NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science (History) Chapter 4 Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age

NCERT
SOLUTIONS
CLASS - 8TH

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Class : 8th
Subject : History
Chapter : 4
Chapter Name : Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age

Q1 Fill in the blanks:
(a) The British described the tribal people as ____________.
(b) The method of sowing seeds in jhum cultivation is known as ____________.
(c) The tribal chiefs got ____________ titles in central India under the British land
settlements.
(d) Tribals went to work in the ____________ of Assam and the ____________ in Bihar.

Answers. (a) The British described the tribal people as wild and savage.
(b) The method of sowing seeds in jhum cultivation is known as broadcasting or
scattering.
(c) The tribal chiefs got land titles in central India under the British land settlements.
(d)Tribals went to work in the tea plantations of Assam and the coal mines in Bihar.

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Q2 State whether true or false:
(a) Jhum cultivators plough the land and sow seeds.
(b) Cocoons were bought from the Santhals and sold by the traders at �ve times the
purchase price.
(c) Birsa urged his followers to purify themselves, give up drinking liquor and stop
believing in witchcraft and sorcery.
(d) The British wanted to preserve the tribal way of life.

Answers. (a) Jhum cultivators plough the land and sow seeds.
False
(b) Cocoons were bought from the Santhals and sold by the traders at �ve times
the purchase price.
True
(c) Birsa urged his followers to purify themselves, give up drinking liquor and stop
believing in witchcraft and sorcery.
True
(d) The British wanted to preserve the tribal way of life.
False

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Page : 50 , Block Name : Let’s Recall

Q3 What problems did shifting cultivators face under British rule?

Answer. For administrative and economic reasons, the British government tried settling
the jhum or shifting cultivators. However, settled plough cultivation did not prove to be
helpful to these jhum cultivators. They often suffered because their �elds did not
produce good yields. The new forest laws also affected the lives of the shifting
cultivators. Shifting or jhum cultivation is usually done on small patches of land. Under
the forest laws, the British extended their control over all forests and declared that
forests were state property. Thus, the jhum cultivators were prevented from practising
jhum cultivation freely. Many were forced to move to other areas in search of work and
livelihood.

Q4 How did the powers of tribal chiefs change under colonial rule?

Answers. Under colonial rule, the functions and powers of the tribal chiefs changed
considerably. Though they were allowed to keep their land titles over a cluster of villages
and rent out lands, the administrative, judicial and economic powers they enjoyed before
the arrival of the British were no longer in force. They were required to follow the British
laws, pay tribute to the British and discipline the tribal groups on behalf of the colonial
masters. As a result, they lost the authority they had earlier enjoyed among their people,
and were unable to ful�l their traditional functions.

Q5 What accounts for the anger of the tribals against the dikus?

Answers. The word "dikus" means outsiders. Dikus were the people who made the tribal
people dependent upon them, thereby causing them a lot of misery and suffering. These
outsiders were composed of traders and moneylenders who would come into the forests
to sell the goods not produced within the forest, buy forest produce and offer cash loans.
Often these loans came at the price of very high rates of interest. These loans ultimately
forced the tribals into a vicious cycle of debt and poverty. The traders would buy goods
from the tribals at very low rates and sell the same products at high prices, thereby
making huge pro�ts. For these reasons, the tribals considered the trader and the
moneylender �gures to be their main enemies; hence, they referred to them as the evil
outsiders. The colonial government too was looked upon as an external evil force that
sought to destroy their livelihoods and their familiar ways of life. The British alienated

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the tribals by forcing shifting cultivators to practise settled cultivation; implementing
forest laws to prevent their access to the forest land and the forest produce; demeaning
the power and authority of tribal chiefs, and demanding tributes. As a result, there was
considerable anger towards the British as well.

Q6 What was Birsa’s vision of a golden age? Why do you think such a vision appealed to
the people of the region?

Answer. Birsa talked about a golden age, a satyug, an age of truth in which, like in the
past, the tribal people would live a good life, construct embankments, tap natural
springs, plant trees and orchards and practise cultivation to earn their living. He talked
of an age in which the tribals would not kill one another and would live an honest life.
His golden age consisted of a reformed tribal society in which there was no place for
vices like liquor, uncleanliness, witchcraft and sorcery, and outside forces like the
missionaries, Hindu landlords, moneylenders, traders and the Europeans.
This vision was appealing to the tribal people as all the vices and outside forces that
Birsa talked about were indeed thought of by everyone as the root causes of their misery
and suffering.

Q7 Find out from your parents, friends or teachers, the names of some heroes of other
tribal revolts in the twentieth century. Write their story in your own words.

Answers. Jatra Oraon:( i) He was a tribal freedom �ghter from the Chotanagpur region is
the present day state of Jharkhand. During his leadership Oraon movement against the
British colonial rule during 1914-19.
(ii) He fought for Oraon Raj. He criticised liquor drinking and superstitious practices
among Oraons. His religious movement gave way to a "no-rent payment" campaign. Jatra
declared that his followers should stop ploughing the �eld of landlords and not work
anymore as coolies or labourers for non-Oraons or for the government.
(iii) He also questioned the traditional leadership of the pahans and mahtos the village
headmen. The basic idea behind this movement was that land was a gift of God and that
no one had the right to interfere with the tribals right over land.
(iv) Jatra, along with his leading disciples was arrested in 1814. After his release, he
abandoned the leadership of the movement. Later he came in contact with Gandhi and
joined the Non-Cooperation Movement against the British.

Rani Gaidinliu : (i) Rani Gaidinliu was born in the present day state of Manipur. At the

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age of 13, she joined in the Indian freedom struggle with Hasipau Jodonang. Jodonang
was the political and spiritual leader of Naga.
(ii) Jodonang started a movement to drive away the British from Manipur. He was
captured and hanged by the British.
(iii) After the death of her Guru, Gaidinliu assumed leadership of the movement. The
British tried to suppress the movement. Rani went underground. But, very soon she was
arrested in 1932. She was sent to jail.
(iv) Gaidinliu was released after India gained its independence. She was honoured with
Tamrapatra and Padma Bhushan awards, Jawaharlal Nehru called her 'Rani' of the Nagas.
She passed away on February 17,1993.

Q8 Choose any tribal group living in India today. Find out about their customs and way
of life, and how their lives have changed in the last 50 years.

Answers. Gaddis: Gaddis are a pastoral tribe of Himachal Pradesh. They are shepherds by
occupation. Gaddi women are very hardworking. They cut grasses and carry them to
distant places and even climb mountains. to their home. Gaddi have their own
traditional dance form. In this form, a couple dances for a while and is later replaced by
another couple. The onlookers sing and clap to encourage the dancers. Due to the
conversion of pasture lands into grazing lands and tax on pastures and animals, they
suffered a lot during the British rule. Their conditions did not become good till
independence. However, after the independence, Gaddis were restored with their pasture
lands and grazing tax was abolished. The Government has begun various welfare
schemes. They have also been provided reservation.

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