3. What problems did shifting cultivators face
under British rule?
4. How did the powers of tribal chiefs change under
colonial rule?
5. What accounts for the anger of the tribals against
the dikus?
6. What was Birsa's vision of a golden age? Why do
you think such a vision appealed to the people of
the region?
Answers
Answer:
The answer is given below.
Explanation:
3. 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.
4. 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rent out lands, the administrative, judicial and economic powers they enjoyed before the arrival of the British were no longer in force.
5. The forest law, introduced by the Britishers was the main reason of the anger of the tribals. The tribals wanted to drive out the dikus – missionaries, moneylenders, Hindu landlords and the government because they saw them as the cause of their misery. So, they disobeyed these new forest laws/rules, and continued with the practices that were declared illegal and at time rose in open rebellion.
Following facts accounts for their anger towards the dikus:
● The land practices of the British were destroying their traditional way of cultivating crops.
● Land lords and moneylenders were taking over their lands.
● Missionaries were criticizing their traditional culture.
6. They lived honestly. Birsa wanted to restore this glorious past. Such a vision appealed to the people of the region because they were very much eager to lead a free life. They had got fed up with the colonial forest laws and the restrictions that were imposed on them.