CBSE Class 9 History Chapter 5 Notes - Pastoralists in the Modern World

Pastoralist Nomads And Their Movements

In The Mountains

The movement of the nomads started in the early nineteenth century when the Gujjar Bakarwals the nomad people of Jammu and Kashmir moved to the mountains in search of pastures. They moved to the lower hills of the Siwalik Range during the winters. For summers they moved to the northern part, and by the end of September, they were again back to their winter base. This movement of the  Gujjars is termed as Kafila. 

On The Plains, Plateaus, and Deserts

The Pastoral Nomads were also found in places such as plains, plateaus, and deserts of India. There were many pastoral communities in India. The main Pastoralists of Maharashtra were the Dhangars. The Dhangars were mainly shepherds, blanket weavers, and buffalo herders. The Dhangars moved to the central plateau of Maharashtra during the monsoon season. They harvested Bajra and moved to the west by the end of October.  

There was another community of nomadic people or pastoralists who lived in the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. They were called the Gollas. They were generally cattle and sheep grazier. The people of the community reared sheep and goats and sold woven blankets. They used to move to the coastal tracks during the dry season, and when rains came, they left the coastal tracks.

There was another famous community of graziers who were found in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. They were called by the name ‘Banjara’.  

The grazing community or pastoralists of Rajasthan was called as the Raikas. The Raikas pastoralists were living in the deserts of Rajasthan. They lived in their villages in monsoon but moved in search of food, water, and pastoral lands during the dry seasons.

The Life of Pastoralists was difficult and full of hardships. They had to move from place to place in search of pastures for their cattle. They had to calculate the timings for their movement and had to see that they could move through various places. The pastoralists maintained a good relationship with the farmers of different places. This relationship allowed the cattle of the pastoralists to graze in the harvested fields. 

Colonial Rule and Its Effects on Pastoral Movement

When the Colonial rule started in India, it changed the lives of the pastoralists, and they had to face many more difficulties. A large part of their grazing grounds was taken away by the colonial government. They had to pay heavy land revenue even though their agricultural stocks decreased at a high rate. 

How Colonial Rule Affected Lives of Pastoralists

• Their Grazing grounds were taken away and were converted into cultivated lands to generate revenue.

• The forest acts which were passed by the colonial government made it difficult for the pastoralists to enter forests.

• After the implementation of the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871, most of the pastoralist community were treated as criminals by Nature and birth.

• The tax on various items such as land, canal water, cattle, and grazing land was introduced in the mid-nineteenth century, which made the life of pastoral or nomadic people more difficult.

Pastoralists in The Modern World Class 9 Notes

Chapter 5 of Class 9 discusses the Pastoralists in the Modern World. This chapter is all about the Pastoralist Nomad People. Nomad refers to people who do not stay in one place. Instead, they keep on moving from one place to another in search of food and shelter. The Class 9 History Chapter 5 Notes by Vedantu explain in detail about these people and how pastoralism has affected lives in places like Africa and India. The pastoralists in the modern world notes provide in-depth knowledge of the chapter and help the students to understand each topic of the chapter with ease. In the Pastoralists in the Modern World Notes, we have provided various questions and answers for the betterment of the students. Here in this article, we have given a short summary of Pastoralism in India. 

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