Selective Questions
Class-IX
History-(Pastoralists in the Modern World)
Answer the following questions:-
1.Write down the main features of the life of Gaddi shepherds of Himachal Pradesh.
Answer:
The main features of the life of Gaddi shepherds of Himachal Pradesh as given below :
In different areas of the mountains, the Gaddi shepherds of Himachal Pradesh had cycle of
seasonal movement. In winter, they moved downward and in summer, they moved upward
to the valley. Gaddi shepherds also spent their winter in the low hills of Siwalik range,
grazing their flocks in scrub forests. By April, they moved north and spent the summer in
Lahul and Spiti. When the snow melted and the high passes were clear, many of them
move on to higher mountain meadows.
By September, Gaddi shepherds bean their return movement. On the way, they stopped
once again in the villages of Lahul and Spiti, reaping their Kharif crop and sowing their Rabi
crop. Then,- they come down with their flock to their lower areas or plains on the Siwalik
hills.
Next April, with the coming of summer, Gaddi shepherds, once again, began their march
with their sheep and goats, to the summer meadows.
2.How did the Indian pastoralists cope with the changes that was brought about by the
British colonial officials ?
Answer:
Under colonial rule, the life of pastoralists changed dramatically. Their grazing grounds
shrank, their movements were regulated, and the revenue they had to pay increased.
Some reduced the number of cattle in their herds, since there was not enough pasture to
feed large numbers.
Others discovered new pastures when movement to old grazing grounds became difficult.
After 1947, the camel and sheep herding Raikas, for instance, could no longer move Into
Sindh and graze their camels on the banks of the Indus, as they had done earlier
In recent years they have been migrating to Haryana where sheep can graze on agricultural
fields after the harvests are cut. This is the time that the fields need manure that the
animals provide.
Over the years, some richer pastoralists began buying land and settling down, giving up
their nomadic life. Some became settled peasants cultivating land, others took to more
extensive trading.
Many poor pastoralists, on the other hand, borrowed money from moneylenders to survive.
At times they lost their cattle and sheep and became labourers, working on fields or in
small towns.
3.Name the pastoralists in India and mention where they lived?
Answer:
There were seven major pastoralist communities in India. They were
The Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir
The Gaddi shepherds of Himachal Pradesh
The Gujjar cattle herders of Garhwal and Kumaon
Dhangars of Maharashtra.
The Gollas, Kurumas and Kurubas of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
The Banjaras of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh & Maharashtra
The Raika of the Rajasthan desserts.
4.Name the two groups in the Raikas of the Rajasthan deserts.
Answer:
The Raikas of the Rajasthan desserts can be classified into two groups according to the
animals they reared. The Marus Raikas reared camels while the Raikas reared sheep and
goats.
5.Who was the 1st inspector general of forest in India?
Answer:
Dietrich Brandis.
6.What is the pattern of migration of Gujjar herders?
Answer: The Gujjar herders in winters came down to the dry, forests of the bhabar and in
summers they went up to the high meadows i.e., the bugyals.
7.Give any one change that occurred in Maasai society during colonial rule.
Answer: During colonial rule the traditional difference based on age between elders and
warriors was disturbed and a new distinction between wealthy and poor pastoralists
developed.
8.Give two factors for pastoral communities being nomadic.
Answer: Pastoral communities are nomadic because:
(i) It enables them to survive bad times and avoid crisis in difficult terrain.
(ii) Continuous movement is also because of exhaustion of pasture and there insurability.
9.What was the Grazing Act? Or why did the pastoralists hate the Grazing Act?
Answer: By the Grazing Act, the British levied tax on the pastoralists, on every animal they
took to pastures to graze. It was hated by the impoverished pastoral community for it’s was
contrary to their customary rights.
10.Give one reason why the British passed the Criminal Tribes Act?
Answer: The British considered traders, craftsmen and pastoralists to be criminal by
nature. The Criminal Tribes Act was passed so that they could identify and control these
communities.
11.What is the location of Bastar?
Answer: Bastar is located in the southernmost part of Chhattisgarh and borders Andhra
Pradesh, Orissa and Maharashtra.
12.When and where the Imperial Forest Research Institution was set up?
Answer:The Imperial Forest Research Institute was set up at Dehradun in 1906.
13.According to the Forest Act of 1878,forest were divided in how many types? Mention
those names.
Answer: The 1878 Act divided forests into three categories: reserved, protected and village
forests.
14.Define the term-Kafila and Bugyals
Answer:Gujjar Bakarwals were the herders of goats and sheep living in the region of Jammu
and Kashmir.Their herds moved out of this area between summer and winter. Several
households came together for northern march forming a Kafila.
Bugyals: Vast meadows in the high mountains.
15.Describe the social organisation of the Maasai tribe in the pre-colonial times. What
changes occurred in Maasai community during colonial period?
Answer: The Maasai society was divided into two social categories – elders and warriors.
The elders formed the ruling group and the warriors were responsible for the protection of
the tribe. They were assertive, aggressive and brave but were subject to the authority of the
elders. They proved their manliness by conducting raids and participating in wars. Raiding
was important in a society where cattle was wealth.
The Maasai lost about 60% of their pre-colonial lands. Pasture lands were turned into
cultivated fields and Maasai were confined to an arid zone with uncertain rainfall and poor
pastures. They could not move over vast areas in search of pastures. It affected both their
pastoral and trading activities as they were not only deprived of land but of all forms of
trade
