Class 8 History Chapter 4 Tribals Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age Notes

KSEEB Solutions for Class 8 History Chapter 4 Tribals, Dikus And The Vision Of A Golden Age PDF Questions

Question 1. Fill in the blanks:-

(a)The British described the tribal people as_____
(b)The method of sowing seeds in jhum cultivation is known as_____
(c)The tribal chiefs got_____titles in central India under the British land settlements.
(d)Tribals went to work in the_____ of Assam and the______ in Bihar.

Answer:-

(a) wild and savage
(b) broadcasting the seeds
(c) land
(d) tea plantation, coal mines

Question 2. State whether true or false:

(a) Jhum cultivators plough the land and sow seeds.
(b) Cocoons were bought from the Santhals and sold by traders at five times the purchase price.
(c) Birsa urged his followers to purify themselves, give up drinking liquor and stop believing in witchcraft and sorcery.
(d) The British wanted to preserve the tribal way of life.

Answer. (a) True (b) True (c) True (d) False

Question 3. What problems did shifting cultivators face under British rule?

Answer. The British were not comfortable with shifting cultivators as they wanted them to settle down and become peasant cultivators. It was so because the settled peasants were easier to administer and would become a regular source of revenue for the state. So, they were declared as landowners and some became tenants. But, settled plougn cultivation is not easy in those areas where water is in scarcity. Jnum cultivators had to suffer a lot while opting for plough cultivation because their fields were not fertile. Therefore, the/hum cuftivatorsof north-east asserted on continuing shifting practices. When protests started to spread, the British finally allowed them to carry on shifting cultivation.

Question 4. How did the powers of tribal chiefs change under colonial rule?

Answer. Tribal chiefs had certain economic and administrative powers before the arrival of the British. Some tribal chiefs had their own laws and police to maintain such laws. But, the powers of tribal chiefs changed under the colonial rule. Although they were permitted to keep land titles over a group of villages and were free to give their lands on rent, they lost most of their administrative powers and were pushed to comply with laws made by the British in India- The tribal chiefs also had to pay testimonials to the British and they had to control the tribal groups on behalf of the British. They lost their control over the people and their traditional functions.

KSEEB Solutions for Class 8 History Chapter 4 Tribals Dikus and the Vision Of A Golden Age

Question 5. What accounts for the anger of the tribals against the dikus?

Answer:-

Tribal life is predominantly based upon forests. The British extended their administration and declared the forests as state property. Tribals were restricted to move freely in these forests and use forest products. Therefore, many tribal people had to move out of the forests in search of livelihood.
The colonial officials decided that/hum cultivators would be given small patches of land in the forests and would be allowed to cultivate if they provided labour to the Forest Department In this way, the colonial officials got regular supply of cheap labour. Many tribal groups were angry with this and they disobeyed the new rules, carried on their practices and at times, rose in open rebellion against the dkus.

Question 6 What was Birsa’s vision of a golden age? Why do you think such a vision appealed to the people of the region?

Answer

Birsa always talked about the golden age in the past i.e., the satyug. His vision of the golden age was when the Mundas will live a good life. He thought about an age in which they would not kill their brethren and relatives, and live honestly. This vision of Birsa.
appealed to the people of the region because they wanted to settle down in life. They also wanted that they should have a good life, they should not kill their brothers and relatives and they should live with honesty. When anyone shows them dreams of golden age to the people, then it is bound to appeal to the people of the region.
Hence, he became the leader of the Murda people of that region.

Class 8 History KSEEB Tribals, Dikus Notes

Tribals Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age Text Question

Question 1. Look carefully at the tasks that Baiga men and women did. Do you see any pattern? What were the differences in the types of work that they were expected to perform?

Answer. The Baiga women used to collect fruits and roots. However, the Baiga men used to go for hunting and practised agriculture in the fields.

Question 2. Find out whether the conditions of work in the mines have changed now. Check how many people die in mines every year, and what are the reasons for their death.

Answer. The working conditions in the coal mines have changed to some extent due to modernisation of technolog) . It has led to reduction in number of injuries and deaths.

Tribals Dikus and the Vision Of A Golden Age Additional Question (Solved)

Very Short Answer Type Question

Question 1. What did the people think about Birsa Munda?

Answer. People thought of Birsa Munda as an extraordinary person with miraculous powers. They thought that he could cure all diseases and multiply grain.

Question 2. What did Birsa declare about himself?

Answer. Birsa declared that he has been appointed by God to save the people from trouble and to free the people from slavery of the dikus (outsiders).

Question 3. Where was Birsa born?

Answer. Birsa was bom in a family of the Munda tribe which lived in the region of Chhotanagpur.

Question 4. Who were the followers of Birsa Munda?

Answer. Followers of Birsa not only belonged to the Munoa tribe but also included other tribal groups of the region, i.e., Santnals and Oraons.

Question 5 Why were all the tribal people unhappy with the changes coming in their lives?

Answer. All the tribal people were unhappy with the changes because they had to face many problems due to these changes. Their livelihoods were under great threat because of the British and their existence seemed to be in danger.

Question 6 With which oil did the tribal people cook food?

Answer. Tribal people cooked food with the oil extracted from the seeds of the sol arid mahua.

KSEEB Class 8 History solutions for Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age

Question 7. Give one feature of animal rearing tribes.

Answer. Animal rearing tribes were pastoralists and moved with their herds of cattle or sheep according to the season. When grass of one place gets exhausted, they moved to other areas.

Question 8. Name some animal rearing tribes.

Answer. The Van gujjars of the Punjab hills, the Labadis of Andhra Pradesh, the gadd’s of Kullu and the Bakarvvals of Kashmir are some examples of animal rearing tribes.

Question 9. Why were the British uncomfortable with shifting cultivators?

Answer. The British wanted tribal people to settle down and become peasant cultivators. Peasants were easier to control and administer, and could become the regular source of revenue for the state.

Question 10. Why were the traders and moneylenders going to forests?

Answer. Traders and moneylenders went to the forests to buy forest produce and offered cash loans to the tribal people by asking them to work on wages.

Question 11. Why did the British officials try to encourage silk production?

Answer. Indian silk was in g’-eat demand in the European markets. The good quality of Indian silk was highly valued and exports from India increased very quickly. Hence, the British officials tried to encourage silk production.

Question 12. Name two tribal communities which practised settled agriculture.

Answer. Gonds and Santhals usually practised settled agriculture.

Question 13. What were the ‘forest villages’?

Answer. These were small villages within forests, where tribal people lived. These tribal people did labour for the British Forest Department

Tribals, Dikus And The Vision of A Golden Age Class 8 KSEEB Questions And Answers

Tribals Dikus And The Vision Of A Golden Age Short Answer Type Question

Question l. Write a note on the tribal society.

Answer:-

Tribal societies form an important part of the Indian population. According to the Census of 2011, their population was 100 million.
A large part of tribal population live in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.
Some tribes live in small states and union -territories like Sikkim, Goa, M zoram, Dadra arid Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep, etc.
Most of these tribal people belong to Gond, Bhil, Santnal and .-Vlizo tribes.

Question 2. Write a note on Birsa Munda.

Answer:-

Birsa Munda was the leader of the revolt :y Munda tribe of the Chhotanagpur region.
He was a powerful person. He declared himself as the messenger of God. He revolted against them who took away the lands of Munoa people. .-Vlunaa people hated the moneylenders and zamindar’s because they were mistreated oy them.
Birsa also told the people to refuse to pay the rent to the zamindars. The Munda people attacked the British officials, missionaries and police stations. Birsa was arrested in 1895. He died in 1900 and his movement faded with his death.

Question 3. What is meant by jhum cultivation or shifting cultivation?

Answer:-

Jhum cultivation or shifting cultivation was done on small patches of land in the forests. The cultivators cut the tops of the trees to allow sunlight to reach the ground.
They cleared the land by burning vegetation. They also spread ash to fertilise the soil.
They cut trees and dug the soil to prepare it for cultivation. Instead of ploughing and sowing seeds, they scattered seeds or the fields. They migrated to other lands after harvesting one crop on a piece of land.

Question 4. How were tribal groups exploited by the traders and moneylenders?

Answer:-

Tribal groups used to buy and sell goods in order to get products which they did not produce. It made them dependent on the moneylenders and traders.
The traders generally came in tribal areas and sold things at higher prices. Moneylenders gave them cash loans to meet their needs.
Since moneylenders used to charge a ve7 high rate of interest on loans given by them, the tribal people generally remained in the grp of debt and poverty.

Question 5. Elucidate about the settled cultivation of tribal groups.

Answer:-

Many tribal groups had begun settled cultivation even before the 19th century. They started to cultivate their fields at one place year after year.
The use of plough started and gradually they obtained rights over the land they cultivated.
In some cases, the land belonged to the whole clan and their descendants who had first cleared the land. Therefore, they claimed their rights over that land.
Often, some people of a clan gathered more power and became chiefs. Chiefs generally rented out their land, instead of cultivating it themselves.

Question 6. Why did the British want to remove shifting cultivation
Answer:-

The British were not comfortable with shifting cultivators who did not have a fixed home. They wanted the shifting cultivators to have a fixed place and become peasants.
It was so because settled cultivators were easier to administer and control as compared to jhurn cultivators. The British also wanted to generate regular revenue from these people.

Question 7. Why did tho British efforts to settle jhum cultivators not prove successful?
Answer:-

The British tried to settle jhum cultivators but they were not successful in doing so. It was because jhum cultivation is not easy in those areas where availability of water is less arid soil is not very fertile.
Moreover, the unproductive soil led to less yield which made jhum cultivators suffer.
Therefore, many jhum cultivators of the north-east continued with their traditional practices. When the British saw that their efforts were not successful, they allowed shifting cultivation in certain parts of the forests.

Explanation Of Tribals And Dikus In KSEEB History

Tribals Dikus And The Vision Of A Golden Age Long Answer Type Question

Question 1. Write a note on jhum cultivators.

Answer. Jhum cultivators were those tribal people who practised shifting cultivation. They did this on small patches of lands generally in the forests. They cut the trees to allow’ the ground to get exposed to sunlight They cleared the land by burning existing vegetation. They spread ash on the soil to increase its fertility. They cut the trees and scratched the soil for cultivation. They scattered the seeds on the fields instead of sowing. They moved to next tield after harvesting crop from one field. They left the once-cultivated field fallow for many years, jhum cultivators were found in the forested and hilly areas of north-east and central India.

Question 2. Describe some features of economy of hunters and food-gatherers like Khonds.

Answer. Following are the features of economy of hunters and food-gatherers like Knonds:

These tribal groups lived in the forests. They did collective hunts and divided the gain amongst.
themselves.
The Khond tribe of Orissa (now Odisha) Ived in the forests. They lived by gathering the forest i products. They sold their forest products in local markets.
Some of the people depended upon the traders and moneylenders to fulfill their needs.
On the other hand, moneylenders helped the tribals meet their cash needs and charge them ; high rates of interest.
The interference of traders and merchants made their lives miserable. Some of the tribal ; groups like Gaddis of Kullu and Ba<orwals of Kashmir lived on herding and animal rearing.

Question 3. Write a brief note on Munda Movement.

Answer.

Munda Rebellion was one of the most important tribal UDrisings against the British in India. Munda is a prominent tribe of Singhbhum and Ranchi districts of Chhotanagpur region of Jharkhand. The rebellion occurred during 1899-1900. The main aim of the rebellion was to overthrow British rule.
Birsa Munda did not like the occupation of the people in their region. He was also not in favour of the zamindaK who ill-treated the Munaas and forcefully collected land revenue. Birsa advised his tribals not to pay land revenue. He led the Munda tribe and rose up against the British. The entire community backed Birsa Munda.
He was accompan ed by over 400 armed Mundos and attacked the Khunti Police station in August 1897. Birsa was arrested on 3rd February, 1900 in Chakradharpur forest. He died in the Ranchi jail in June 1900.

Tribals Dikus And The Vision Of A Golden Age Hots Corner

Question 1. How did the tribal people react towards the colonial forest laws?

Answer:-

A number of tribal groups reacted violently against the forest laws made by the British rulers. They started to disobey the new laws of the forests.
They continued with practices which were declared illegal by the British. Many a times, they rose in open rebellion against the British.
Some of these revolts were organised by Songram Sangma in 1900 in Assam and the Forest Satyagraha of the 1930s in the central provinces.

Question 2. How were the silk growers exploited by the traders?

Answer:-

Silk traders sent their agents to tribal areas to give loans to tribal people and collect the cocoons. Silk growers were paid very less for their produce.
These cocoons were then exported to other areas where they were sold at five times the price. The middlemen made huge profits from these deals. Silk growers earned very little due to these traders.
Many tribal groups saw the market and the traders as their main enemies. In this way, the silk growers were exploited by the traders.

Question 3. What did Birsa learn from local missionary schools and from Vaishnav preachers?

Answer.

The Christian missionaries started to preach Christianity in tribal areas. Birsa listened to the sermons of missionaries in the missionary school. He heard that if Murdas would accept Christianity and leave their cultural beliefs, they could attain their kingdom of heaven and their lost rights.
Birsa also spent some time with the Vaisnnav preachers where he wore the sacred thread and began to value the importance of purity and piety.

Question 4. Why were the British officials worried by the Birsa Movement?

Answer.

The British officials were worried by the political aims of the Birsa Movement Birsa wanted to drive out missionaries, moneylenders, Hindu landlords and the British Government. He wanted to set up Munda Raj with himself as its head.
His movement identified the British forces as evil enemies of the Mundos. The land policies of the British w ere destroying their land system. Therefore, the British officials were worried by Birsa Movement.

KSEEB Notes For Class 8 History Tribals And Dikus

Tribals Dikus And The Vision Of A Golden Age Miscellaneous Question

A. Multiple Choice Question

Tick the correct option from the choices provided:

Question 1. Who was Birsa?

(a) Leader of munda tribe
(b)Leader of Oraon tribe
(c)Leader of Ho tribe
(d)Leader of Khosi tribe

Answer.(a) Leader of Munda tribe

Question 2.Tribal society is a society which lives away from our civilisation in _____ valleys and mountains

(a)Villages
(b)Forests
(C)Towns
(d)Cities

Answer.(b) Forests

Question 3. _____made some laws and started to interfere in the internal matters of the tribals.

(a)Indian Rulers
(b)Local Governments
(c)British
(d)None of these

Answer (c) British

Question 4.Who practised jhum cultivation?

(a)Villagers
(b)Urban people
(c)Forest dwellers
(d)Tribals

Answer.(d) Tribals

Question 5. A large number of tribals were recnnated to work in tea plantations of

(a)Assam
(b)Jharkhand
(C)Manipur
(d)West Bengal

Answer.(a) Assam

Question 6 Birsa Munda was arrested in

(a)1890
(b)1895
(C)1888
(d)1898

Answer.(b)1895

Question 7 Birsa Munda was released in

(a)1896
(b)1898
(C)1897
(d)1899

Answer. (c)1897

Question 8.When did Birsa Munda die?

(a)1898
(b)1899
(C)1897
(d)1900

Answer.(d)1900

Question 9. Birsa Munda died due to _____disease

(a) cholera
(b) plague
(c) Tuberculosis
(d) Fever

Answer (a) cholera

Question 10 What is sal?

(a) A type of cloth
(b) A type of tree
(c) A type of honey
(d) A type of herb

Answer (b) A type of tree

KSEEB Class 8 History Chapter 4 Important Questions

Tribals Dikus AnThe Vision Of A Golden Age B. Match The Following

Find and write the correct options from the given below columns:

match the following chapter 4

Tribals Dikus and the Vision Of A Golden Age C.Picture Interpretation

Question 1. Study the given picture and answer the following Question:

picture interpretation chapter -4

(i)Who are the women in the picture crossing the river?
(ii)Which state does this tribe belong to?

Answer:-

The women in the picture are from the Dongria Konah tribe.
The Dongria Kondb tribe belongs to the state of Orissa (Odisha).

Question 2 Study the given picture and answer the following Question:

picture interpretation chapter-4(1)

Who are the people cultivating in the forest in this picture?
Why are the trees cut and the land cleared?

Answer

Bhil women are cultivating in a forest in Gujarat.
The trees are cut and the land is cleared for cultivation.

Part A – Our PASTS – III (History)

Part B – Resources and Development (Geography)

Part C: Social and Political Life -III (Civics)