Q.8. compare the lives of african pastoralists with pastoralists in india during the colonial period.
Answers
The lives of African pastoralists with pastoralists in India during the colonial period -(I) The
African pastoralists as well as the Indians reared cattles like camels, goats, sheep and donkeys. Over the years they settled as peasants giving up nomadic life.
(II) Due to colonial rule the life of pastoralists got confined to the areas of grazing.
(III) Acts were passed and fines levied if any pastoralist entered into the forest without any permission.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INDIAN AND AFRICAN PASTORALISTS
S.No., INDIAN PASTORALISTS AFRICAN PASTORALISTS
1 **Indian pastoralists reared animals like goat, sheep in Himalayan and Kashmir mountain ranges. **Most of the pastoralists in Africa lived in the semi-arid grasslands or arid deserts.
2 **During summer, they move to snow melted mountain sides where there were fresh grasses and nutritious forage, available for the animal herds. Also in winter, the herds were grazed in the low hills. **Before colonial times, their herds were grazed over a vast area from North Kenya to the steppes of Northern Tanzania.
3 **Pastoralists were also found in plateaus, plains and deserts of India where most of them were shepherds; some were blanket weavers and were buffalo herders. **One of the communities called Maasai raise cattle, camels, goats, sheep and donkeys; and they sell milk, meat, animal skin and wool.
4 **In plateaus and plains, when the grazing grounds were dry and exhausted, they moved out to other directions in search of pasture and water for their cattle. **Some people earn through trade and transport; others combine pastoral activity with agriculture and some do odd jobs. Pastoral is not their only activity.
5 **The colonial state, in the nineteenth century, wanted to transform all grazing lands into cultivated farms; so that they could earn revenue and could produce more of jute, cotton, wheat that were required in England. **In the late nineteenth century, European Imperial powers split the region of Maasailand into different colonies. Subsequently, the best grazing land was gradually taken over for white settlement and the Maasai were pushed into a small area in south Kenya and north Tanzania.
6 **Various waste land rules, forest acts were enacted and hence the pastoralists were not allowed to access the forests. Severe restrictions were imposed though, for some customary grazing rights. **From the late nineteenth century, the British colonial government in East Africa encouraged local peasants to expand cultivation. Thus the pasturelands started disappearing slowly.
7 **British officials distrusted the mobile craftsmen, traders and nomads who often changed their residence and then passed the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871. They were stated to be criminal by nature and not allowed to move out without a permit. **In addition to that, large areas of grazing land were also turned into national parks and reserves. As a result, fodder was always in short supply. Feeding the cattle became a persistent problem.
8 **The colonial government, to expand its revenue imposed tax on land, canal water, salt and even on number of animals that grazed on the pasture. **Here also, the colonial government imposed restrictions on mobility and trespassers were punished severely. The new territorial boundary restrictions adversely affected both their pastoral and trading activities.
9 **This resulted in tremendous shortage of pastures. Since pastoral movement was restricted severely, there was no time for the natural restoration of vegetation growth. Hence cattle died in large numbers. **A large number of Maasai cattle died of starvation and disease in the years of drought.
10 **At last, pastoralists reduced the number of cattle in their herds. Some rich pastoralists began buying land and settling down, giving up their nomadic life. Poor pastoralists borrowed money to survive and others became labourers, working on fields and small towns. **Maasai society was divided into two categories called elders and warriors. But the chiefs appointed by the colonial government often accumulated wealth over time and thus the traditional authority of both the elders and warriors was adversely affected.