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Tribals survival
What are the different activities tribal people were involved in various parts of India ? Explain in detail .
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By the nineteenth century, tribal people in different parts
of India were involved in a variety of activities.1} Jhum cultivation
Some of them practised jhum cultivation, that is, shifting
cultivation. This was done on small patches of land, mostly
in forests. The cultivators cut the treetops to allow sunlight
to reach the ground, and burnt the vegetation on the land
to clear it for cultivation. They spread the ash from the
firing, which contained potash, to fertilise the soil. They
used the axe to cut trees and the hoe to scratch the soil
in order to prepare it for cultivation. They broadcast the
seeds, that is, scattered the seeds on the field instead of
ploughing the land and sowing the seeds. Once the crop
was ready and harvested, they moved to another field.
A field that had been cultivated once was left fallow for
several years,
Shifting cultivators were found in the hilly and forested
tracts of north-east and central India. The lives of these
tribal people depended on free movement within forests
and on being able to use the land and forests for growing
their crops. That is the only way they could practise
shifting cultivation.2}Hunting and Gathering
In many regions, tribal groups lived by hunting
animals and gathering forest produce. They saw forests
as essential for survival. The Khonds were such a
community living in the forests of Orissa. They regularly
went out on collective hunts and then divided the meat
amongst themselves.
They ate fruits and roots
collected from the forest
and cooked food with the
oil they extracted from
the seeds of the sal and
mahua. They used many
forest shrubs and herbs
for medicinal purposes,
and sold forest produce
in the local markets. The
local weavers and leather
workers turned to the
Khonds when they needed
supplies of kusum and
palash flowers to colour
their clothes and leather.
Fallow – A field left
uncultivated for a while
so that the soil recovers
fertility
Sal – A tree
Mahua – A flower that
is eaten or used to make
alcohol. From where did these forest
people get their supplies of rice
and other grains? At times they
exchanged goods – getting what
they needed in return for their
valuable forest produce. At other
times, they bought goods with the
small amount of earnings they
had. Some of them did odd jobs
in the villages, carrying loads
or building roads, while others
laboured in the fields of peasants
and farmers. When supplies of
forest produce shrank, tribal
people had to increasingly wander
around in search of work as
labourers. But many of them – like
the 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.
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 misery3}Herding Animals
Many tribal groups lived by herding and rearing animals.
They were pastoralists who moved with their herds of
cattle or sheep according to the seasons. When the grass
in one place was exhausted, they moved to another area.
The Van Gujjars of the Punjab hills and the Labadis of
Andhra Pradesh were cattle herders, the Gaddis of Kulu
were shepherds, and the Bakarwals of Kashmir reared
goats
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