Tribals, Dikus and a Golden Age - Long Answer Questions
A tribal leader born in the mid-1870s. He urged Mundas to give up liquor, clean their villages, and stop believing in witchcraft. He led a movement to free tribals from Dikus.
Outsiders (moneylenders, traders, Europeans) who were seen as the cause of the misery of the tribal people.
Cultivation on small patches of land. Trees cut/burnt. Potash (ash) fertilizes soil. Land left fallow for years to recover fertility. Practised in NE and Central India.
Tribes like Khonds (Odisha) who survived by hunting animals and gathering forest produce (fruits, roots, sal/mahua seeds).
Tribes who moved with their herds of cattle/sheep/goats. Van Gujjars (Punjab), Labadis (AP), Gaddis (Kullu), Bakarwals (Kashmir).
Tribes like Gonds and Santhals who began to settle down and plough land instead of moving. The British preferred them as 'civilized'.
They lost much of their administrative power. They had to follow British laws, pay tribute, and discipline their groups. They lost authority.
The British wanted them to settle (easier revenue). They introduced land settlements. It was difficult in dry areas. Protests forced British to allow jhum in some parts.
British declared forests as State Property. Reserved Forests produced timber (sleepers). Tribals were not allowed to collect fruit/hunt. This destroyed their livelihood.
They came to forests to buy produce (silk cocoons) cheap and sell high. They gave loans at high interest. Tribals got trapped in debt and poverty.
Tribals were recruited to work in coal mines (Bihar/Jharkhand) and tea plantations (Assam). Wages were low and conditions led to many deaths.
A 'Satyayug' where Mundas lived a good life, constructed embankments, planted trees, and lived honestly. No Dikus.
In 1895, for 'rioting'. Jailed for 2 years. Released in 1897.
Birsa died of cholera in 1900. The movement faded out. But it forced colonial govt to change laws (Chotanagpur Tenancy Act) so land couldn't be easily taken.
A field left uncultivated for a period to restore its fertility.
A flower that is eaten or used to make alcohol.
Wooden planks laid across railway tracks to hold the tracks in position.
Tribes in Hazaribagh who reared cocoons involved in silk production.
A term for shifting cultivation used in Madhya Pradesh.
Ideally for Railway sleepers (timber).
Tribals, Dikus and a Golden Age - Important Facts
Birsa was born in a Munda family.
Mundas live in Chottanagpur.
Birsa claimed to have miraculous powers.
Dikus enslaved the tribals.
Shifting cultivation involves slash and burn.
Khonds lived in Odisha forests.
Kusum and Palash flowers used for dyeing.
Baigas of Central India were reluctant to work for others.
Van Gujjars reared cows.
Gaddis were shepherds.
British considered Gonds/Santhals civilized.
British considered hunter-gatherers wild/savage.
Land settlements defined rights to land.
Forest Department laid down rules.
Reserved forests were for timber.
Jhum cultivators protested forest laws.
Silk growers earned very little (Rs 3-4 per 1000 cocoons).
Middlemen made huge profits.
Tea plantations recruitments were exploitative.
Assam and Jharia were work destinations.
Santhals rose in revolt in 1855.
Bastar Rebellion broke out in 1910.
Warli Revolt in Maharashtra in 1940.
Birsa followed Vaishnav preachers initially.
Birsa urged people to stop drinking liquor.
Missionaries and Hindu landlords were also targets.
White flag was the symbol of Birsa Raj.
Birsa died of Cholera in 1900.
Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (1908) passed.
Movement showed tribals can protest.
Tribals had their own rituals.
Tribals did not have sharp caste divisions.
Sal is a tree.
Cash income was needed for tax.
Moneylenders became 'evil'.
Forest villages were established for labour.
Verrier Elwin studied the Baigas.
Tribal economy was subsistence based.
British destroyed the tribal way of life.
Golden Age meant restoring ancestral rights.
Dikku implies outsider.
Anthropology is study of human societies.
Tribal movements were often violent.
British used force to suppress them.
Birsa is still a folk hero.
Jharkhand state honors Birsa Munda.
Colonialism devastated tribal habitats.
Tribals lost access to resources.
Tribals, Dikus and a Golden Age - Important Dates/Terms
Birsa Munda arrested
Birsa Munda dies
Santhal Revolt
Bastar Rebellion