make a project on the topic 'tribals,dikus and the vision of a golden age' using the following guide points:- a)tribal occupation b)tribal life under british rule c)tribal revolts d)role of birsa munda e)tribal group map paste pictures relevant to the topic.
Answers
Answer:
How do you think India was when life started here? Do you think there were these sprawling buildings or fancy cars? No! There was not this life that we see today! The people were mostly tribals and the life was much simpler. In this chapter, we will learn about the Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age that shaped our country to its present form.
Explanation:
Life of the People in Ancient India
The tribes had many customs and rituals. These were very different from those of Brahmanas. But how did the tribal groups live? By the 19th century, tribal people in different parts of India undertook a variety of activities. We will now look at some of the most famous activities of the ancient people in India.
Jhum Cultivation
Jhum cultivation is basically shifting cultivation. It was done on small patches of land, mostly in forests. The cultivators cut the treetops to allow sunlight to reach the ground. They burnt the vegetation on the land to clear it for cultivation. Once the crop was ready and harvested, they moved to another field and left that field fallow for several years.

Hunting and Gathering
In many regions, tribal groups lived by hunting animals and gathering forest produce. They used many forest shrubs and herbs for medicinal purpose. They sold forest produce in the local markets. The Baigas of Central India refused to work for others. Tribal groups had to indulge in buy and sell activities to get the goods that were not produced within the locality. This made them dependent on traders and moneylenders.
Animal Herding
Many tribal groups resorted to herding and rearing animals. They also gathered forest produce. They were pastoralists who moved with their herds of cattle or sheep according to the seasons. The Van Gujjars of Punjab hills and Labadis of Andhra Pradesh were cattle herders. The Gaddis of Kulu were shepherds and the Bakarwals of Kashmir reared goats.
Settled Cultivation
Many tribal groups had begun to settle down instead of moving from one place to another. They began to use the plough and gradually got rights over the land they lived on. British officials saw settled tribal groups like the Gonds and Santhals as more civilized than hunter-gatherers or shifting cultivators.
Life of the People in Ancient India
Answer:
In 1895, a man named Birsa was seen roaming the forest
and villages of Chottanagpur in Jharkhand. People said he
had miraculous powers – he could cure all diseases and
multiply grain. Birsa himself declared that God had
appointed him to save his people from trouble, free the
from the slavery of dikus (outsiders). Soon thousands began
following Birsa, believing that he was bhagwan (God) and
had come to solve all their problems.
Birsa was born in a family of Mundas – a tribal group that
lived in Chottanagpur. But his followers included other
tribals of the region – Santhals and Oraons. All of them in
different ways were unhappy with the changes they
were experiencing and the problems they were facing under
British rule. Their familiar ways of life
seemed to be disappearing, their livelihoods
were under threat, and their religion appeared
to be in danger.
What problems did Birsa set out to
resolve? Who were the outsiders being
referred to as dikus, and how did they enslave
the people of the region? What was happening
to the tribal people under the British? How
did their lives change? These are some of the
questions you will read about in this chapter.
You have read about tribal societies last
year. Most tribes had customs and rituals
that were very different from those laid
down by Brahmans. These societies also
did not have the sharp social divisions that
were characteristic of caste societies. All
those who belonged to the same tribe thought
of themselves as sharing common ties
of kinship. However, this did not mean
that there were no social and economic
differences within tribes.
Fig. 1 – Women of the
Dongria Kandha tribe in
Orissa wade through
the river on the way to
the market
Explanation: