Pastoralists in the Modern World Class 9 NCERT Solutions & Detailed Notes
🐐 Chapter Overview
Nomadic pastoralists are people who do not live in one place but move from one area to another to earn their living. This chapter tracks their movement in the mountains and plateaus of India, and the impact of colonial rule on their lives in India and Africa (specifically the Maasai community).
🔑 Key Communities & Terms
- Gujjar Bakarwals: Herders of goats and sheep in Jammu and Kashmir who move between summer and winter pastures.
- Gaddi Shepherds: A pastoral community from Himachal Pradesh.
- Bhabar: A dry forested area below the foothills of the Garhwal and Kumaun hills.
- Bugyal: Vast meadows in the high mountains.
- Criminal Tribes Act (1871): An act that classified many nomadic communities as 'criminal by nature'.
- Maasai: A famous pastoral community of East Africa.
📚 Part 1: NCERT Solutions (Exercise Questions)
Q1: Explain why nomadic tribes need to move from one place to another. What are the advantages to the environment of this continuous movement?
Ans:
1. Pasture Availability: They move because pastures get exhausted in one area due to continuous grazing.
2. Climatic Changes: In winter, high mountains are covered with snow, so they move to the low hills (Bhabar). In summer, they move back to the high meadows (Bugyals).
Environmental Advantages:
- It allows the vegetation in the exhausted area to regrow and recover.
- Their cattle help in manuring the soil, making it fertile for the next season.
Q2: Discuss why the colonial government in India brought in the following laws: (a) Waste Land Rules (b) Forest Acts (c) Criminal Tribes Act (d) Grazing Tax.
Ans:
(a) Waste Land Rules: To the British, uncultivated land was 'waste' as it produced no revenue. They wanted to turn it into agricultural land.
(b) Forest Acts: To protect timber for railways. It restricted pastoralists' entry into the forests.
(c) Criminal Tribes Act: To monitor and control nomadic people who were difficult to track and tax.
(d) Grazing Tax: To expand the government's revenue. Tax was levied on every head of cattle.
Q3: Give reasons to explain why the Maasai community lost their grazing lands.
Ans:
1. Colonial Partition: In 1885, Maasailand was cut in half by an international boundary between British Kenya and German Tanganyika.
2. Game Reserves: Large areas of grazing land were turned into Game Reserves like the Maasai Mara and Samburu National Park in Kenya.
3. Expansion of Cultivation: British encouraged local peasants to expand cultivation, turning pastures into fields.
⚡ Part 2: 15 Extra Practice Questions (CBT Style)
Q1: Where do the 'Dhangars' live?
Ans: An important pastoral community of Maharashtra.
Q2: Define 'Kafila'.
Ans: A group of households travelling together, common among the Gujjar Bakarwals.
Q3: Who are the 'Gollas'?
Ans: They live in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and are known for herding cattle.
Q4: What are the 'Raikas'?
Ans: Pastoralists of the Rajasthan deserts. During monsoons, they stay in their villages; in dry seasons, they move out.
Q5: What was the impact of the enclosure of grazing lands in Africa?
Ans: It led to the concentration of too many cattle in a small area, resulting in overgrazing and the death of many animals during droughts.
Q6: Name the two social groups of Maasai society.
Ans: 1. Elders (decided affairs) 2. Warriors (defended the community).
Q7: What is 'Guano'?
Ans: Dry dung used as manure, often traded by pastoralists.
Q8: Where are the 'Banjaras' found in India?
Ans: Across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
Q9: What was the Grazing Tax per animal?
Ans: Between the 1850s and 1880s, the right to collect grazing tax was auctioned to contractors.
Q10: Who are the 'Kurumas' and 'Kurubas'?
Ans: Pastoralists from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh who reared sheep and goats and sold woven blankets.
Q11: When was the Maasai Reserve created?
Ans: In 1885, after the partition of Africa.
Q12: What does the term 'Nomadic' mean?
Ans: People who do not live in one place but move from one area to another to earn their living.
Q13: Name the drought-resistant camel-rearing community of Rajasthan.
Ans: The Maru Raikas.
Q14: How did pastoralists adjust to the loss of grazing lands?
Ans: They reduced the number of cattle, changed their grazing routes, and some settled down as farmers or traders.
Q15: What is 'Maasai' derived from?
Ans: From the word 'Maa'. 'Maa-sai' means 'My People'.