NCERT Book Class 7 Social Science (History) Chapter 5 Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities

5 Tribes, Nomads and
Settled Communities

Y ou saw in Chapters 2, 3 and 4 how kingdoms
rose and fell. Even as this was happening, new arts,
crafts and production activities flourished in towns
and villages. Over the centuries important political, Fig. 1
social and economic developments had taken place. Tribal dance,
But social change was not the same everywhere, Santal painted scroll.
because different kinds of societies evolved
differently. It is important to understand
how and why this happened.
In large parts of the subcontinent, society
was already divided according to the rules
of varna. These rules, as prescribed by the
Brahmanas, were accepted by the rulers
of large kingdoms. The difference between
the high and low, and between the rich and
poor, increased. Under the Delhi Sultans
and the Mughals, this hierarchy between
social classes grew further.

Beyond Big Cities: Tribal
Societies
There were, however, other kinds of
societies as well. Many societies in the
subcontinent did not follow the social rules
and rituals prescribed by the Brahmanas.
Nor were they divided into numerous
unequal classes. Such societies are often
called tribes.

tribes, nomads and
49 settled communities

Unit 5 to 7.indd 49 8/25/2022 12:23:00 PM