Impact of British Policies On Tribal Areas
- Legal changes introduced by colonial government: Establishment of forest department in 1864 and enactment of the Forests Act in 1865 severely curtailed customary rights of tribals and opened forests for commercial use. Jurisdiction of government over forest lands was extended with 20% of India’s land coming under forest administration by 1900.
- Outlawing of Jhum: Jhum or shifting cultivation, an essential practice of tribal agriculture, was banned or restricted in ‘reserved’ forests from 1867.
- Restrictions on use of forest produce: Rights to use timber and grazing were curbed and subsistence hunting was prohibited.
- Commercialisation of forest: Opening roads and commercial use of forest wood and other products encouraged penetration of moneylenders, traders, contractors & land-grabbers.
- Need for Oak and Timber for Royal Navy and railway sleepers made the British government take measures for conservation of forests, leading to marking of forest land as ‘reserved’.
- Trees preferred by commercial foresters (teak, pine and deodar) were of little use to rural population whereas the trees they replaced (such as Oak and Terminalia) were intensively used for fuel, fodder, leaf manure and small timber that also transformed the ecology of forest.
- Introduction of private property: Tribal areas usually have community ownership, where all members of community enjoyed benefits of the resource. However, British rule introduced the philosophy of private property in land and insistence on ‘written records’ to dispossess tribals of joint ownership of land.
- Interference in tribal cultural practices: Government ban on brewing of local liquor, an important source of nutrition and grant of leases to outsiders to brew palm liquor. Christian missionaries came to these regions and their efforts interfered with the traditional customs of the tribals.
- This massive disruption resulted in small acts of resistance, subversion and violent outbursts, which made forests ‘unquiet’. Religion provided a rallying ground for political acts, offering tribal peasants self-respect through a belief in a better future.
Weaknesses of these Uprisings
- Uprisings were centred around local grievances and thus their spread remained limited. They lacked pan-India characteristics.
- Several uprisings had common enemies and grievances but the notion of India as a country, i.e., a ‘nation’ was missing. They were often in favour of political autonomy within the Indian Union.
- In most cases, leadership was provided by local zamindars or Clan chiefs who had a backwards-looking outlook and they failed to provide an alternative to existing social set-up. – Ex Revolt of Raja of Vizianagaram , Ahom revolt etc.
- The war tactics and arms used by the rebellions were obsolete and were no match against the superior weaponry and tactics of British. Ex- Tribals used Bow, arrows and axes against much more advanced guns and swords of British.
- British were successful in pacifying a section of the population by providing concessions and taking conciliatory steps. Ex. Making of Santhal Parganas after Santhal rebellion.
