Decent Coaching Classes
CBSE, ICSE, STATE BOARD
VIII-CBSE
History - Tribal Communities
Short Answers:
1. Name some tribal groups of India. Write three features of tribal society.
Some important tribal group of India are Mundas, Santhals, Oraon, Kols, Baigas, Khonds, Khasis,
Nagas, etc.
Some important features of tribal groups are as follows:
a. Tribal groups were dependent on natural resources. They lived in forest areas.
b. They performed activities like hunting and gathering to earn their livelihood.
c. They performed Shifting Cultivation.
2. What do you understand by Shifting Cultivation?
In Shifting Cultivation, tribals clear a piece of land for agriculture purposes and cultivate it for a
certain period. When the land loses productivity, they move to another land. This method is also
known as Slash-and-burn cultivation.
This activity is performed by the tribal groups of Central and Northeast India.
3. How did the British dispossess the tribals of their land? What was its impact on tribals?
The Company affected the lives of tribals in the following ways:
• Company took the lands cultivated by tribals which forced them to become wage labourers and
cultivate cash crops.
• They imposed very high revenue on the forest lands.
• They made changes in the forest laws, which deprived tribals of forest resources.
• The Christian missionaries interfered in the socio-religious activities of the tribal groups and
converted their religion into Christianity.
4. 'The tribals were often caught in the cycle of debt'. Explain.
The tribals got trapped in the debt cycle due to the very high prices of the goods sold by the
traders. They also became victims of the very high rate of interest on loans charged by
moneylenders, even for a short-term period. They generally take loans to pay high revenue to the
company. So they considered traders and moneylenders as evils and opposed them.
Long-Answers:
1. The tribals were 'people of the forest'. Explain this statement.
The tribals as people of the forest can be described as follows:
• The tribal groups of India like Munda, Santhal of Chotanagpur region, the Baigas, Gonds, and
Khonds of Central India, and Khasis, Nagas of North-eastern India resided in the forest areas
of these regions.
• They were highly dependent on forests and their resources for their livelihood. They collected
fruits, roots, honey, and medicinal herbs and either sold them or exchanged them for other
goods. They exchanged milk and milk products with grains like rice.
• Forests were the main source of fuelwoods. Whenever a forest became deficient in the needs of
the tribal people, they moved to another forest. Thus, they were called as 'people of the forest'.
2. What were the grievances of tribals against the British?
The British Company made the following changes which badly affected the lives of tribal groups:
• The Company captured large areas of land possessed by tribal groups. Because of this, the
landless tribals had no other choice but to become wage labourers or were forced to do cash
crops cultivation.
• They charged a very high rate of revenue from the tribals. Whenever there was a failure of
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payments then, these tribals were dispossessed from their land.
• They prohibited the method of Shifting Cultivation and imposed settled agriculture. With
respect to times when land loses its fertility, it becomes difficult for them to pay fixed and high
revenue.
• They made adverse changes in the Forest Laws. Now the Forest became State property. It
prohibited the activities like hunting and gathering, pasture, cutting of trees, etc., which greatly
affected the tribals' life, thus they revolted against the British East India company.
Discuss the role of tribal chiefs under the British?
Before the arrival of the British company, tribal chiefs were important in the tribal society. They
hold great authority. They had their very own policies and decisions over local rules and affairs of
forest management. The conditions of tribal chiefs changed in the following ways under the British:
• Under the British rules, tribal chiefs lost their powers and became mere agents of the
Government.
• They subdued their British master and controlled their people.
• They followed the British Laws and paid tribute to them.
To conclude, the power and authority of the tribal chiefs were snatched away with the arrival of
British rule in the forest areas.
Why were the British able to suppress the tribal uprising easily?
The tribal groups revolted against the British Company because they interfered in their traditional
way of living. They raised and fixed the revenue and also made detrimental changes in the forest
laws. Tribals were left with no means of livelihood except to do wage labour.
Some important tribal revolts include the Kol rebellion of 1831 and the Santhal rebellion of 1855.
The Munda revolt of 1899 under the leadership of Birsa Munda was very popular among the
other tribal revolts.
Britishers were able to easily suppress these tribal revolts. The tribal armies were poorly equipped
with weapons. They fought with their traditional spear, bow, and arrow. There was a lack of strong
military commanders, unlike English forces. They had a small number of soldiers in their armies
with improper training. Thus, their revolts were easily suppressed by the English forces.
Besides revolting against British rule, Birsa Munda also wanted to revive the tribal
society. Why?
Birsa Munda was a member of the Munda Tribe of the Chotanagpur region of India. He led the
Munda revolt against the suppression of the British Company in 1899-1900. He also aimed for
the revival of tribal society in the following ways:
• He wanted people to free themselves from the debt burden and oppression of moneylenders,
traders, and Zamindars.
• He urged people to give up evil practices like drinking liquor, performing animal sacrifices,
worshipping evil spirits, and leading a dishonest life.
• He wanted no interference of Christian missionaries and Hindu landlords in the traditional lifestyle
of tribal people. He considered them as the cause of tribal misery.
Thus, by these means, Birsa Munda wanted to achieve the Golden Age of tribals which were free
from oppression and self-determining in nature.
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