The Issue of Tribal Rights:

1
The Issue of Tribal Rights

• Colonial Policy towards Pastoral Nomads and
  Adivasi Groups

2
Areas Inhabited by Tribal Groups, c. 19th c
Afghan, Gujjar Lohani tribes
santals
Gonds
Gujjars Bhattis
Bhils
Bedars
3
The use of Tribal in Colonial Discourse

• Used to differentiate groups that in the govts
  observation did not follow Hindu caste rules
• Covered a range of un-related groups pastoral
  nomads, settled Afghans, forest dwellers
• A range of values are ascribed to each of these
  groupssome mutually contradictory

4
Values/Stereotypes associated with Tribal
groups in Colonial sources

• Completely different and cut off from caste
  societytheir mobility and lifestyle are very
  different
• Placed on an imagined historical/social scale of
  difference as aboriginal barbaric
• In early 19th century seen as troublemakersraider
  s and bandits, some labeled as belonging to
  criminal castes and tribes
• By mid-19th century new ideas emergeinfluenced
  by notion of noble savage
• Regardless, these groups are seen by colonial
  officials as a problem to be solved

5
What generates this view?

• Prejudices associated with the mobility of these
  groupsideas about a historical scale of
  civilization
• Their mobility is a threat to colonial ideas of
  law and order, sealing of borderlands
• Racial prejudice plays a role
• Protestant/evengelical notions of productivity
  and utilitarianism view tribal modes of
  production as primitive and wasteful
• Their territories are in land that now has value
• Nomads and forest dwellers are hard to tax

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Traders on Indo-Tibetan border, 19th c
7
Historical scale of Civilization

• The idea created by whig view of history that
  historical development is a constant process
  towards human betterment
• In this view, human civilization moves from
  primitive activity such as hunting and gathering
  to settled agriculture to industrialized
  production
• Societies that do not exhibit this forward trend
  are backward
• Does not incorporate notion of ecological
  specialization
• Stress their use of land, religious beliefs,
  acquisition of wealth as a measure of civilization

8
Problem of Mobility for Colonial Government

• In the northwest Afghan, Lohani and other groups
  cross borders that are considered unsecure and
  dangerous
• Concerns about spying, issue of Central Asian
  rivalry with Afghanistan, later w/ Russia
• In Central and western India tribal groups
  accused of raidingseen as congenital criminals
• Mobile groups are hard to tax
• Mobility of slash and burn agriculture in
  Central and Northeastern India seen as wasteful
  loss of timber

9
Racial Prejudice

• By 19th century a scientific discourse of race is
  being created
• Tribal groups are placed at the bottom of the
  new hierarchy of European/Asians
• New disciplines such as Anthropology use
  so-called scientific methods to support these
  claims
• New literature, live exhibitions of such groups
  popularize these theories

10
Portrain from Northeast, c. 1880
11
Ideas of Productivity

• Moral values ascribed to hard work such as
  farming and factory labor, versus idle
  occupations such as hunting
• Stereotype of lazy tribals, emphasis in
  literature about their leisure activitiesdances,
  drinking
• More value placed on getting maximum output from
  landlower extraction of resources by tribal
  groups seen as a problem
• Activities such as timber, mining, industrial
  farming come in conflict with tribes established
  hunting and pastoral grounds

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Tribal Rebellions in North east
Birsa Munda (L), Leader of a 19th C.
rebellion, Land cleared for tea plantaion (above)
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The Noble Savage

• Romanticized view of Tribal groups such as
  Bhils popularized in late 19th century
• Their hunting skills and sportsmanship admired
• Seen as more manly and warrior like than
  peasant (Martial races theory)
• New policies created to draft groups such as
  Afghans and Bhils into colonial Army
• Attitude is still paternalistic, seen as brave,
  but child-likei.e need colonial supervision

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Baluchis, changing colonial views
15
Zones of conflict
Irrigation projects Extension of farming
Tea Plantations
Timber
Mining
Timber Industry Tea/Coffee Plantations
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Influence of Colonial Attitudes on Elite Indian
views

• Earlier history of interaction with these groups
  is modified, only negative aspects are remembered
• New religious reform movements attempt to
  reclaim tribal groupsconcerns about missionary
  activities by Christian groups
• Values of new Nationalist groups and
  Hindu/Islamic reformers on sobriety, hard works,
  mainstream religious valuen out of sync with
  belief systems of nomadic and Adivasi groups
• Growing population pressure brings settled Indian
  society into greater conflict with these groups

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Reminder Student Led Discusion

• Need to post question sheets week before class
  presentation
• i.e. need to meet with me before that, in case
  you have questions
• Before meeting
• Read texts, create open-ended questions that will
  spur discussion and analysis
• Identify what class needs to know about subject
  matter or author to answer those questions
• Dont forget to add references to quest. Sheet
  (avoid websites, unless academic)