TRIBALS DIKUS AND GOLDEN AGE

TRIBALS DIKUS AND GOLDEN AGE
1. Why British allowed Jhum cultivation in the reserved forests?

Answer: British allow them to cultivate land on the condition that those who lived in the villages
would have to provide labour to the Forest Department and look after the forests.
2. Which tribal group was reluctant to work for others and why?
Answer: Baigas of central India – were reluctant to do work for others. The Baigas saw
themselves as people of the forest, who could only live on the produce of the forest. It was
below the dignity of a Baiga to become a labourer.
3. Which tribal group was reluctant to work for others and why?
Answer: Baigas of central India – were reluctant to do work for others. The Baigas saw
themselves as people of the forest, who could only live on the produce of the forest. It was
below the dignity of a Baiga to become a labourer.
4. Why did the British want tribal groups to settle down and become peasant cultivators?
Answer: British wanted tribal groups to settle down and become peasant cultivators because
settled peasants were easier to control and administer than people who were always on the
move.
5. What accounts for the anger of the tribals against the dikus?
Answer: The following facts account for their anger against the dilkus.
 The land policies of the British were destroying their traditional land system.
 Hindu landlords and moneylenders were taking over their land.
 Missionaries were criticising their traditional culture.
6. Mention different types of activities where tribal people were involved?
Answer: Tribal people in different parts of India were involved in a variety of activities.
Some were jhum cultivators.


Some were hunters and gatherers.

Some herded animals.

Some took to settled cultivation.

7. Mention the revolts by different tribal groups in the country against the British?
Answer: Through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, tribal groups in different parts of the
country rebelled against the changes in laws, the restrictions on their practices, the new taxes
they had to pay, and the exploitation by traders and moneylenders. The Kols rebelled in 1831-32,
Santhals rose in revolt in 1855, the Bastar Rebellion in central India broke out in 1910 and the
Warli Revolt in Maharashtra in 1940. The movement that Birsa led was one such movement.
8. How did the powers of tribal chiefs change under colonial rule?
Answer: Under British rule, the functions and powers of the tribal chiefs changed considerably.
 They were allowed to keep their land titles over a cluster of villages and rent out lands, but
they lost much of their administrative power and were forced to follow laws made by British
officials in India.
 They also had to pay tribute to the British, and discipline the tribal groups on behalf of the
British.
 They lost the authority they had earlier enjoyed amongst their people, and were unable to
fulfil their traditional functions.
9. What problem did the British face after they brought changes in forest laws? How did they
solve the problem?
Answer: Once the British stopped the tribal people from living inside forests, they faced a
problem. From where would the Forest Department get its labour to cut trees for railway
sleepers and to transport logs?
Colonial officials came up with a solution. They decided that they would give jhum cultivators
small patches of land in the forests and allow them to cultivate these on the condition that
those who lived in the villages would have to provide labour to the Forest Department and look
after the forests. So in many regions the Forest Department established forest villages to ensure
a regular supply of cheap labour.
10. What was Birsa’s vision of a golden age? Why do you think such a vision appealed to the
people of the region?
Answer: Birsa was deeply influenced by many of the ideas he came in touch with in his growing-
up years. His movement was aimed at reforming tribal society. He urged the Mundas to give up
drinking liquor, clean their village, and stop believing in witchcraft and sorcery. Birsa urged his
followers to recover their glorious past. He talked of a golden age in the past – a satyug (the age
of truth) – when Mundas lived a good life, constructed embankments, tapped natural springs,
planted trees and orchards, practised cultivation to earn their living. They did not kill their
brethren and relatives. They lived honestly. Birsa also wanted people to once again work on
their land, settle down and cultivate their fields.
Such a vision appealed to the people of the region because they got fed up with British forest
laws and the restrictions that were imposed on them.
11. Why was the British effort to settle jhum cultivators not very successful?
Answer: The British effort to settle jhum cultivators was not very successful because of the following
reasons.
 Settled plough cultivation is not easy in areas where water is scarce and the soil is dry.
 In fact, jhum cultivators who took to plough cultivation often suffered, since their fields did
not produce good yields.
 So the jhum cultivators in north-east India insisted on continuing with their traditional
practice.
 Facing widespread protests, the British had to ultimately allow them the right to carry on
shifting cultivation in some parts of the forest.
12. Why did the tribal people consider moneylenders and traders as evil outsiders?
Answer: Tribal groups often needed to buy and sell in order to be able to get the goods that were
not produced within the locality. This led to their dependence on traders and moneylenders. Traders
came around with things for sale, and sold the goods at high prices. Moneylenders gave loans with
which the tribals met their cash needs, adding to what they earned. But the interest charged on the
loans was usually very high. So for the tribals, market and commerce often meant debt and poverty.
They therefore came to see the moneylender and trader as evil outsiders and the cause of their misery.

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1. Why British allowed Jhum cultivation in the reserved forests?

6. Mention different types of activities where tribal people were involved?

Some were jhum cultivators.

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