Pastoralism in Africa

1.2.
On the Plateaus, Plains and Deserts

 The pastoral communities are also found in the plateaus, plains and deserts of India
Dhangars in Maharashtra
 The Dhangars are an important pastoral community of Maharashtra.
 They are shepherds, blanket weavers and buffalo herders.
 The Dhangars stay in the central plateau in Maharashtra during the monsoon.
 The rainy season allows them to graze their cattle and harvest bajra sown by them.
 In November, they reach the Konkan region which is a fertile agricultural tract.
 The farmers in the Konkan welcome them because the cattle of the Dhangars graze on the
fields and provide manure to them.
 Their fields thus become ready for the sowing of rabi crops.
 The Dhangars return to their dry fields on the onset of the monsoon in the Konkan.
Gollas, TheKurumas and Kurubas and Banjaras
Gollas They herded cattle in the state of Karnataka and

Andhra Pradesh.
The Kurumas and They reared sheep and goats and sold woven
Kurubas blankets.
During the dry season, they moved to the coastal

tracts and left when the rains came.
Banjaras A group of graziers found in the villages of Uttar

Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and
Maharashtra.
Raikas of Rajasthan
 The Raikas live in the deserts of Rajasthan.
 They stay in their villages during the monsoon as grass is available for their cattle.
 In October, they move out in search of pasture and water and return to their villages the
next year during the monsoon.
 Different groups of Raikas herd camels, goats and sheep.
2. Colonial Rule and Pastoral Life
3. British
official were
2. Forest act suspicious
about Nomadic
People
1. Transform
grazing land 4. Expand
into the Revenue
cultivation Changes Income
area Made By
Colonial
Rule
1. Transform grazing land into the cultivation area

Causes:
 Land Revenue was main source of income for British.
 Expanding cultivation increases Revenue
 Cultivation of Jute, Cotton and wheat and other
agricultural products which were great demand in England
 Uncultivated and grazing land were considered Waste land
 Introduction of Waste Land Rule
 land were given to certain individuals for cultivation along with various concessions.
 Some of them made Village Headman.

 Lands were taken over for grazing.
 This lead to decline in Pastures.
2. Forest act
.
3. British official were suspicious about Nomadic People
The British officials

distrusted craftsmen and the pastoralists who
trades who hawked changed their place of
residence.
their goods in villages.
so in order to control people British

introduced Criminal Tribes Act
Criminal Tribes Act
 Colonial Government in India passed the Criminal Tribes Act in 1871.

 To control and identify the tribal people in a fixed place
Significance of this Act
 Communities of Craftsmen, traders and pastoralists were classified as Criminal Tribes.

 These communities were allowed to live in specific area that too with a permit
 The village police kept a continuous watch on them
4. Expand Revenue Income

 Tax was imposed on land, canal water, salt, trade goods,
and even on animals
 Tax on every animal grazed on pasture
 The tax per head of cattle went up in rapidly
 Tax collection was made efficient
 Between the 1850s and 1880s, the right to collect the tax was
auctioned out to contractors.
 By the 1880s the government started collecting tax directly
from Pastoralists. Each were given pass to enter the Grazing land
2.1. How Did These Changes Affect the Lives of Pastoralists?
 There was a shortage of pastures
 Reserved forest no longer allowed shepherds and cattle herders to freely pasture their
cattle in the forest.
 Grazing lands came to be continuously used and the quality of pastures declined.
 Shortage of forage for animals and the deterioration of animal stock.
2.2. How Did the Pastoralists Cope with These Changes?
a) They reduced the number of cattle and some discovered new pastures
b) Changed their direction of movement
c) Some began buying land and settling down there

d) Some took to more extensive trading
e) Some lost their livestock and become labours
Pastoralism In Africa
 Over half the world’s pastoral population lives. Even today, over 22 million Africans depend
on some form of pastoral activity for their livelihood.
 They include communities like Bedouins, Berbers, Maasai, Somali, Boran and Turkana.
 They raise cattle, camels, goats, sheep and donkeys; and they sell milk, meat, animal skin and
wool.
 The Maasai cattle herders live primarily in east Africa: 300, 000 in southern Kenya and
another 150,000 in Tanzania.
Where have the Grazing Lands Gone?

 In 1885, Maasailand was cut into half with an international boundary between British
Kenya and German Tanganyika.
 Subsequently, 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.
 As cultivation expanded, pasturelands were turned into cultivated fields.
 Large areas of grazing land were also turned into game reserves like the Maasai Mara and
Samburu National Park in Kenya and Serengeti Park in Tanzania.
The Borders are Closed

 From the late nineteenth century, the colonial government began imposing various
restrictions on their mobility.
 Pastoralists were also not allowed to enter the markets in white areas.
 The new territorial boundaries and restrictions imposed on them suddenly changed the
lives of pastoralists.
When Pastures Dry

 Since they could not shift their cattle to places where pastures were available, large
numbers of Maasai cattle died of starvation and disease in these years of drought.
Not All were Equally Affected
 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.
 To administer the affairs of the Maasai, the British appointed chiefs of different sub-
groups of Maasai, who were made responsible for the affairs of the tribe.
 The chiefs appointed by the colonial government often accumulated wealth over time.
 But the poor pastoralists did not have the resources to tide over bad times. In times of war
and famine, they lost nearly everything.

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1.2.

On the Plateaus, Plains and Deserts

Gollas, TheKurumas and Kurubas and Banjaras

Gollas They herded cattle in the state of Karnataka and

During the dry season, they moved to the coastal

Banjaras A group of graziers found in the villages of Uttar

2. Colonial Rule and Pastoral Life

1. Transform grazing land into the cultivation area

 Land Revenue was main source of income for British.

 Expanding cultivation increases Revenue

 Cultivation of Jute, Cotton and wheat and other

agricultural products which were great demand in England

 Uncultivated and grazing land were considered Waste land

 Introduction of Waste Land Rule

 Some of them made Village Headman.

 This lead to decline in Pastures.

3. British official were suspicious about Nomadic People

The British officials

so in order to control people British

Criminal Tribes Act

 Colonial Government in India passed the Criminal Tribes Act in 1871.

Significance of this Act

 Communities of Craftsmen, traders and pastoralists were classified as Criminal Tribes.

4. Expand Revenue Income

 Shortage of forage for animals and the deterioration of animal stock.

2.2. How Did the Pastoralists Cope with These Changes?

b) Changed their direction of movement

c) Some began buying land and settling down there

e) Some lost their livestock and become labours

Where have the Grazing Lands Gone?

The Borders are Closed

When Pastures Dry

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