Give a brief account of the tribal people found in different parts of the subcontinent [V. Imp.]
Tribal people were found in almost every region of the sub-continent. In Punjab, the Khokhar tribe was influential during the 13th and 14th centuries. Later, the Gakkhars became more important. In Multan and Sind, the Langahs and Arghuns dominated extensive regions. The Balochis were another large and powerful tribe in the north-west. In the western Himalayas, the Gaddi Shepherds lived. The Nagas, Ahoms and many others lived in the distant north-eastern part of the subcontinent. In many areas of present-day Bihar and Jharkhand, Chero Chiefdoms had emerged by the 12th century. However, they were subdued by the Mughals. The Mundas and Santals were other important tribes that lived in these states and also in Orissa and Bengal. The Kolis, Berads and numerous others lived in the Maharashtra highlands, Karnataka and Gujarat. Further there were large tribal populations of Koragas, Vetars, Maravars and many others in South. The Bhils were spread across western and central India. By the late 16th century many of them had become settled agriculturists and some even zamindars. Many Bhil clans, nevertheless, remained hunter-gatherers. The Gonds were found in large numbers across the present-day states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
Fill in the blanks:
(a) The new castes emerging within vamas were called……………………
(b) ……… were historical works written by the Ahoms.
(c) The…….. mentions that Garha Katanga had 70,000 villages.
(d) As tribal stales became bigger and stronger they gave land grants to………….. ..
What kinds of exchanges took place between nomadic pastoralists and settled agriculturists?
Which tribe was very influential in Punjab during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries?
Find out about present-day government policies towards tribal populations and organise a discussion about these.
Match the following:
garh – khel
tanda – chaurasi
labourer – caravan
clan – Garha Katanga
Sib Singh – Ahom State
Durgawati – paik
State whether true or false:
(a) Tribal societies had rich oral traditions.
(b) There were no tribal communities in the north-western part of the subcontinent.
(c) The Chaurasi in Gond states contained several cities.
(d) The Bhils lived in the north-eastern part of the sub-continent.
Give a brief account of the tribal people found in different parts of the subcontinent [V. Imp.]
In what ways was the history of the Gonds different from that of the Ahoms? Were there any similarities?
Plot the location of the tribes mentioned in this chapter on a map. For any two, discuss whether their mode of livelihood was suited to the geography and the environment of the area where they lived.