Question

How did the powers of the tribal chiefs change under the colonial rule?

Answer 1

Hint:The British had defined the tribal people as wild or savage. The colonial rule had impacted the tribal chiefs negatively. The administrative, judicial as well as economic powers which they enjoyed before the arrival of the British were no longer in force.

Complete answer:
Under the rule of British, the functions along with the powers of the tribal chiefs had changed considerably. Somehow they had been authorized in order to keep their land titles over a cluster of villages as well as rent outlands, but they lost a number of their administrative power and were forced to follow laws which were made by the British officials in the country. They also had to pay tribute to the British, and discipline the tribal groups on behalf of the British. They lost the authority which they had before enjoyed among their people and were unable to fulfil their traditional functions also.
Forests were considered the abode as well as the provider of food for the tribals. Tribal communities had also suffered when the British had declared forests as state property. Forests were declared as reserved as well as protected. Problems had started at the time when the tribals were not allowed to practise shifting cultivation and to collect fruits, food and woods. The tribal chiefs had lost many of their administrative powers and also had to follow the rules which were formulated by the British.
They had been exploited by traders and moneylenders. Traders who were involved in the silk trade had sent their agents to Santhals who also reared cocoons. The Santhals were paid around Rs 3–4 for a thousand cocoons. These cocoons had been sold at much greater prices in Burdwan and Gaya. The middlemen also had gained huge profits from the trade.
Thus, tribals also started to see traders as their primary enemies. The tribals who had travelled to distant places away from their homes in search of work had suffered various hardships. They had been recruited at very low wages and were also prevented from returning to their homes.

Note:
The Tribal Development in India also had led to vital steps such as Provisions in the Constitution for the welfare of tribal people along with the Reservations in Parliament and State Assemblies.