Class 9 Social Science-History Chapter 5: Pastoralists in the Modern World

1. Short Notes for Revision

• Nomadic Pastoralists: People moving with herds for livelihood. In India: Gujjar Bakarwals (J&K, goats/sheep), Gaddi shepherds (HP). Cycle: Winter low hills (Siwalik), summer high pastures (bugyals). Kafila: Group journey. Dhangars (Maharashtra, sheep/goats, millet harvest helpers). Gollas (Karnataka/Andhra, cattle), Kurumas/Kurubas (sheep/goats). Raikas (Rajasthan, camels/sheep, adapted to scarcity). Banjaras (traders/carriers).
• Colonial Rule Impacts: Forest Acts (1865, 1878, 1927) restricted access, banned shifting cultivation/grazing. Wasteland Rules turned pastures to farms. Criminal Tribes Act 1871 labeled nomads criminals, restricted movement. Grazing Tax (mid-19th century) increased burden, bribes to officials. Reduced pastures, animal starvation, herd size drop.
• Pastoralists’ Response: Reduced herds, new paths, combined with cultivation/trade. Pressed for rights post-independence. In Africa: Maasai (Kenya/Tanzania), warriors/herders. Pre-colonial: Controlled vast lands. Colonial: Divided Maasailand 1911 (British Kenya, Tanganyika), lost 60% land to reserves/white settlers. Confined to arid reserves, overgrazing, soil erosion.
• Maasai Society: Elders ruled, warriors defended. British chiefs appointed, divided northern/southern reserves. Droughts (1933-34) killed 50-75% cattle. Borders restricted trade/movement. Development: Richer got education/jobs, poorer lost cattle, turned to labor/farming. Modern pressures: Reserves for wildlife, tourism limits grazing.
• Coping in Modern World: Some settled, others migrated deeper. Post-colonial: Rights movements, but modernization reduces pastures. Borders, cultivation expansion challenge lifestyles.

2. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. Who are nomads? A) Settled farmers B) People moving for livelihood C) Urban traders D) Factory workers
2. Gujjar Bakarwals migrate to in summer: A) Siwalik hills B) Kashmir valley C) Desert areas D) Plains
3. Dhangars are from: A) Rajasthan B) Maharashtra C) Himachal Pradesh D) Karnataka
4. Criminal Tribes Act was passed in: A) 1865 B) 1871 C) 1927 D) 1911
5. Maasai lost what % land under colonial rule? A) 20% B) 40% C) 60% D) 80%
6. Raikas adapted to: A) Floods B) Scarcity in Rajasthan C) Snow D) Dense forests
7. Gaddi shepherds spend summer in: A) Siwalik B) Lahul and Spiti C) Deccan D) Thar
8. Banjaras were known as: A) Herders B) Traders and carriers C) Cultivators D) Hunters
9. Forest Acts mainly affected: A) Urban areas B) Grazing and hunting C) Factories D) Railways
10. Maasai warriors defended: A) Farms B) Communities and territory C) Factories D) Cities
11. Grazing tax was introduced in: A) Early 19th century B) Mid-19th century C) Late 20th century D) Pre-colonial era
12. Kurumas and Kurubas herd: A) Camels B) Sheep and goats C) Cattle D) Buffaloes
13. British appointed Maasai: A) Warriors B) Chiefs C) Farmers D) Traders
14. Pastoralists coped by: A) Increasing herds B) Reducing herd size C) Stopping migration D) Building factories
15. Bugyals are: A) Deserts B) High mountain pastures C) Plains D) Forests
16. Kafila means: A) Solo journey B) Group journey C) Settlement D) Tax
17. Maasai reserves were for: A) Herding only B) Farming C) Wildlife D) Industry
18. Gollas herd: A) Sheep B) Cattle C) Camels D) Goats
19. Colonial wasteland rules turned pastures into: A) Forests B) Cultivated fields C) Deserts D) Cities
20. Drought in Maasailand killed: A) 10-20% cattle B) 50-75% cattle C) All cattle D) No cattle

Answer Key: 1-B, 2-B, 3-B, 4-B, 5-C, 6-B, 7-B, 8-B, 9-B, 10-B, 11-B, 12-B, 13-B, 14-B, 15-B, 16-B, 17-C, 18-B, 19-B, 20-B

3. Very Short Answer Type Questions (VSAQs)

1. Define nomads. Answer: People moving from place to place for livelihood.
2. Name two Indian pastoral groups in mountains. Answer: Gujjar Bakarwals and Gaddi shepherds.
3. What is kafila? Answer: Group of households journeying together.
4. Where do Dhangars migrate in monsoon? Answer: Konkan region.
5. What act labeled nomads as criminals? Answer: Criminal Tribes Act 1871.
6. Name African pastoralists discussed. Answer: Maasai.
7. When was Maasailand divided? Answer: 1911.
8. What tax affected pastoralists? Answer: Grazing tax.
9. Name Raikas’ adaptation. Answer: Harvested uncertain crops in Rajasthan.
10. What are bugyals? Answer: High mountain pastures in Garhwal.
11. Who ruled Maasai pre-colonial? Answer: Elders.
12. What reduced pastures in India? Answer: Forest Acts and wasteland rules.
13. Name two coping strategies. Answer: Reduced herds, combined with cultivation.
14. What divided Maasai reserves? Answer: Northern and southern.
15. What development split Maasai? Answer: Richer educated, poorer labored.

5. Long Answer Type Questions (LAQs)

1. Describe pastoral nomads’ movements in Indian mountains. Answer: Gujjar Bakarwals winter in Siwalik hills, graze in scrub; summer migrate to Kashmir valley via Pir Panjal passes for lush grasses. Form kafila for safety. Gaddi shepherds winter in Siwalik, summer in Lahul/Spiti, higher meadows. Cycle ensures nutritious forage, avoids snow. Provides wool, milk, manure trade. Colonial restrictions disrupted but they adapted paths.
2. Explain colonial impacts on Indian pastoralists. Answer: Forest Acts reserved areas, banned grazing/cultivation; turned pastures to timber sources. Wasteland rules cultivated grazing lands. Criminal Tribes Act labeled groups criminals, restricted movement with passes. Grazing tax per animal increased costs, bribes. Reduced pastures caused starvation, smaller herds, deeper migrations. Some settled, others rebelled for rights.
3. Analyze how pastoralists coped with changes. Answer: Faced shrinking pastures, many reduced herd sizes to manage. Discovered new routes avoiding taxes. Combined pastoralism with cultivation/trade for income. Pressed governments for rights post-independence. In Africa, Maasai used education/jobs; poorer turned to farming/labor. Shows resilience, adaptation to modernization pressures like borders.
4. Discuss Maasai pastoralism under colonial rule. Answer: Pre-colonial, controlled vast Kenya/Tanzania lands; elders ruled, warriors defended. British divided Maasailand 1911, lost 60% to settlers/reserves. Confined to arid areas, overgrazing eroded soil. Appointed chiefs weakened elders. Borders stopped movement/trade. Droughts/diseases killed half cattle. Split society: Rich modernized, poor impoverished.
5. Compare Indian and African pastoralists’ challenges. Answer: Both faced colonial land loss: India via Forest Acts/wasteland rules; Africa via reserves/settlers. Taxes, restrictions reduced mobility. In India, criminal labeling; Africa, border divisions. Copied by adapting livelihoods, rights movements. Modern: Urbanization, wildlife parks limit pastures. Highlights nomads’ marginalization in development.
6. Evaluate borders’ role on pastoralists. Answer: Colonial borders restricted seasonal movements, vital for grazing. In India, state boundaries/taxes forced deeper paths. Africa, international borders split Maasai, blocked trade. Reduced access caused overgrazing, erosion, herd decline. Post-colonial, continued issues with parks/reserves. Borders symbolize modernization’s conflict with nomadic life, pushing settlement.

6. Source-Based / Case-Based Assessment Questions

Source Extract: (From Source A) Writing in the 1850s, G.C. Barnes gave the following description of the Gujjars of Kangra: ‘In the hills the Gujjars are exclusively a pastoral tribe – they cultivate scarcely at all. The Gaddis keep flocks of sheep and goats and the Gujjars, wealth consists of buffaloes. These people live in the skirts of the forests, and maintain their existence exclusively by the sale of the milk, ghee, and other produce of their herds.’

Questions:

1. Who wrote this?
2. What tribe described?
3. How do they live?
4. What is their wealth?
5. Analyze lifestyle.

Answer Key:

1. G.C. Barnes.
2. Gujjars of Kangra.
3. Pastoral, no cultivation.
4. Buffaloes.
5. Nomadic herders relying on forest produce sales.

Source Extract: (From pastoral life changes) Under colonial rule, the life of pastoralists changed dramatically. Their grazing grounds shrank, their movements were regulated, and the revenue they had to pay increased. Their agricultural stock declined and their trades and crafts were adversely affected.

Questions:

1. What shrank?
2. What increased?
3. Impact on stock?
4. Why movements regulated?
5. Link to laws.
6. Refer to map (Fig.3) for routes.

Answer Key:

1. Grazing grounds.
2. Revenue/tax.
3. Declined.
4. Via Forest Acts, passes.
5. Criminal Tribes Act labeled criminals.
6. Shows migration paths affected.

Source Extract: (From Maasai chiefs) The British colonial government in east Africa also encouraged local peasant communities to expand cultivation. As cultivation expanded, pasturelands were turned into cultivated fields. Large areas of grazing land were also turned into game reserves like the Maasai Mara and Samburu National Park in Kenya and Serengeti Park in Tanzania.

Questions:

1. What encouraged?
2. What turned to fields?
3. Name a reserve.
4. Impact on Maasai?
5. Colonial aim?

Answer Key:

1. Peasant cultivation.
2. Pasturelands.
3. Maasai Mara.
4. Lost grazing lands.
5. Settle nomads, control movement.

Source Extract: (From coping) Pastoralists reacted to these changes in a variety of ways. Some tried to stay on in areas where pasture was available. Others pushed into new areas. Many nomads changed the way they lived.

Questions:

1. Two reactions?
2. Example of change?
3. Why push new areas?
4. Modern relevance?

Answer Key:

1. Stay where pasture available, push new areas.
2. Combined with cultivation.
3. Shrinking old pastures.
4. Adaptation to modernization.

7. Solved Exercise-End Questions (NCERT Solutions)

There are many similarities in the way in which the modern world forced changes in the lives of pastoral communities in India and East Africa. Write about any two examples of changes which were similar for Indian pastoralists and the Maasai herders. Answer: Land loss: India via Forest Acts/reserves; Maasai via division/settlers. Both reduced pastures, overgrazing. Restrictions: India Criminal Act/passes; Maasai borders/chiefs. Both limited movement, forced settlement/labor, split rich/poor.

Explain why nomadic tribes need to move from one place to another. What are the advantages to the environment of this continuous movement? Answer: Nomads move for pastures as seasons change; winter low hills, summer high meadows. Ensures forage, avoids overgrazing. Advantages: Allows grass regrowth, manure fertilizes soil, prevents erosion, sustains biodiversity.

Discuss why the colonial government in India brought in the following laws. In each case, explain how the law changed the lives of pastoralists: Waste Land rules, Forest Acts, Criminal Tribes Act, Grazing Tax. Answer: Waste Land: Turned pastures to farms for revenue; reduced grazing, forced settlement. Forest Acts: Reserved areas, banned entry; limited movement, caused starvation. Criminal Tribes: Labeled nomads criminals; restricted with passes, ended freedom. Grazing Tax: Per animal tax; increased costs, smaller herds, poverty.

Give reasons to explain why the Maasai community lost their grazing lands. Answer: Colonial division 1911 split Maasailand, lost 60% to settlers/reserves. Encouraged peasant farming turned pastures to fields. Game reserves (Maasai Mara) banned grazing. Borders stopped migration; droughts worsened overgrazing.