The Gonds and Ahoms

The Gond Society and Administration

They rose to power as the major clans of the tribe began to dominate the minor clans during the decline of the Delhi sultanate. As a result, the administrative system was centralized. The Gonds considered Barhots to be the smallest unit in their system. Each kingdom was divided into garhs, which were further divided into chaurasia, which were similar to villages, and those into barhots.  It was a particular Gond clan that controlled each garh. One chaurasi comprised 84 villages and a barhot had 12 villages.

The Gond Lifestyle and Culture

They were cultivators who practiced the slash and burn mode of cultivation or the Jhum cultivation. It involved the frequent shifting of fields and burning large tracts of forest land.

The religion was based on a cult of a clan, ancestral worship and village deities. Most of the activities were accompanied by sacrifice. They believed in evil spirits, buried their dead and performed rituals as they believed in the afterlife and spirits.

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The Decline of the Gond Tribe

It was the emergence of large states that weakened the clan’s identity. It was divided into unequal social classes with Brahmanas, who received grants from the Gond rajas, becoming a dominant class. The marital relations of the Gond Rajas with the Rajputs also disrupted the power equations as the local rajas, linked to the royal households, exercised authority over groups of villages.

The Gond raja assumed the title of Sangram Shah, and his son Dalpat Shah married princess Durgawati, the daughter of the Rajput ruler of Mahoba Dalpat Shah, who died in 1548 A.D, and Rani Durgawati took over the administration. The Gond kingdom became prosperous during her period.

Akbar sent Asaf Khan, the governor of Kara, to attack the Gond kingdom, which was defeated, and Rani Durgawati chose to die. The Maratha power, which swept through the tribe in the 1740s, overthrew the Gond rajas and seized their territory.

Features of the Gond Tribe

• Centralized administrative system
• No cultural uniformity
• Slash and burn or shifting agriculture
• Belief in the afterlife and spirits

They are currently designated as Scheduled Tribes inhabiting central and south-central India, spreading over the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

The Ahoms

Another tribe predominant in the Vedic period, the Ahoms, migrated to the Brahmaputra basin from present-day Myanmar in the 13th century.  This dynasty established by Sukaphaa ruled much of Assam for almost 600 years. The history of the people, society and the region is recorded in Buranjis or their manuscripts.

Ahom Society and Administration

The Ahom rule emphasized a monarchical system but was supported by an aristocratic government formed by nobles and the king, who was the nominal head of the state. The land was owned by the crown; the nobles and the subjects were the users of the land.

The king was known as Sargedeo, followed by a line of five ministers collectively known as patramantri, which included Borgohain, the Burhagohain, Borpatra Gohain, Barbaruah and Barphukan. The Barbaruah had to perform administrative, judicial and military functions. Barphukan had the responsibility of maintaining diplomatic relations with Bengal, Bhutan, etc.

There were officials called Gohains who determined the succession of the monarch. Apart from them, there were local governors. There were lesser kings known as Puwali Raja. The subordinates to Barbaruah and Barphukan were known as Phukans.

One of the unique arrangements of the system included the Paiks, which were forced labour that called for its members to be labourers working in agriculture and infrastructure and otherwise as soldiers. Each village had to send a certain number of men as paiks on rotation. Paiks were organised into Gots, where each contained four paiks.

The society was divided into clans or Khels, and the seven main clans of the kingdom were known as Satgharias.

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The Ahom Lifestyle and Culture

The Ahoms spoke the Tai language. They originally worshipped their Gods. They were admirers of art and literature. They translated many Sanskrit works into the local language and recorded the history of their times in chronicles known as buranjis.

They originally worshiped the tribal Gods. However, with the influence of Brahmans, Hinduism started becoming a predominant religion.

The people worked for the kingdom in various fields, including agriculture, irrigation and building dams. They did not practice shifting agriculture.

The Decline of Ahom Kingdom

The Ahom power reached its peak during the rule of King Rudra Singh (1696-1714). The Mughals and Ahoms fought a series of wars, and in the 17th century, the Mughals under Mir Jumla occupied Garghon, the Ahom capital. They paid tribute to the Mughal empire until they defeated the Mughals in another war. The Ahom kingdom was occupied by warriors from Myanmar in the late 18th century. It came under British rule in 1838.

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Features of the Ahom Tribe

• They did not possess their kingdom
• They created their states by suppressing the older political system of the landlords
• The administration was monarchical and aristocratic
• The administration followed a Paik system
• The economy was dependent on forced labour
• They did not maintain a regular army
• They improved the infrastructure
• Art and literature were encouraged

Conclusion

Though both the Gonds and Ahoms were large tribes, it is the displacement they faced in the mediaeval period due to the expansion of agriculture and the clearing of forests which exposed them to new cultures and the caste-based societal norms. The British invasion was also a reason for their displacement and dispersal. Their involvement has been vital to the events in history.