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SAI International School
Session-2020-21
Class- VIII
Subject- History
Chapter-4 Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age
Sub Topic :How did Colonial Rule Affect Tribal Lives ?
NOTES

What
happened to  The lives of tribal groups changed during the British rule.

tribal chiefs ?  Before the British arrived, the tribal chiefs were important people.

 They enjoyed economic power and had the right to administer and control
their territories.

 But, their functions and powers changed under British rule.

 They lost their administrative powers and were forced to follow laws made
by British officials in India.

What  The British wanted tribal groups to settle down as it was easier to control
happened to and administer settled peasants.
the shifting  The British introduced land settlements to get regular revenue sources for
cultivation ? the state.

 Land settlement means the British measured the land, defined the rights
of each individual to that land, and fixed the revenue demand for the
state.

 The British effort to settle jhum cultivators was not very successful.
 Facing widespread protests, the British had to ultimately allow them the
right to carry on shifting cultivation in some parts of the forest.

Forest laws  Tribal lives were directly affected by the changes in forest laws.
and their  Some forests were classified as Reserved Forests as they produced
impact timber which the British wanted.
 The British people stopped the tribal people entering the forests but they
faced a problem of getting laborers.

 So, the colonial officials came up with a solution. The colonial officials
decided to give jhum cultivatorssmall patches of land in the forests and
allow them to cultivate.

 In return, those who lived in the villages had to provide labour to the
Forest Department

 Many tribal groups disobeyed the new rules, continued with practices that
were declared illegal, and at times rose in open rebellion.