Current Affairs 8th Class

Category : 8th Class

 

Colonialism and Tribal Societies

 

Before the arrival of the Europeans in the 15th century, the United States was inhabited by Native Americans. They are the indigenous people of America. In this chapter we shall learn about the original inhabitants of India.

 

WHO WERE TRIBAL?

 

Tribal communities or 'adivasis' are some of the earliest inhabitants of the Indian sub-continent. They are mostly found concentrated in hilly or forested areas. A tribal society is a primitive society. All tribe members are related by blood. They have their own political organisation. Each tribe has its own religion, customs, culture and lifestyle. However, unlike the caste based society, they believe in equality and there are no caste divisions. As colonial rule was established in India, many tribal revolts broke out to challenge the alien rule. The tribal community offered resistance against the British rule and faced some tragic consequences, in the early years of colonisation.

 

 

MEANS OF TRIBAL LIVELIHOOD

 

The economy of most tribes was subsistence oriented. They survived mainly on hunting, gathering and fishing. Even those tribes which depended on agriculture, had to supplement their income with hunting and collecting forest products. Different tribes had different means of livelihood.

 

Hunters and gatherers

Many tribes depended on forester sources for their survival. The Khonds of Orissa and the Baigas of Central India were hunters and gatherers. They lived by hunting wild animals, fishing and gathering wild plant foods. They shared the meat of the hunt among their community. They collected forest products like?honey, fruits, nuts, firewood and medicinal herbs for their daily needs. They even extracted oil from sal and mahua trees. They sold these products in the local market. They also made ropes and baskets and sold them for other things that they required. They lived in tiny temporary huts made out of the materials available in the forest.

 

 

The forest was their home and they felt secure in the forests. Moreover, they did not take more than their requirement from the forest. They got supplies of food grains by bartering forest produce. Sometimes, when there was scarcity of forest products, they even worked as labourers in the nearby villages. They even worked in fields or carried loads. They bought their necessities from whatever money they earned. Sometimes, the tribals had to borrow money from moneylenders to buy essential commodities from traders. The money lenders charged very high rates of interest. The tribals often found themselves in a never ending cycle of debt.

 

Herding and Rearing

Many tribes lived by herding and rearing animals like sheep and cattle. They were pastoralists and moved about in search of pasture lands. They exchanged animal products like-milk, butter and wool for other things that they required, e.g. Gaddis of Himachal Pradesh and Bakarwals of Kashmir.

 

 

Jhum Cultivators

Some tribes made a living by practicing jhum cultivation. This is also called shifting cultivation or slash and bum agriculture. It was mostly practiced in north east and central India. They cleared an area of the forest for agriculture. They cut down most of the vegetation of a certain area. They set fire to the remaining foliage. The left over ash was rich in minerals and thus served as a fertilizer. Here they cultivated crops. After harvesting the crops, they abandoned this area and cleared another plot for agriculture. This was because the soil lost its fertility and it was left fallow for some years.

 

Settled Agriculture

Some tribes took to settled agriculture though they supplemented their economy with hunting and gathering. They cultivated the same piece of land every year and with the passage of time, they acquired rights over the land. Often the land belonged to the clan as a whole. They all had rights on the land since their ancestors had helped in clearing the land. They also used ploughs. Like in the advanced societies, often they had a Chief who was more powerful. Mundas, Santhals and Gonds were some of the settled tribes. The social and religious organisations of these settled tribals who were mainly agriculturalists, was much developed and highly complex. These tribes were considered more civilised by the British.

 

 

TRIBAL PEOPLE DURING THE BRITISH RULE

 

 

For the tribals a new situation arose with the advent of colonial rule. Their life was disturbed by the interference of the British. The British intervened the tribal society and economy for exploiting the natural resources of the forests.

The British challenged the traditional land rights of the tribal people. They took over the land which belonged to the tribals. They created zamindars who were outsiders. The tribal people were reduced to mere tenants and had to pay the high rent to the zamindars. In order to pay the high rent, the tribal people had to borrow money from the local moneylenders who charged very high rates of interest: The poor and illiterate tribal people thus had to sell everything they possessed to pay the interest. Therefore, the moneylenders were seen as evil outsiders and the cause of their misery. Sometimes, when they were unable to pay the high rent, they were evicted from their land and made to work as bonded labourers to earn a livelihood. Thus; the British, the zamindars and the moneylenders joined their hands in the oppression of the tribes.

 

Q. How were the tribal oppressed by the moneylenders and zamindars?

 

The Condition of the Shifting Cultivators

The British were against shifting agriculture. They wanted these tribes to settle down and be civilised. Settled communities were easier to administer. The British also wanted regular revenue from the tribal communities. They were given lands on rent. They had to pay the rent to the landowner who in turn paid revenue to the government. These tribes found it difficult to change to settled agriculture because the fertility of land decreased over time. Also in some areas, there was water scarcity or the land was unfit for agriculture. This led to discontent in the tribals and ultimately many revolts took place.

 

 

The Tribal Chiefs

The tribal chief had traditionally been very important. The people of this tribe paid tribute to him and he had all the administrative and, economic powers. He made rules for his tribe and had his own police and total authority over his tribe. The British, however, changed the position and powers of the chief. He now had to follow the rules made by the British and pay tribute to British officers. They were allowed to retain some lands for agriculture which they could rent out.

 

Forest Policy of the British

The tribal community was surely affected by the forest policy introduced by the British. The British needed coal and wood from the forests. The expansion of railway in India heavily devastated the forest resources. They declared the forests as the property of the government. Many forests were declared as reserved. The tribal people had no rights to hunt or make use of any forest products. Many tribes were heavily dependent on forest products. The compensation paid by the government did not reach them. However, later the British allowed the tribals to live in small patches of the forest and practice agriculture as long as they worked as free labour to cut down trees for the British.

 

 

The British cut down many forests to establish extensive plantations. Cash crops were grown on these plantations and exported to the European countries as raw materials for their industries. The tribals lost their habitat with the establishment of these plantations. Also, labour was needed to work on these plantations. The tribals were forced to work here but were paid very low wages.

 

History Reveals

The expansion of railways in India heavily devastated the forest resources in India. The government started reserving teak, sal and deodar forests for the manufacture of railway sleepers.

 

THE PROBLEMS FACED BY TRIBALS

 

The Christian missionaries began to spread Christianity. They converted many tribal people. The tribals looked upon this as an intrusion into their beliefs and customs. They wanted to preserve their own identity and religion.

 

Also, traders began to come into their villages to purchase forest products at very low prices. These were sold at very high prices in the towns and cities. The tribals were exploited by the traders. Some had no option but to search for work in coal mines, tea plantations etc. They were exploited here also and treated like bonded labour.

 

Q. List the injustices done to the tribals.

 

The tribals, thus witnessed the destruction of their livelihood and identity under the British rule. So these tribal communities participated in many revolts against the British rule.

 

All the revolts were marked with immense courage and sacrifice by the tribal communities. This was a significant development in the struggle against foreign rule. However, it was no match against the British weapons, and hence. The tribal revolts faced tragic consequences.

 

History Reveals

The first tribal province of India-Jharkhand-was created in the year 2000.

 

MUNDA REBELLION

 

 

The Munda Rebellion was one of the most powerful rebellions that rocked the British rule. The movement sought to reconstruct the tribal society decaying under the stresses and strains of the British rule. The movement was also called 'ulgulan' meaning 'the great tumult'. It aimed at doing away with the moneylenders, missionaries, landlords and the British government. They wanted to be independent and set up a 'Munda Raj'.

 

These tribes lived in the area around present day Ranchi. They cleared the forests and cultivated the land. They themselves were the owners of this land. They paid a tribute to the chief of the tribe. The forests were like a mother to them. When the British came up with the forest laws, the tribes were deprived of their natural rights. The British introduced moneylenders, landlords and traders into the region who looted the adivasis. They introduced the zamindan system and the cultivator became a tenant. He had to pay rent to the landlord. To pay the rent, they had to take loans from moneylenders who in turn oppressed them.

 

The tribes lost their proprietary rights. These landlords usurped their lands and reduced them to slaves. The outsiders, called the 'dikus', could not understand the social and political organisation of the tribes and replaced them with their modem government. No importance was given to tribal customs and practices. Another important reason for the revolt was bonded labour which increased dramatically. Famines in the area further aggravated the misery of the tribes. Another cause of the unrest was the Christian missionary activities. The missionaries converted many tribes to Christianity. Also, the spread of education through missionary activities made the tribes more organised and conscious of their rights.

 

Birsa Munda began this movement and waged a massive war against the British. Birsa, like many other youths, became a Christian to gain education. However, as he grew up, he realised that his a, culture had been destroyed and he had lost his i sense of self-respect. He was distressed and gave up Christianity and fought against conversion.

 

 

Birsa Munda (also called 'Dharti Aba' meaning "Father of the Earth") participated in a movement to prevent village wastelands from being taken over by the Forest department in 1894. Later, he claimed that he had seen God and he was God's prophet. He inspired the tribals and motivated them to revive the glorious past or 'Golden age' of the Mundas. He declared the end of the British rule and establishment of the Munda rule. He urged the people to stop paying debts and interest to the moneylenders and taxes to the British. He told the people to drive out the 'dikus' who were the cause of their miseries. The movement sought the assertion of the rights of the Mundas as the real owners of the land and the expulsion of the middlemen and the British. Birsa also wanted to reform the tribal society and urged them to give up superstition, animal sacrifice and intoxicants. The British arrested Birsa and he was jailed for two years. Once released, he again began his struggle against the oppression by the British.

 

The rebels attacked police stations and officials, churches, missionaries and created panic among the moneylenders. They used poisoned bows and arrows and killed many 'dikus'. The British brutally massacred the tribals with their guns. Finally, after many encounters with the police, Birsa was arrested and he died in jail.

 

Till today, he is remembered as a great patriot and protagonist of tribal rights. A number of institutes have been named after him, eg. The Birsa Agricultural University and the Birsa Institute of Technology. The airport at Ranchi is named the Birsa Munda International Airport.

 

 

The movement forced the British to change the laws to accommodate tribal communities. The government attempted to redress the grievances of the Mundas. Chotta Nagpur tribes got legal protection for their land rights. The formation of the Jharkhand state is the fulfilment of the dream that Birsa Munda had 200 years ago.

 

History Reveals

In 2008, Iqbal Durrani made a film portraying the life of Birsa Munda and named it 'Gmdhi se Pehle Gandhi'.

Another film was made by Ashok Saran named Ulgulan ? EK Kranti'.

 

Around the World

The 18th century England witnessed a revolution or change in the production process from handicraft to machine made goods. This change is known as the Industrial revolution. Gradually; this revolution spread to the rest of the word. Machines were invented that could spin and weaver cloth very quickly. The spinning jenny was a machine that could spin 16 threads at once instead of just one. In 1782, James Watt invented a powerful engine that was driven by steam. Hundreds of these new steam engines were built to run factories all over Britain. Britain had so many factories that it came to known as 'the Workshop of the world'. In 1851, many British inventors displayed their machines in a huge exhibition in London called the Great Exhibition.