Social Science SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS(3 Mark)

The societies that didn't follow the rules laid down by Brahmins were called Tribals or Adivasis. They were the original/indigenous people living in an area. Their life styles were passed on from generation to generation. Many ruiling Indian dynasties draw their origin from these tribal groups. One such example is 'Rajputs'. Sultans & Mughals also belonged to tribal communities of Central Asia. The tribals were mainly hunter gatherers or agriculturists. They settled in hills/ forests and other such difficult to reach places. Some tribals were Banjaras (Nomads) who moved from place to place.

1. The Ahoms formed the new kingdom by suppressing the older political system of Bhuiyans (landlords).
2. They captured the kingdom of Chhutiyas and of Koch-Hajo in the 16th century.
3. They themselves made high quality gunpowder and cannons and used them in the warfare.
4. Mughals, in 1662 under Mir Jumla, defeated the Ahoms.
5. The Ahom state depended on forced labour in the form of Paiks.
6. Census was done in the village. Each village had to send paiks on the basis of rotation.
7. All male adults had to serve the army in times of emergency.
8. The Ahom society was divided into khels or clans.
9. A khel controlled several villages.

Some of the main present-day nomadic pastoral groups of the subcontinent are:

1. Gujjars (J&K).
2. Gaddis (Himachal).
3. Bhiotiyas.
4. Monpas(north-east).
5. Raikas (Rajasthsn).
6. Banjaras (Central India).
7. Dhangars (Maharashtra).
8. Maldharis (Gujarat).

These Pastoralists keep sheep, buffaloes, camels, goats, cow, ox etc.

Suttan Aluaddin Khili used the Banjaras to transport grains to the city markets. Emperor Jahangir wrote in memories that the Banjaras carried grains on heir bullocks from different areas and sold it is towns. They transported food grains for the Mughal army during military campaigns.

The inscription from Tiruchirapalli describes the discussion on social status of rathakaras. The Brahmanas in a Sabha decided the occupations coming under the category of rathakaras.
It included architecture, building coaches/ chariots, gateways for temples, sacrificial platforms and making mandapas etc.

The features of tribal societies are:-

1. They did not follow the Brahamanical rules and rituals.
2. They were not divided into unequal classes.
3. The society united by kniship bonds.

Ahom society was divided into clans or Khels. There were very few castes of artisans, so artisans in the Ahom areas came from the nearby kingdoms. Kheloften controlled several villages. The peasant was given land by his village community. Even the king could not take it away without the community's consent. The Ahoms worshipped their own tribal gods. But during the first half of the 17 century Brahmanas achieved great influence which gave rise to Hinduism. In the reign of Sib Singh Hinduism became a predominant religion. However, the Ahom kings remained stick to their traditional beliefs to some extent even after adopting Hinduism. Ahom society was very sophisticated. Poets and scholars were given land grants. Theatre was encouraged.

Originally, the Ahoms worshipped their own tribal gods. But gradually they adopted the Vaishnava faith, then prevailing in the Brahmaputra valley. The kings granted land to the temples and Brahmanas. In the reign of Sib Singh (1714-1744), Hinduism became the predominant religion. But the Ahom kings did not completely give up their traditional beliefs after adopting Hinduism and kept a harmonious balance by also preserving their ancestral religion.

There are three types of Nomads:

1. Hunter Gatherers: Moving between hunting grounds.
2. Pastoral Nomads: Moving between pastures.
3. Peripatetic Nomads: Moving between Customers.

1. The pastoral nomads moved from one place to another with their herd of animals.
2. They survived on milk products and exchanged ghee, wool, etc. with the farmers for grains, cloth, utensils, etc.
3. They bought and sold these goods and then moved from one place to another transporting goods on their animals.
4. The Mughal emperor Jahangir wrote that the Banjaras used to collect grains from different areas and sell it in towns.

The Banjaras were Trader nomads of Rajasthan. They usually moved in caravan known as Tanda. A ‘Tanda’ contains 6 or 7 hundred persons. They carried their wives and children along with them. They bought and sold these goods as they moved from one place to another, transporting them on their animals.

The administrative of the Gond Kingdom was becoming centralised. The kingdom was divided into garsh. Each garh was controlled by a gond clan. This was further divided into units of 84 villages called charasi. The chaurasi was subdivided into barhots which were made up of 12 villages each.

Many tribes obtained their livelihood from agriculture. Others were hunter-gatherers or herders. Most often they combined these activities to make full use of the natural resources of the area in which they lived. Some tribes were nomadic and moved from one place to another. A tribal group controlled land and pastures jointly, and divided these amongst households according to its own rules.

Tribal people were found in almost every region of the subcontinent. Contemporary historians and travellers give little information about the tribes because the tribal people did not keep written records.
They preserved their customs and oral traditions which were passed on from generation to generation and these were used to write their histories.

The nature of the Gond society changed with the emergence of large states:

• It weakened the clan identity. There was a gradual division of Gond society into unequal social classes.
• Brahmanas became a dominant class in the society as they received land grants from the Gond rajas.
• The Gond rajas desired to be recognised as Rajputs. They began forming marital relation with the Rajputs.

1. Peter Mundy, an English trader of early 17th century, who came to India wrote that he met a tanda of Banjaras with 14,000 oxen.
2. They all carried wheat, rice and even can take their wives and children along with them.
3. They were merchants who used to buy grain from where it was cheaply available and sell it to places where it was not available and from there they bought things which could be sold profitably at other places.
4. Each tanda had 600-700 persons and travelled 6-7 miles a day.

Gonds were the tribal group of Central India. They lived in a vast forested region called Gondwana.Country inhabited by Gonds:

• They were agriculturists; some of them practised shifting agriculture.
• They were subdivided into smaller clans and each clan had its own Raja or Rai.
• Gond kingdoms were beginning to become powerful at the time of decline of Delhi Sultanate. Akbar Nama mentions the Garha Katanga tribe covering 70,000 villages.

Ahom created a state by suppressing the older political system of the bhuiyans (landlords). During the 16th century, they annexed the kingdoms of the chhutiyas in 1523 and of koch-Hazo in 1581. They also subjugated many other tribes. In this way, they built a large state.

The Banjaras were the most important trader nomads. Their caravan was called tanda. Sultan Alauddin Khalji used the Banjaras to transport grain to the city markets. Emperor Jahangir wrote in his memoirs that the Banjaras carried grain on their bullocks from different areas and sold it in towns. They transported food grain for the Mughal army during military campaigns. With a large army there could be 100,000 bullocks carrying grain.

Originally, the Ahoms worshipped their own tribal gods. During the first half of the seventeenth century, however, the influence of Brahmanas increased. Temples and Brahmanas were granted land by the king. In the reign of Sib Singh (1714-1744), Hinduism became the predominant religion. But the Ahom kings did not completely give up their traditional beliefs after adopting Hinduism.

Gond state of Garha Katana was a rich state. They trapped and exported wild elephants. They were defeated by the Mughals who took a large amount of their wealth and kingdom.
Chandra Shah, uncle of Bir Narain was given the remaining kingdom. Despite their defeat, Gond kingdom survived for some time. Gradually they became weak and lost to stronger Marathas and Bundelas.

The main characteristics of the tribal societies are as follows:

• Tribal societies are united by kinship bonds.
• There is no hierarchy among men and groups in tribal societies.
• Strong, complex, formal organisation are absent in tribal societies.
• Tribal societies have communitarian basis of land holding.

Nomads are the wandering people. Most of them were pastoralists who moved from one pasture to another with their flock and herds of animals.
Itinerant groups, such as craftspersons, pedlars and entertainers travelled from one place to another practising their different professions.

Yes. The Banjaras were the most important for the economy. They were the most important trader-nomads. Their caravan was called tanda.
Sultan Alauddin Khalji used the Banjaras to transport grain to the city markets.
Emperor Jahangir wrote in his memoirs that the Banjaras carried grain on their bullocks from different areas and sold it in towns.
They transported food grain for the Mughal army during military campaigns. With a large army there could be 100,000 bullocks carrying grain.

With the rise of Rajputs, many tribes became part of caste system with the help of Brahmanas. Only the leading tribes could join the ruling class. Majority of them joined lower jatis.
Many dominant tribes of Punjab, Sind and North-West Frontier adopted Islam and rejected the caste system. The unequal social order of orthodox Hinduism wasn't acceptable to them.

Changes in tribal societies after being organised into a state:

1. With the support of the Brahmanas, many tribes became part of the caste system.
2. Leading tribal families joined ruling classes and a large majority joined the lower jatis of caste society.
3. Many dominant tribes of Punjab, Sindh and the North-West Frontier had adopted Islam.
4. Some became politically powerful and conflicted with larger and more complex kingdoms and empires.

The administration became quite centralized by the first half of the 17th century. The Ahom state depended on forced labour. Each village had to send a certain number of paiks (people forced to work for the state) by rotation, based on the census taken. People were shifted from highly populated areas to less populated areas, thus breaking the clan. During war almost all adult males served in the army.

The following changes took place in uama-based society:

• Smaller castes or jatis emerged within vamas.
• On the other hand, many tribes and social groups were taken into caste-based society and given the status of jatis.
• Specialised artisans such as smiths, carpenters and masons were also recognised as separate jatis by the Brahmanas.
• Jatis rather than vama became the basis for organising society.
• Among the Kshatriyas, new Rajput clans became powerful.
• Many tribes became part of the caste system. But only the leading tribal families could join the ruling class. A large majority joined the lower jatis of caste society.
• Many dominant tribes of Punjab, Sind and the North-West Frontier had adopted Islam. They continued to reject the caste-system.