Tribals Dikus

NCERT Solution

Question 1: Fill in the blanks:

The British described the tribal people as ____________.

Answer Uncivilised
The method of sowing seeds in jhum cultivation is known as ____________.

Answer Broadcasting
The tribal chiefs got ____________ titles in central India under the British land settlements.

Answer land
Tribals went to work in the ____________ of Assam and the ____________ in Bihar.

Answer tea plantations, coal mines

Question 2: State whether true or false:

Jhum cultivators plough the land and sow seeds.
Cocoons were bought from the Santhals and sold by the traders at five times the purchase price.
Birsa urged his followers to purify themselves, give up drinking liquor and stop believing in witchcraft and sorcery.
The British wanted to preserve the tribal way of life.

Answer: (a) False, (b) True, (c) True, (d) False

Question 3: What problems did shifting cultivators face under British rule?

Answer: The shifting cultivators were forced to take up settled cultivation. But type of land and shortage of water meant they could not produce enough. Many of them had to move on to other areas in search of work when access to the forest was restricted.

Question 4: How did the powers of tribal chiefs change under colonial rule?

Answer: The functions and powers of the tribal chiefs changed considerably under the British rule. They lost much of their administrative power. They were forced to follow the laws made by the British. They had to pay tribute to the British. They were expected to discipline their people on behalf of the British government. However, they were allowed to keep their land titles over a cluster of villages and could rent out lands. Thus, the authority of the tribal chiefs significantly reduced under the colonial rule.

Question 5: What accounts for the anger of the tribals against the dikus?

Answer: Interaction with merchants and traders usually meant debt and poverty for the tribal. Hence, moneylenders and traders were seen as evil outsiders. They were seen as the cause of the misery of tribal people. The moneylenders and any other outsider were called the dikus.

Question 6: What was Birsa’s vision of a golden age? Why do you think such a vision appealed to the people of the region?

Answer: The tribal sirdars talked of a golden age. This was an age when the Mundas had been free from the oppression of dikus (enemies). They visualized of a time when the ancestral right of the community would be restored.

Everyone wants a freedom from oppression and most of the people want the pride of their community. The vision of a golden age was like a dream for the tribal people. Hence, this vision appealed to the people of the region.