Effect of Colonial Rule on the Tribal Lives

INTRODUCTION

The tribal community has always been a huge part of the Indian continent. They were responsible for taking care of the forests and the forests  were a huge provider of food for the tribe. But this equation was highly disturbed after the colonial rulers came to India. The tribal groups experienced huge changes in their lives during British rule. They changed the structure of the tribal communities and also changed their occupations. They tried to make provisions to use the tribal lives for their own profit. Furthermore, they wanted all the tribes to move to one place so that it would help the colonial rulers to control the tribe easily. The rulers also affected the tribal chiefs.

This article gives insight into the status of tribal chiefs, shifting cultivation, forest laws, their impact on the tribal community and the way trade changed along with their effect on the search for work for the tribals.

TRIBAL CHIEFS

Before the colonial rulers entered India in many areas the tribal chiefs had an important role and were considered to be very important people. They were vested with enormous economic powers. Further they were even vested with the power to manage different constituencies and territories. The tribal chiefs could also decide the rules to be followed by the localities and had control over the management of the forest. 

However, under the Britishers they were forced to give up on most of their managerial and administrative powers. While they had permission to keep their titles over a cluster of villages. They had to abide by the rules that were set by the Britishers in the country.

They also gave up on the authority that they previously exercised in their tribes and were no longer able to oversee or fulfill their traditional tribal functions.

SHIFTING CULTIVATION

The colonial rulers did not like groups moving out and living like nomads. They advised tribal groups to settle down at a certain place and have a fixed home. Tribes were even advised to start cultivating. This made it easier for Britishers to control and administer them. Tribes were usually on the lookout for more money resources and therefore some of them agreed to live life as peasant cultivators. Some of these peasants were given the status of landowners while others were tenants. A rent was paid by tenants to landowners, who would in turn pay a share of this revenue to the constituency.

The tribes used to do cultivation as per the climatic and land conditions. This was known as Jhum Cultivation. When it came to the Jhum cultivators, the British were not successful as they could not make appropriate irrigation provisions for dry lands. Therefore, in order to abate agricultural management hardships they discouraged Jhum cultivation. However, the northeast part of India still somehow continued the Jhum cultivation because they did not want their tradition and culture to get away. Therefore, after various protests and agitation by the tribes, the British finally allowed them to move forward with shifting cultivation.

FOREST LAWS & IMPACT

The lives of the tribes revolved highly around the forest. When the forest laws changed there was a drastic effect on the lives of the tribal people as well. The colonial rulers declared the forest as state property and the reserved forests started producing timber that the Britishers were looking for. However, in those forests the tribes were restricted. They were not allowed to practice Jhum cultivation. Once Britishers restricted the tribes from residing and living in the forest, the labor was not enough to cut the trees for the purpose of preparing the railway sleepers.

The colonials tried coming up with solutions and it was decided that the Jhum cultivators would be given small pieces of land. It was also decided that they will be allowed to cultivate that land. Some conditions were imposed on them, like any tribal living in the village would help with labor for the forests. There were several tribal groups that protested against these colonial forest laws. They continued with practices that they would do before and started rebelling against the colonials. In the year 1906, the revolt of Songram Sangma at Assam and in the 1930s, forest satyagraha in the Central provinces are the main examples of the revolts initiated by the tribal.

TRADE AND SEARCH FOR WORK

In the 19th century, the tribes discovered that the traders and moneylenders had started coming to the forests frequently to purchase the forest products. They used to offer cash loans and also asked the tribe to work for wages. However, the tribal groups later comprehended the significance of everything that was happening to them. The examples of this are the silk agents in Hazaribagh, who gave loans to the Santhal tribal in return for silk rearing. The growers were paid very low amounts like Rs 3-4 per 1000 cocoons. The cocoons were exported to the Burdwan or Gaya. They were further sold for more than the original rates. Hence, the profits were made by the middlemen, while the silk growers earned very little. This is why the tribe considered the traders as their foes and time and again protested against them.

CONCLUSION

When the tribal groups decided to move out of their native towns looking for jobs, their situation got worse. During the late 19th century, tea plantations and mining came up as some important industries. A large number from the tribal community were recruited at the tea plantations in Assam. Some of them were even recruited at the coal mines in Jharkhand. Many tribes were also recruited through different contractors. These contractors provided low wages and poor living conditions. The tribal were also restricted from going back home.