, as they had done earlier
• In recent years they have been migrating to Haryana where sheep can graze on agricultural fields after the harvests are cut. This is the time that the fields need manure that the animals provide.
• Over the years, some richer pastoralists began buying land and settling down, giving up their nomadic life. Some became settled peasants cultivating land, others took to more extensive trading.
• Many poor pastoralists, on the other hand, borrowed money from moneylenders to survive. At times they lost their cattle and sheep and became labourers, working on fields or in small towns.

Q4: Where do the Raikas live ? Mention characteristics of their economy and life.
Ans: The Raikas lived in the deserts of Rajasthan. The characteristics of their economy and life are :

• As the rainfall in Rajasthan,was meagre and uncertain, so the Raikas found the cultivation of their land tracts very difficult. Their harvest fluctuated every year. Over vast stretches, no crop could be grown. Therefore, the Raikas combined cultivation with pastoralism.
• During the monsoons, the Raikas of Banner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bikaner stayed in their home villages, where pasture was available.
• By October, when these grazing grounds were dry and exhausted, the Raikas moved out in search of other pasture and water, and returned again during herded next rainy season.
• One group of Raikas—known as the Maru (desert) Raikas—herded camels and another group reared goats and sheep.
• Therefore, we can say that the life of the Raikas as pastoral groups was sustained by a careful consideration of a host of factors. They had to judge how long the herds could stay in one area of Rajasthan, and know where they could find water and pasture in Rajasthan and nearby provinces.

Q5: Write down the main features of the life of Gaddi shepherds of Himachal Pradesh.
Ans: The main features of the life of Gaddi shepherds of Himachal Pradesh as given below :

• In different areas of the mountains, the Gaddi shepherds of Himachal Pradesh had cycle of seasonal movement. In winter, they moved downward and in summer, they moved upward to the valley. Gaddi shepherds also spent their winter in the low hills of Siwalik range, grazing their flocks in scrub forests. By April, they moved north and spent the summer in Lahul and Spiti. When the snow melted and the high passes were clear, many of them move on to higher mountain meadows.
• By September, Gaddi shepherds bean their return movement. On the way, they stopped once again in the villages of Lahul and Spiti, reaping their Kharif crop and sowing their Rabi crop. Then,- they come down with their flock to their lower areas or plains on the Siwalik hills.
• Next April, with the coming of summer, Gaddi shepherds, once again, began their march with their sheep and goats, to the summer meadows.