Chapter 5.History.
PASTORALISTS IN THE MODERN WORLD.
Glossary
1. Bugyal. Vast
meadows in the high mountains,
2. Bhabar.
A dry forested area below the foothills of Gharwal and Kumaun.
3. Rabi.
The spring crop, usually harvested after March.
4. Kharif.
The autumn crop, usually harvested between September and October
5.
Stubble. Lower ends of grain stalks left
in the ground after harvesting.
6.
Customary rights. Rights that people are
used to by custom and tradition.
7.
Nomads. People who move from one place
to another to earn their living.
II. NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS
(Page 116)
Q. 1. Explain why nomadic tribes need to move from one place to
another. What are the advantages to the
environment of this continuous movement?
Ans. The nomadic tribes move from
one place to another to adjust to seasonal change and make effective use of
pastures available in different places in different reasons.
Example 1: The nomadic pastoralists of the
mountains, Gujjar Bakarwala of Jammu and Kashmir, Gaddi shepherds of Himachal
Pradesh to avoid harsh winters and make available grazing pasture move down to
low hills. They graze their herd on dry
scrub forests. With the onset of summer
in April they again move upwards. With
the snow melted, sprouted grasses provide rich nutritious forage for the animal
herd.
Example 2: As regards the nomadic
tribes, in the plains and plateaus the alteration of monsoon and dry season
defines the seasonal rhythm of their movement.
In the dry season the nomads move to the coastal region to graze their
cattle on the flourishing agricultural tract and rich soil. With the onset of monsoon they return with
their flocks to their settlements on the plateau, a semi arid region with
thorny bushes. Apart from pastures it is
because the sheep cannot tolerate wet monsoon conditions that the tribes need
to move. eg., Dhanger of Maharashtra.
Example 3: The nomadic pastoralists of the
desert region, e.g. , Raikas of
Rajasthan combine cultivation with pastoralism.
The movement of these tribes like those of nomads of plains is dictated
by the onset of monsoon.
During monsoons
they stay in their homo villages grazing their cattle on available pastures and tilling the land.
By October when these grazing believed
grazing destroyed
the saplings and young shoots of trees that germinated into
reserved, protected and village forests. grounds are exhausted and cultivation harvested they move in search of other pastures and water.
Nomadic tribes combine a range of different activities - herding,
trading and cultivation Apart from need for grazing pastures their movement is
comparatively influenced by need to sell plough, cattle and goods to villagers.
The advantages to the environment from this
continuous movement are
(i)Continuous movement of the nomadic tribes allowed the
pastures to recover, it prevented their overuse and intensive grazing, which
would lead to deterioration of pastures.
(ii) Enabled pastoralists to set up relationships with farmers on the
way so that the herds could graze on the stubble of the harvested field. This helped in weeding the soil of left overs
and the cattle also helped manure the soil.
(iii) Nomadic pastoralism provided a way out for supporting a population
in a difficult environment and presented a sustainable approach to land
use.
Q. 2. Discuss why the colonial
government in India brought in the following laws. In each case, explain how the law changed the
lives of pastoralists.
Waste Land Rules
Forest Acts
Criminal Tribes
Act
Grazing Tax.
Ans.Waste Land Rules. Colonial government brought in the Waste Land
Act because it regarded all uncultivated land as wasteland. It produced neither revenue nor agricultural
produce. By expanding cultivation it
sought to increase its revenue collection.
This land could also be used to produce commercial crops like jute,
cotton and sugar whose demand was ever increasing in England due to rapid
industrialisation.
Waste Land Act
changed the lives of the pastoralist because in most areas, lands taken over
were originally grazing tracts used by pastoralists. Expansion of cultivation therefore meant
decline pastures and problem for pastoralists.
Lands taken over were given to selective individuals, many of whom were
made village headmen.
Forest
Acts. The colonial government enacted
the Forest Acts to help provide and grow more timber trees to meet the
requirements of shipyards and railways.
They on forest floor The Acts changed the life of the pastoralists
because
(i) forests were hence classified the permits made it easy for the
government to control and identify them.
Criminal Tribes Act. The British were suspicious of nomadic people. They wanted them to settle in villages. The Criminal Tribes Act was enacted to compel
the nomadic people to settle in fixed places with fixed rights on particular
fields so that they could be easily controlled.
(i) By this Act those who hawked their goods - traders, pastoralists and
craftsmen were classified as criminals by nature and birth.
(ii) These communities were to live in
notified village settlements.
(iii) They
were not allowed to move out without permit.
(iv) Village police kept a continuous watch on them. looked at with suspicion.
The law was stifling and curbed the movement
of the pastoralists. They were always
Grazing Tax. As per the grazing tax
pastoralists had to pay a tax on every animal they grazed on pastures. It was imposed because the colonial
government wanted to increase its revenue income and control grazing rights of
the pastoralists.
Initially the tax
collection was auctioned to private contractors but by 1880s government started
collecting it directly from the pastoralists.
Henceforth the cattle herder had to seek a permit to enter a grazing
area to graze his cattle and pay tax on the basis of per head cattle. The grazing tax, apart from being
restrictive, was an additional burden on the poor pastoralist.
(ii) The grazing rights of pastoralists earlier provided forage for their cattle.
(iii) Even in areas where they were allowed of days they could spend in the forests. If they overstayed they were liable to fines.
Q. 3. Give reasons to explain why the Maasai
community lost their grazing lands.
Ans. The Maasai community lost
their grazing lands because:
(i) European imperial powers scramble for territorial
possessions in Africa led to slicing up of the continent into different regions
/ colonies. Maasai land was divided
between British Kenya and German Tanganyika.
This restricted the movement of the Maasais between regions.
(ii) The best grazing lands were taken over
for white settlement and pastoralists were not allowed entry to these
settlements and markets. This restricted
not only grazing lands but prohibited them from entering into any form of trade
as well. They were moreover pushed into a
small area which was arid and poor in pastures.
(iii) In late 19th century local peasant communities were encouraged by
the British colonizers to expand cultivation at the expense of pasture
lands.
(iv) Large areas of Maasai
grazing lands were turned into game reserves.
e.g. , Samburu National Park in
Kenya and Serengeti Park in Tanzania.
These reserves were out of bound of the pastoralists.
(v) For lands which were available special
permits were required and rules laid down.
In case of default Maasai's were subject to harassment and severely
punished.
(vi) In precolonial times the
Maasai pastoralists had dominated their neighbors economically and politically
but by the end of colonial rule the situation was reversed.
Q.4.
There are many similarities in the way in which the modern world forced
changes in the lives of pastoral communities in India and East Africa.
Write about any two examples of changes which
were similar for Indian pastoralists and the
Maasai herders
Ans. Both the Indian pastoralists and Maasai herders were denied grazing and entry rights on large tracts of traditional grazing
lands.
Best of these were converted to
reserved forests and game reserves.
Their mobility was severely restricted
whereby fodder was in short supply and feeding the cattle became a persistent
problem. Many of them were forced to
give up their old mode of occupation.
Both were subject to new taxes like grazing tax, they had to secure
special permits to graze their herds in certain areas. They were looked upon with suspicion, and in
case of defaults subject to harassment and severe punishment.
III.
VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q. 1. Name any five important pastoral
nomadic communities found in India in the mountains, plains, plateau and desert
regions.
Ans. (i)Mountains: Guijars Bakarwala, Gaddi's.
(ii) Plains and Plateau: Dhangars,
Banjaras.
(iii) Desert Region:
Raikas.
Q. 2. Name any four states /
regions in India where pastoral nomadism is practiced.
Ans.
(i) Jammu and Kashmir, (ii) Himachal Pradesh, (iii) Maharashtra, (iv)
Uttar Pradesh, (v) Rajasthan.
Q. 3. Give
names of any one pastoral community of
(i) Himachal Pradesh (ii) Jammu and
Kashmir.
Ans. Himachal Pradesh Gaddi Shepherds Jammu and
Kashmir: Guijar Bakarwals
Q. 4. Name the pastoral communities of Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh. Ans. Pastoral communities that lived in Karnataka
and Andhra Pradesh were: (i) Gollas (ii) Kurumas, and (ii) Kurubas. Andhra Pradesh
Q. 5. What was the occupation of the pastoral
communities of Karnataka and Ans. The
pastoral communities of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka herded cattle, raised
sheep and goats and sold woven blankets.
Of them the Kurumas and Kurubas lived near the woods, cultivated small
patches of land and indulged in a variety of petty trades.
Q. 6. Gujjar herders originally belong to
which state. Ans. The Guijar herders originally came from the
state of Jammu and Kashmir. In the 19th
century search for pastures brought them to hills of Uttar Pradesh.
Q. 7. What is the pattern of migration of
Gujjar herders? Or
Where did the Gujjar
herders live in winters and summers?
Ans. The Guijar herders in winters came down to the dry, forests of the bhabar and in summers they went up to the high mendowe ie, the bugyals.
Q. 8. Where were the Banjaras found and what
was their occupation?
Ans Banjaras a well known group of graizers were found in (i) UP (ii) Punjab(iii) Rajasthan
(iv) Madhya Pradesh, and (v) Maharashtra.
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