Tribal Movement in India- Complete Notes for UPSC

Tribal Movement in India

From the beginning, tribal people had lived in rural India in varying economic conditions and relative seclusion. They kept their distinct identity despite their interactions with non-tribal people. Each tribal community continued to have its own political and economic structures, as well as its own socio-religious and cultural life. Land and forests were the tribal peoples’ primary sources of production and subsistence. They were unknown to the landlordism.

The British policies disturbed their traditional systems; thus, they rebelled against them or any outsiders who infringed upon their rights.

Salient Features of the Tribal Movements 

1. Categorisation of enemies: They identified their enemies as outsiders (dikus), such as landlords, moneylenders, missionaries, and European government officials. But not all ‘outsiders’ were seen as enemies, such as the poor who lived by their manual labour or profession.
2. Social and religious: Although these movements had a social and religious overtone, they were directed against the issues related to their existence.
3. Rise of Local Leaders: These movements were led by tribal chiefs, who were generally messiah-like figures.
4. Use of traditional weapons: The tribals fought against their enemies with traditional weapons, i.e., bows, arrows, lathis, axe, etc.
5. Violent in nature: Their movement often turned violent, resulting in the killing of oppressors and the burning of their houses.

The tribal uprisings can be studied under two heads: northeast tribal revolts and other tribal uprisings.

Causes of Tribal Movements:

These tribal rebellions were sparked off by several factors, which are –

• Ownership tradition: The land settlements of the British disrupted the joint ownership tradition among the tribals and disturbed their social fabric.
• The Company government expanded agriculture in a settled form, which resulted in tribal people losing their land and an influx of non-tribal outsiders (Dikus) into these areas.
• Ban on shifting cultivation: Shifting cultivation in forests was banned, which added to the tribals’ problems.
• The emergence of reserved forests:  By establishing reserved forests and imposing restrictions on the use of timber and grazing, the government increased its authority over the forested regions.
• This resulted from the increasing demand from the company for timber— for shipping and the railways.
• Exploitation by the outsiders: Exploitation by the police, traders, and moneylenders (most of them outsiders) aggravated the tribals’ sufferings.
• Hindrance in traditional practices: Some general laws were hated for their intrusive nature, as the tribals had their customs and traditions.
• Role of Christian missionaries: With the expansion of colonialism, Christian missionaries came to these regions and started interfering with the conventional customs of the tribals. As a result, the missionaries, perceived as representatives of the alien rule, were resented by the tribals.

In addition, northeast tribal uprisings have the following specific elements and reasons which set them apart from the other tribal uprisings:

• Socio-cultural links: The north-eastern tribes shared socio-cultural ties with countries across the border. However, they were not completely integrated with British rule’s political and economic system. Their movements didn’t concern with the nationalist struggle.
• Type of Polity: They aimed at political autonomy within the Indian Union or complete independence.
• Nature of Revolt: Their movements were not forest-based or agrarian revolts, as these tribals generally controlled vast areas of land and forest. Moreover, they were the majority in the region and were relatively economically and socially secure.
• The movements in the northeast tended to be revolutionary or revivalist rather than tending to Sanskritisationas other tribal movements generally were. Sanskritisation movements were utterly absent in them. For example, the Meiteis started a campaign during Churchand Maharaja’s rule (1891-1941) to denounce the malpractices of the neo-Vaishnavite Brahmins.

North-East Tribal Movements

Revolts	Features
Khasi Uprising (1830s)	British got control over the Brahmaputra Valley after the first Anglo–Burmese War (1824 to 1826) They wanted to construct a road linking the Brahmaputra Valley with Sylhet. Due to this, there was an influx of many outsiders in the area, including Englishmen, Bengalis, and labourers. The British didn’t pay any attention to the order of evacuation by the Khasi chief U Tirot Sing. He led Khasis, Garos, Khamptis, and the Singphos to drive away the strangers. But by 1833, the revolt was suppressed by the British.
Singphos Rebellion (1825-1849)	The Singphos of Assam continuously attacked the British establishment in Assam. In 1825, they attacked and set fire to the British magazine at Sadiya in Assam. In 1828, a Singphos Chief attacked Sadiya with 3000 tribal warriors. A rebellion in 1839 saw the death of the British political agent. In 1843, Singphos Chief Nirang Phidu led a rebellion involving an attack on the British garrison and the death of many soldiers. In 1849, Kadma Singpho attacked British villages in Assam but was captured.
Some Minor tribal revolts	Revolts of Mishmis in 1836 The rebellion of the Khampti in Assam between 1839 and 1842; and the Lushais’ revolt in 1842 and 1844.

Mainland Tribal movements of India:

The revolt by Raja Jagganath (Pahariyas revolt of 1778)

Background 

• • Pahariyas are the tribals who live around the Rajmahal Hills in in the north-eastern Chhota Nagpur Plateau.
  • They lived on food produce and practised shifting cultivation.
  • They were hostile to outsiders but regularly raided the agriculturalists in the plains in the year of scarcity.
  • Zamindars in the plains regularly paid tribute to the Pahariyas’ chief to buy peace.
  • But during the last decade of the 18^th century, the British policy of forest clearance for new agricultural land disrupted the peace between the Pahariyas and the settled cultivators.
  • Extensive agriculture led to a scarcity of forest and pastureland for the Pahariyas.
  • There were more frequent raids during the famine of the 1770s.
  • The British resorted to brutal hinting and killing the Pahariyas.

The Revolt

• • In 1778, the Pahariyas rebelled under the leadership of Raja Jagganath.

The end 

• • In the 1780s, the British initiated a policy of appeasement.
  • Pahariyas chiefs were given an annual allowance to ensure that their men conducted themselves appropriately.
  • But few Pahariyas continued to rebel against the outsiders or

Jungle Mahal Revolt or the Chuar Uprising (1766- 1809)