Class 9 History Chapter 5: Pastoralists in the Modern World

Pastoral Nomads in the Mountains

Q: Who are the Gujjar Bakarwals?
- A: They are a well-known pastoral nomadic community of Jammu and Kashmir who rear sheep and goats.
Q: What is a 'bugyal'?
- A: A bugyal is a vast, natural meadow in the high mountains where pastoralists graze their flocks during the summer months.
Q: Which prominent pastoral community belongs to Himachal Pradesh?
- A: The Gaddi shepherds, who also spend their winters in the low hills of the Siwaliks and summers in Lahul and Spiti.
Q: What is the 'Bhabar'?
- A: A dry forested area below the foothills of Garhwal and Kumaun where pastoralists bring their herds during the winter.

Q: Who are the Dhangars?
- A: An important pastoral community of Maharashtra known primarily as shepherds, blanket weavers, and buffalo herders.
Q: Which pastoral groups live in the dry central plateau of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh?
- A: The Gollas (who herded cattle) and the Kurumas and Kurubas (who reared sheep and goats and sold woven blankets).
Q: Who are the Banjaras?
- A: They are a well-known group of graziers and traders found in villages of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
Q: Who are the Raikas and where are they found?
- A: A pastoral community of the deserts of Rajasthan, divided into the Maru Raikas (camel herders) and others who rear sheep and goats.

Q: What was the main purpose of the 'Waste Land Rules' enacted by colonial officials?
- A: To transform uncultivated grazing lands into cultivated farms to increase land revenue and produce commercial crops like jute, cotton, and wheat.
Q: How did the colonial Forest Acts affect pastoralists?
- A: They were completely banned from entering 'Reserved' forests, and their movements were heavily restricted and timed in 'Protected' forests.
Q: What was the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871?
- A: A harsh colonial law that classified many communities of craftsmen, traders, and pastoralists as criminal by nature and birth, forcing them to live only in notified village settlements.
Q: What new financial burden was imposed on pastoralists by the mid-19th century in India?
- A: A Grazing Tax, meaning pastoralists had to pay a tax to the colonial government for every single animal they grazed on the pastures.

Q: Where do the Maasai cattle herders primarily live?
- A: In East Africa, mainly in the dry countries of Kenya and Tanzania.
Q: What catastrophic event drastically reduced Maasai grazing lands in 1885?
- A: An international boundary was drawn between British Kenya and German Tanganyika, cutting traditional Maasailand in half.
Q: Name a famous East African grazing ground that was converted into a game reserve, hurting the pastoralists.
- A: The Maasai Mara and Samburu National Park in Kenya, or the Serengeti Park in Tanzania.
Q: How was traditional Maasai society divided before colonial times?
- A: It was divided into two social categories: Elders (who ruled and settled disputes) and Warriors (younger men who defended the community and organized cattle raids).
Q: Who were the chiefs appointed by the British to administer the Maasai?
- A: The British appointed chiefs of different sub-groups of Maasai to manage their affairs, which eventually created a new wealthy class of pastoralists who often settled in towns and traded, unlike the poorer nomads.

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