Deepak Sir CH 5 History

NOMADIC PASTORALIST -
GUJJAR BAKARWALS:-
1. In the nineteenth century, Gujjar Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir migrated to the
mountains in search of pastures for their animals.
2. During the winter, they moved to low hills of the Siwalik range. By the end of April, they
began their northern march for their summer grazing grounds. This journey is known as
a kafila.
3. They started their march by the end of September, this time back to their winter base.
The Gaddi shepherds of Himachal Pradesh also had a similar cycle of seasonal
movement.
This pattern of cyclical movement between summer and winter pastures was typical of many
pastoral communities of the Himalayas, including the Bhotiyas, Sherpas and Kinnauris.
On the Plateaus, Plains and Deserts

DHANGARS:-
1. Dhangars were an important pastoral community who were mostly shepherds, blanket
weavers, and buffalo herders.
2. During the monsoon, they used to stay in the central plateau of Maharashtra. By
October the Dhangars harvest their bajra and move to the west.
3. After they reached Konkan, they were welcomed by Konkani peasants. After the kharif
harvest was cut, the fields had to be fertilised and made ready for the rabi harvest.
In the state of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the dry central plateau was covered with stone
and grass, inhabited by cattle, goats and sheepherders called Gollas herded cattle.
● The Kurumas and Kurubas reared sheep and goats and sold woven blankets.
● During the dry season, they moved to the coastal tracts and left when the rains came.
● Banjaras were yet another well-known group of graziers, found in the villages of Uttar
Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Raikas
● They lived in the deserts of Rajasthan.
● During the monsoons, the Raikas of Barmer, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bikaner stayed in
their villages, where pasture was available.
● By October, they moved out in search of other pasture and water and returned again
during the next monsoon.
ADVANCE PLANNING
● Pastoral groups' life was sustained by a host of factors.
● They had to judge how long the herds could stay in one area, and where they could find
water and pasture.
● They needed to calculate the timing of their movements and ensure that they could
move through different territories.
● They had to set up a relationship with farmers on the way so that the herds could graze
in harvested fields and manure the soil.
Colonial Rule and Pastoral Life

Pastoralists' lives changed completely, under colonial rule.
● Their movements were regulated, grazing grounds shrank, and the revenue they had to
pay increased.
● Even their agricultural stock declined and their trades and crafts were adversely affected.
It happened due to the following reasons:
1. Land revenue was one of the main sources for finance of the colonial state. So, the
colonial government wanted to transform all grazing lands into cultivated farms through
which they could expand cultivation and increase its revenue collection. All uncultivated
land was seen as ‘waste land’. From the mid-nineteenth century, Waste Land Rules
were enacted in various parts of the country. Under these rules, uncultivated lands were
taken over and given to select individuals.
2. By the mid-nineteenth century, various Forest Acts were being enacted in different
provinces. According to these Acts, forests which produced commercially valuable
timber like deodar or sal were declared ‘Reserved’ and other forests were classified as
‘Protected’. These Forest Acts changed the lives of pastoralists as they were prevented
from entering many forests.
3. British officials were suspicious of nomadic people. The colonial government wanted to
rule over a settled population. In 1871, the colonial government in India passed the
Criminal Tribes Act. By this Act many communities of craftsmen, traders and
pastoralists were classified as Criminal Tribes. They were stated to be criminals by
nature and birth.
4. Taxation was imposed on land, on canal water, on salt, on trade goods, and even on
animals. In most pastoral tracts of India, grazing tax was introduced in the
mid-nineteenth century. In the decades between the 1850s and 1880s, the right to
collect the tax was auctioned out to contractors. By the 1880s the government began
collecting taxes directly from the pastoralists.
How Did these Changes Affect the Lives of Pastoralists?

1. Due to these measures, there was a shortage of pastures. When grazing lands were
taken over and turned into cultivated fields, the available area of pastureland declined.
2. As pasturelands disappeared under the plough, the existing animal stock had to feed on
whatever grazing land remained.
3. When restrictions were imposed on pastoral movements, grazing lands came to be
continuously used and the quality of pastures declined. This, in turn, created a further
shortage of forage for animals and the deterioration of animal stock.
How Did the Pastoralists Cope with these Changes?

1. Pastoralists reacted to these changes in various ways. They reduced the number of
cattle and some discovered new pastures.
2. After 1947, the new political boundaries between India and Pakistan stopped the camel
and sheep herding Raikas, to graze their camels on the banks of the Indus.
3. Over the years, some richer pastoralists bought land and settled down, giving up their
nomadic life.
4. Some became peasants by cultivating land, others indulged in trading.
5. On the other hand, poor pastoralists borrowed money from moneylenders to survive.
6. They still continued to survive and in many regions, their numbers have expanded. In
many other parts of the world, new laws and settlement patterns forced pastoral
communities to alter their lives.
Pastoralism in Africa
In Africa, even today, over 22 million Africans depend on some form of pastoral activity for their
livelihood. Like pastoralists in India, the lives of African pastoralists have changed dramatically
over the colonial and post-colonial periods.
Where have the Grazing Lands Gone?

● Before colonial times, Maasailand stretched over a vast area from north Kenya to the
steppes of northern Tanzania.
● In 1885, it was cut into half with an international boundary between British Kenya and
German Tanganyika.
● After the cut, the best grazing lands were gradually taken over for white settlement and
the Maasai were pushed into a small area in south Kenya and north Tanzania.
From the late nineteenth century, the British colonial government in east Africa encouraged local
peasant communities to expand cultivation. In pre-colonial times, the Maasai pastoralists had
dominated their agricultural neighbours both economically and politically. The loss of the finest
grazing lands and water resources created pressure on the small area of land that the Maasai
were confined within.
The Borders are Closed

In the nineteenth century, African pastoralists could move over vast areas in search of pastures.
But, from the late nineteenth century, the colonial government began imposing various
restrictions on their mobility. White settlers and European colonists saw pastoralists as
dangerous and savage. The new territorial boundaries and restrictions imposed on them
suddenly changed the lives of pastoralists, which adversely affected both their pastoral and
trading activities.
When Pastures Dry

Pastoralists’ lives were affected by drought everywhere. That is why, traditionally, pastoralists
move from place to place to survive bad times and avoid crises. But from the colonial period, the
Maasai were bound down to a fixed area, confined within a reserve, and prohibited from moving
in search of pastures. As the area of grazing lands shrank, the adverse effect of the droughts
increased in intensity.
Not All were Equally Affected

● In Maasailand, not all pastoralists were equally affected by the changes in the colonial
period.
● In pre-colonial times 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 and defended the community
and organised cattle raids.
● The British introduced a series of measures that had important implications, to

administer the affairs of the Maasai. They appointed chiefs of different sub-groups of
Maasai, who were made responsible for the affairs of the tribe. Restrictions were also
imposed on raiding and warfare. These chiefs managed to survive the devastations of
war and drought.
● But the life history of the poor pastoralists was different. In times of war and famine, they
lost nearly everything. They had to go looking for work in the towns. Some used to work
as charcoal burners, and some did odd jobs to earn their living.
● The social changes in Maasai society occurred at two levels. First, the traditional
difference based on age, between the elders and warriors, was disturbed, though it did
not break down entirely. Second, a new distinction between the wealthy and poor
pastoralists developed.

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NOMADIC PASTORALIST -

On the Plateaus, Plains and Deserts

Colonial Rule and Pastoral Life

How Did these Changes Affect the Lives of Pastoralists?

How Did the Pastoralists Cope with these Changes?

Where have the Grazing Lands Gone?

The Borders are Closed

When Pastures Dry

Not All were Equally Affected

● The British introduced a series of measures that had important implications, to

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