What are Tribes?
A tribe is a division in a society that comprises families with a common social, economic, religious connections, or blood relations, sharing a common culture and dialect. However, tribes and nomads bear certain features that make them unique cultural, social, and political entities.
In ancient times, India had a stringent caste system. People were divided as tribes, nomads, and settled communities who lived and flourished in their own communities. So, we understand that communities are categorized into tribes, nomads, and settled. Nomads were wanderers who preferred to stay in temporary sheds and move over long distances with their animals and live their life on milk and other pastoral products. Basically, they didn’t rely on their money for their living, instead, they exchanged wool, ghee with settled agriculturists for grain, cloth, utensils, and other products.
Here, we will learn more about Class 7 History Chapter 7: Tribes, nomads, and settled communities and gather all the information on tribes, nomads, and settled communities.
Tribal People Community
Tribal societies and tribal people are integral parts of the culture of a place. They were entirely different from those who existed in big cities. Also, tribal people never followed the social rules and rituals prescribed by the Brahmanas because they split societies into uncountable unequal classes. A unique bond of kinship among the members of each tribe was one of the great features of the tribe community.
The chief source of livelihood for these people was agriculture. However, among these communities, hunter-gatherers or herders were also there. Some tribes were nomadic who continued wandering from one place to another for their livelihood. While, other tribes preferred to live in forests, hills, deserts, and places difficult to reach.
Regions Covered By Tribal Societies
The most important occupation of the tribal community was agriculture. But there were also hunter-gatherers or herders. Most often they combined these activities to make complete use of the natural resources of the region in which they lived. Some tribes were nomadic moving from one location to another.
A tribal group managed the land and pastures and split these among households according to its own rules. Such groups of tribal people were found in nearly every place of the subcontinent. The Khokhar tribe was influential throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, in Punjab.
Much later, the Gakkars became more powerful. In Multan and Sind, the Langahs and Arghuns ruled a lot of the extensive regions. The Balochis were another huge and powerful tribe in the northwest. The Gaddi Shepherds resided in the western Himalayas. The Nahas Ahoms and plenty of others lived in the remote north-Japanese part of the subcontinent.
In various regions of current Bihar and Jharkhand, Chero Chiefdoms had emerged by the twelfth century. However, they were subdued by the Mughals. The Mundas and Santhals were different vital tribes that lived in these states and additionally in Orissa and Bengal. The Kolis, Berads, and several others lived in the highlands of Maharashtra highland, Karnataka, and Gujarat.
Further, there were huge tribal populations, such as Koragas, Vetars, Maravars, and plenty of others in the South. Across western and central India which is woodland and fertile land, the tribal group of Bhils was spreading. With their most important occupation being agriculture and hunting-gathering, their region had perfectly suited the geographical region in which they lived.
Around the late 16th century lots of tribal people had ended up settled agriculturists and a few even were Zamindars. Many Bhil clans nevertheless remained hunter-gatherers. The Gonds were discovered in a huge variety throughout the present-day states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.
List of Tribal Communities in India: State-wise List
Tribes, Nomads, And Settled Communities Summary
We have gathered all the information on tribes, nomads, and settled communities. Now, let us go through the features of tribes and nomads Communities we learned so far are:
People of this society never followed any of the social rules and rituals established by Brahmanas. However, they had their own rich oral traditions.
They had a great kinship among their people.
They never divided themselves into many unequal classes.
List of Major Nomadic Communities
The major pastoral nomadic communities are:
Bakarwal - Jammu & Kashmir
Bhutia - North district of Sikkim
Ghosi - Bihar, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh
Gujjar - Jammu, and Kashmir (J & K), Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan
Facts on Indian Communities
As per the Constitution of India, there are around 645 distinct tribes in India. The census of 2011 demonstrated that Bhil is the largest tribe in the country having a population of above 40 lakhs!
Some communities do not institute monolithic groups but incorporate various groups that often refer to themselves as jatis or quoms; these are as follows:
Gandhila is sometimes pronounced as Gandhil and Gondola (belonging to Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh).
Gadia Lohar also known as Gaduliya Lohars (belonging to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan).
Gavli - belonging to Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Gujarat
Monpa - Tibet dialect community - Tawang and West Kemeng districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
Conclusion
Thus, in this article, we have covered the tribals as well as nomads. These are said to be the original people of the land and said to live a simple life. They used to live near nature and forests. These have their own communities, lifestyle, religion, traditions and rituals, etc.
FAQs on Tribes, Nomads, and Settled Communities
1. What are tribes, nomads, and settled communities as described in Class 7 History?
In the context of Class 7 History, these terms describe different societal structures in medieval India. Tribal societies were groups united by kinship bonds, often living in remote areas like forests and hills, with unique customs and no rigid social divisions. Nomadic communities were people who moved from place to place with their livestock for livelihood, such as pastoralists. Settled communities were those that lived in one place, primarily practising agriculture and forming organised villages and towns with more complex social hierarchies.
2. What is the primary difference between the lifestyle of a nomadic group and a settled community?
The primary difference lies in their mobility and source of livelihood. Nomadic groups, like pastoralists, were constantly on the move to find new pastures for their animals, and their economy was based on animal products. In contrast, settled communities lived permanently in one location, relying on agriculture. This led to the development of permanent housing, land ownership concepts, and more complex social and political structures in villages and towns.
3. What were the defining characteristics of tribal societies in medieval India?
Tribal societies during the medieval period had several key characteristics:
- Kinship-Based: Society was organised around family and kinship ties, with loyalty to the clan being paramount.
- Egalitarian Structure: They generally lacked the sharp social divisions and caste hierarchies seen in mainstream society.
- Unique Culture: Each tribe preserved its own distinct culture, traditions, and oral histories, which were passed down through generations.
- Economic Activities: Their livelihoods were diverse and included hunting, gathering, herding, and a form of agriculture called shifting cultivation.
- Collective Ownership: Land and forests were often controlled collectively by the clan, not by individuals.
4. How did nomadic pastoralists, such as the Banjaras, contribute to the economy of medieval kingdoms?
The Banjaras were the most important group of trader-nomads and played a vital economic role. They acted as a crucial link between villages and towns by transporting goods over long distances. Their caravans, known as tanda, moved grain from agricultural areas to urban markets. They were so efficient that rulers like Alauddin Khalji and the Mughals used them to transport grain to supply their armies during military campaigns, thereby supporting both trade and state power.
5. What are some examples of major tribes and the regions they controlled, as mentioned in the NCERT syllabus?
The NCERT syllabus for Class 7 highlights several powerful tribes and their regions. For example:
- The Khokhar tribe was very influential in Punjab during the 13th and 14th centuries.
- The Gonds were a large tribe found across a vast forested region called Gondwana, which included parts of modern-day Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh.
- The Bhils were spread across western and central India.
- In the north-east, the Nagas and Ahoms were dominant tribes. The Ahoms established a powerful kingdom in present-day Assam.
6. How did the administration of the Gond kingdoms, like Garha Katanga, function?
The administration of large Gond kingdoms like Garha Katanga was highly organised and centralised. The kingdom was divided into units called garhs, each controlled by a particular Gond clan. Each garh was further subdivided into 84 villages, called a chaurasi. The chaurasi was then subdivided into smaller units called barhots, which were made up of 12 villages each. This systematic division allowed for efficient administration and revenue collection, showing a transition from a simple tribal society to a structured kingdom.
7. Why did the Ahom state create a system of forced labour known as 'paiks'?
The Ahom state's power was built upon a system of forced labour, where individuals called paiks were obligated to work for the state. This system was created because the Ahoms did not depend on a large population of settled farmers or trade taxes for their resources. Instead, they used the paiks to build dams, irrigation systems, and other public works, and also to serve in the army during wars. Every adult male in a village had to serve as a paik for a certain period, ensuring the state had a constant supply of labour for its military and infrastructure needs.
8. What were the major social changes that occurred within tribal societies as they became more connected with mainstream kingdoms?
As tribal societies grew and interacted more with mainstream kingdoms, significant social changes occurred. The emergence of large states, like those of the Gonds and Ahoms, led to the rise of a ruling class, such as the Gond rajas, who were socially unequal to their clansmen. To gain more legitimacy, these tribal chiefs often sought the status of Rajputs. This led to the introduction of Brahmanical influence and caste hierarchies within the previously egalitarian tribal structure, causing the gradual transformation of these societies.
