Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age Class 8 Revision Notes CBSE History Chapter 4

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Last Updated on March 23, 2024 by XAM CONTENT

Here you will find revision notes for CBSE Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 4 Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age. It is a part of Revision Notes for CBSE Class 8 Social Science Series.

Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age Class 8 Revision Notes CBSE History Chapter 4 (PDF Download)

Notes

  • Tribes have their own customs and rituals different from those laid down by the Brahmans. Different tribes reside in different parts of India.
  • Some tribes practised jhum cultivation or shifting cultivation. This was jhum done on small patches of land and mostly in forests.
  • 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.
  • In many regions, tribal groups lived by hunting animals and gathering forest produce. The Khonds were such a community living in the forests of Odisha.
  • Many tribal groups lived by herding and rearing animals.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.
  • Even before the nineteenth century, many from within the tribal groups had begun settling down, and cultivating their fields in one place year after year, instead of moving from place to place.
  • British officials saw settled tribal groups like the Gonds and Santhals as more civilised than hunter-gatherers or shifting cultivators.
  • The British wanted groups to settle down and become peasant cultivators and also wanted a regular revenue source from the state. This led to the formulation of a new land settlement.
  • The British extended their authority over the forest areas as well and restricted the free movement of tribes in the ‘Reserved Forests’. They were not allowed to practise jhum cultivation, collect fruits, or hunt animals.
  • Many tribal groups reacted against the colonial forest laws and this led to many uprisings like the revolt of Songram Sangma in 1906 in Assam, and the forest satyagraha of the 1930s in the Central Provinces.
  • Meanwhile, the demand for Indian silk grew in the European market in the eighteenth century.
  • Poor silk growers were paid a meagre amount of three to four rupees for a thousand cocoons while middlemen made huge profits by selling them in Burdwan or Gaya five times the price.
  • The tribals led a life of misery and started looking for other jobs and started venturing outside their homes.
  • From the late nineteenth century, tea plantations started coming up and mining became an important industry.
  • Tribals were recruited in large numbers to work the tea plantations of Assam and the coal mines of Jharkhand.
  • Through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, tribal groups in different parts of the country rebelled against the changes in laws, the restrictions on their practices, the new taxes they had to pay, and the exploitation by traders and moneylenders.
  • Birsa Munda emerged as a leader and dreamt of a golden age where people would lead honest and simple lives in harmony with Mother Nature.
  • Birsa was deeply influenced by a prominent Vaishnav preacher he came in touch with in his growing-up years. Birsa’s movement was aimed at reforming tribal society.
  • Birsa wanted to drive out the dikus or outsiders – missionaries, moneylenders, Hindu landlords, and the government and set up a Munda Raj with Birsa at its head. The movement identified all these forces as the cause of the misery.
  • As the movement spread, the British officials arrested Birsa in 1895, convicted him on charges of rioting and jailed him for two years.
  • In 1900, Birsa died of cholera and the movement faded out. However, the movement was significant in introducing new laws in favour of the tribals and also recognised the fact that tribes also had the capacity to protest against injustice.

Important Keywords

  • Kinship: (noun): The state of being related to the people in your family. Origin: unknown.
  • Potash (noun): A form of potassium that is used to make the soil fertile. Origin: singular of pot ashes.
  • Pastoralists (noun): A sheep or cattle farmer. Origin: unknown.
  • Diku: Diku is the name given to a person who comes from outside.
  • Baigas: Baigas are tribal people who live in central India.
  • Cocoons (noun): A silky case spun by the larvae of the silk worm. Origin: French cocoon.
  • Akhara (noun): An Indian word for a place where local boys practise wrestling Origin: unknown.

Important Dates

  • 1855 : Santhals rose in revolt
  • 1910 : The Bastar Rebellion in central India broke out.
  • 1940 : The Warli Revolt in Maharashtra broke out.
  • 1895 : Birsa urged his followers to recover their glorious past.
  • 1900 : Birsa died of Cholera.

We hope the given revision notes for Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age Class 8 helps you in your learning.

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CBSE Class 8 Social Science Revision Notes for all chapters

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