7th Class Social Science Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities Notes - Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities

 

Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities

 

In the medieval period when new towns were developing, new trade relations were forming and handicrafts and other craftsmanship were scaling new heights; there were groups of people who were unaware. Unaffected and untouched by these changes. They were the original inhabitants or remotely settled adivasis. Whom we call "tribe". The Tribal societies spread over a large area and play an important role in the study of our past.

 

BEYOND BIG CITIES?TRIBAL SOCIETIES

 

During the medieval period, society was divided according to the rules of the Varna. The Brahmanas occupied the dominant position and the Shudras

 

A Kutia Konth Women

 

Were at the bottom rung of the social hierarchy. At the same time, there were some societies that were egalitarian. They did not follow the Varna system and there was equality. No caste or caste division existed. They did not follow the rules and customs of the Brahmanas. These were the

 

A Few tribal Women performing traditional rituals

 

'Tribals of the subcontinent. The Tribals families were closely knit. Members within a tribe were united by strong kinship bonds. The tribals usually lived in remote areas. They dwelled nearby a mountain range or forest where no sign of modern culture could be seen. They had a strong sense of unity and were completely oblivious of the outside world. The tribals made use of the forest resources for a living. Some were hunter-gatherers while some were herders.

 

There were nomads also who moved from one place to another for their livelihood. Some practiced settled or shifting agriculture. We do not have enough information about the tribal people. This is because the tribals being illiterate did not keep any written records. Also, mostly they did not welcome outsiders. Their customs and traditions are passed down to the next generations by oral tradition.

 

History Reveals

 

The north-east of India is home to many tribal communities. They are found in Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Assam and Odisha.

 

WHO WERE TRIBAL PEOPLE?

 

Nomads are a group of people who travel from place to place for livelihood. They moved according to seasonal changes along with their animals. Their main occupation was herding cattle and sheep. They exchanged animal products for the things they required. There were many nomadic tribes in India. Some of them are Jats, Gaddis, Banjaras and Gujjars.

 

The depiction of tribal life in a Worli Tribe painting

 

Q. can you name a tribe in the state where you live? What is their means of livelihood?

 

Major tribes of India and their locations

 

India has been the abode of various tribal groups since the commencement of history. They are considered to be the true inhabitants of India and occupy a major position in its history. They are spread out over different parts of the country.

 

The Khokar and Gakhar were tribes found only in the north-west. In the north-east, major tribes were Naga, Bodo and Khasi among many others.

 

Chero tribe was one of the major tribes who are distributed in present day Jharkhand and Bengal. They were a martial group and seized lands by their courage and valour.

 

The Chero tribes were agricultural people. They were defeated by the Mughal forces during Aurangzeb's rule. The Gaddi tribes lived in the region of Himachal Pradesh. Their main occupation is shepherding. The Mundas were a large and powerful tribe more prominent in the states of Assam, West Bengal, Odisha and Bihar. Bhils were the tribes of Central India. They were the archers, skilled in the use of bow and arrow. The Bhils used to furnish the needs of Princes of Mewar with bowmen guarding their families. The Santhals were a large tribal community in India found mainly in the states of West Bengal,

 

Mop no. 7.1 the locations of major tribes in India

History Reveals

The Ghoomar, a traditional folk dance of Rajasthan, was developed by the Bhil tribe. Interestingly, during marriages it is the men who have to pay dowry to be able to marry an eligible woman.

 

 

An example of Santhal Art

The Banjarnas were found in Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. Banjaras were engaged in transporting merchandise from place to place, when roads did not exist and communication was more difficult. They had a large number of pack bullocks and readily hired themselves to transport grains and other supplies. They visited the most difficult regions collecting the small quantities of grain, cotton, wool and commodities obtainable and brought them to the large markets. They traded food grains for the Mughal army during military campaigns. They moved in large groups called tandas.

 

A Banjara Woman

 

History Reveals

Often the Gonds are called the "face of Indian tribes" because of their population strength.

 

LIFE OF THE TRIBAL PEOPLE

 

For tribal people, customs and traditions were very important. They carried forward their rituals and ceremonies. Each tribe had their own Gods and religious practices. Some worshipped nature. Many we're animists that believed in spirits. They carried forward age old colourful rituals and ceremonies. The different traditions and distinct cultural patterns made each tribal community unique.

 

A Painting by Gond tribals

 

Historically, the economy of most tribes was subsistence agriculture or hunting-gathering. They traded with outsiders for the necessities they lacked such as salt and iron. Different tribes have their own means of livelihood. Even within the tribe, people engage themselves in different professions.

 

Some tribes practice shifting agriculture. They clear a patch of the forest and cultivate the land. After a few years when the land loses its fertility, they move on and clear another area of the forest and use that for agriculture. This is also called slash and burn agriculture. This is because they often burn the vegetation to clear the land. Also, the ash was a natural fertilizer for the crops they grew.

 

Some tribes are hunters-gatherers. But today, this is not very common. They depend on other means of livelihood such as gathering forest products such as honey and selling them.

 

Some tribes have settled down and farm their own piece of land. They also rear animals to supplement their income. Also, some tribes are skilled dancers and acrobats, and they use this skill to earn their livelihood. For example, the Nayaks are itinerant drama troupes in Gujarat. They move from village to village to perform.

 

Nayaks, a performer tribe of Gujarat

 

Artisan tribes earned their livelihood by crafts like basket making, tool making, spinning and weaving. The Birhor of Bihar made ropes and in the past were nomadic. The members of the group learnt the skill.

 

A tribal woman making a basket

 

There were pastoralist tribe like the Toda in the Nilgiris and the Gujjar, the Bakarwal and Gaddi in Himachal Pradesh. They earned their livelihood by rearing and selling sheep, horses and goats. They make seasonal movements to the mountain pastures. They exchanged or sold the dairy products for other items of their use particularly agricultural products.

 

Q. What is slash and burn agriculture?

 

TRIBAL COMMUNITIES AND CHANGING SOCIETIES

 

The caste system continued to exist during the early medieval period. But it was not very rigid. There were cordial relations between the castes. However, many sub-castes called jatis began to appear during this period. This was because as the economy developed, special occupations originated like carpenters, masons and artisans, which were classified into different jatis. The jatis were different in food, customs, professions and religious practices. With time, many tribals were taken into the caste based society into various jatis.

 

New Rajput clans became powerful by the eleventh and twelfth centuries. They gradually replaced the older rulers, especially in agricultural areas. Here a developed society emerged, and rulers used their wealth to create powerful states.

 

The rise of Rajput clans to the position of rulers set an example for the tribal people to follow many tribes became part of the cast-systems the tribal chiefs joined as Kshatriya ruling class whereas the other tribals joined the lower jatis. Some tribes of the North-West joined Islam. The caste based Hinduism was not acceptable to them.

 

THE GONDS                                         

 

The Gonds are tribal groups who live all over India's Deccan Peninsula. They are known for their unique customs and traditions. Most of the Gonds describe themselves as hill people or as Koi or Koitur.

 

It is believed that Gonds settled in Gondwana in central India between the 9th and 13th century AD. The area is now known as eastern Madhya Pradesh. The Gondwana kingdom is mentioned in the Akbarnama as Garha Katanga which consisted of 70,000 villages. Gond dynasties ruled in four kingdoms between the 16th and 18th century.

 

The Gonds lived all over central India, and in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Odisha. They are the largest tribe in India and perhaps in the world. The Gond kingdom was divided into garhs. These were further divided into chaurasi which had 84 villages. A chaurasi consisted of barhots, each constituted of 12 villages. Each garh was the responsibility of one Gond clan. Each Gond village has a headman known as mukhia or patel and a village council chosen by the villagers. Gonds believed in the equality of all human beings without the discrimination of higher and lower society. However, gradually, the Gond society became differentiated. The brahamanas occupied a superior position and the chiefs were now the kshatriyas. The Gonds practiced agriculture and raised livestock. They practiced shifting agriculture and many earned their livelihood by hunting and gathering fruits from the forests. They also trapped and trained elephants and sold them to other kingdoms.

 

The Gond queen, Rani Durgavati who defeated Akbar thrice

 

In the 16th century CE, Maharaja Sangram Shah, who ruled for almost 52 years, extended his power to over 52 districts, including the twin-townships of Garha-Katanga. He started administering the region from here. He was the longest reigning monarch and his period is believed to be the golden era in the history of the region. His son Dalpat was married to Rani Durgawati who was the daughter of the Chandel Rajput ruler. The kingdom of Garha Katanga was very nrich with 70,000 flourishing villages. Unfortunately, Dalpat died an untimely death. Rani Durgavati became regent of their five-year old son Vir Narayan and ruled the kingdom. Chauragarh was her capital. The Rani was highly renowned for her beauty, courage and liberality. She was inspired by a sense of genuine loyalty to the interests of her country. The battle between armies of Mughals under Asaf Khan and Rani Duragvati took place in 1564. The Mughal Army was huge but Rani Durgavati fought with great vigour and courage. The Gond Queen-Mother Rani Durgavati made supreme sacrifice. She died in battle defending against Mughal incursions.

 

After being defeated by the Mughals, the next ruler was Chandra Shah. The Gond kingdom survived but ultimately fell to the hands of the Marathas.

 

A miniature from Akabarnamah depicting war between Akbar and Rani Durgawati

 

THE AHOMS                                                         

 

The Ahoms established their kingdom during the medieval period. Their rule lasted for nearly 600 years in the region of river Brahmaputra. They are regarded as the descendants of the Shan dynasty of China. It is believed that the state of Assam has derived its name from the Ahom Dynasty.                     

 

Sukaphaa, the Shan prince, is said to have migrated to India with about 9000 followers in 1215 CE as a result of a dispute with one of his brothers. He founded the Ahom kingdom around the Brahmaputra valley and set up his capital at Charaideo. The local tribes adopted the Ahom way of life. The Ahoms are considered the architects of modern Assam.

 

The boundaries of the Ahom Empire were extended by the Ahom rulers. The Chutiya and Kachhari kingdoms were defeated and the Ahom Empire expanded to eastern Assam. They used firearms to achieve victories. They also had the knowledge of making gunpowder and canons.

 

Rudra Singh ascended the throne in 1695. During his reign, the Ahom kingdom was at its zenith.

 

The Ahom king was known as Swargadeo. He was assisted by his ministers called gohains. There was a system of forced labour called the paik system. Every subject was a paik and had to render services to the king when required. The Ahoms adopted some improvised military techniques to fight the enemies. They mostly used guerilla warfare techniques. They were also expert in river battles and could organise support from the local tribes/ in the times of need. They could not maintain a regular army. The same paik who is basically a cultivator had to fight in the battlefield in times of war. This was a serious drawback in the Ahom military set up. The khels were the organised form of Paiks with certain gradation. The smallest unit of khel contained 20 paiks and it was controlled by an officer known as Bora.

 

The economy was basically agrarian. According to Sukaphaa, Assam was a land of golden fruits. Ahoms used the wet rice cultivation technique. They also built dams and irrigation systems.

 

The Symbol of the Ahom Tribe

 

The Ahoms worshipped their own tribal Gods. There was no caste system and untouchability in the Ahom society. Gradually, they were influenced by Hinduism. Rudra Singh decided to formally embrace Hindu religion and become an orthodox Hindu. Later Hinduism became the main religion. But the Ahoms did not give up their traditional beliefs.

 

Initially, the Ahoms spoke the Tai language. Later, Sukhapaa developed a common dialect of the tribes to be used in the royal court and in communicating to the subjects. Thus, the Assamese language was born in the Brahmaputra valley. The Ahom chronicles are the Buranjis which were written in the tribal language but now have been translated to Assamese.

 

The Rang Char, a large amphitheater was built by the Ahoms. It was built in the Ahom capital of Rangpur by Pramatta Singha. It is one of the earliest pavilions of south East Asia.

 

The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb wanted to conquer the Ahom kingdom. He sent Mir Jumla to attack the Ahom kingdom. The Ahoms put up a brave front but were finally defeated by the Mughal forces. However, this victory of the Mughals was short lived as the Ahoms reestablished their kingdom. The Ahom kingdom was again attacked by the Mughal forces in 1671. The Ahoms were successful in defeating the huge Mughal army. They extended the Ahom kingdom upto the Manas River. This river was the dividing line between the Mughal and Ahom Empire. However, the Ahom kingdom began to decline in the late 18th century.

 

The Rang Ghar

History Reveals

In 1983, the University of Jabalpur was renamed as Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya by the Madhya Pradesh Government.

 

Around the world

 

African pygmies and a European explorer

 

The Pygmies are tribes who are scattered over a huge area in Central and Western Africa. They are recognised as being the first inhabitants of the region. The pygmies are characterised by their short stature. They are forest dwellers and know the forest, its flora and fauna intimately. They live mainly by hunting and fishing, and by gathering honey, wild yams and other plants. Sometimes they take up work in the neighbouring farming villages and even exchange forest produce for crops and other goods. The Pygmy tribes maintain their own culture according to their beliefs, traditions and languages. The greatest threat to their survival comes from increasing loss of habitat due to extensive logging of the forests.