Class 7 Social Science Notes Chapter 7 (Tribes; Nomads And Settled Communities) – Out Pasts - II Book

Alright class, let's focus on Chapter 7: "Tribes, Nomads, and Settled Communities." This chapter is crucial because it shows us that medieval Indian society was far more diverse than just the large kingdoms and empires we often study. It explores the lives of people who lived differently, often outside the mainstream Varna system. Pay close attention, as these details are important for your understanding and for potential exam questions.

Detailed Notes: Chapter 7 - Tribes, Nomads, and Settled Communities

1. Beyond Big Cities: Societies with Different Rules

• Limitations of Varna System: While large parts of the subcontinent followed the rules of varna (Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras) prescribed by Brahmanas, many societies did not.
• Tribal Societies (Janjatis):
  • Often lived in forests, hills, deserts, and hard-to-reach places.
  • Did not follow the social rules and rituals prescribed by Brahmanas.
  • Were not divided into numerous unequal classes (like the caste system).
  • Members were united by kinship bonds (family ties).
  • Livelihoods included agriculture, hunting, gathering, and herding.
  • Often controlled land and pastures jointly, dividing resources based on their own rules.
  • Preserved their unique culture, beliefs, and traditions, often through rich oral traditions (songs, stories).
• Sources: Historical information about tribes is scarce because they usually didn't keep written records. We rely on oral histories passed down through generations and sometimes observations by contemporary historians (though these can be biased).

2. Who Were the Tribal People? (Examples and Locations)

• Punjab: Khokhar tribe (very influential in 13th-14th centuries), later the Gakkhars became more important. Kamal Khan Gakkhar was made a mansabdar by Emperor Akbar.
• Multan and Sindh: Langahs and Arghuns dominated before Mughal conquest.
• North-West: Balochis were powerful, divided into clans (khel) under different chiefs.
• Western Himalayas: Gaddis (shepherd tribe).
• North-Eastern India: Nagas, Ahoms, and many others. The Ahoms built a large and powerful state (discussed later).
• Bihar and Jharkhand: Chero chiefdoms emerged by the 12th century. Raja Man Singh (Akbar's general) attacked them in 1591. Mundas and Santals were other important tribes in this region and also in Orissa and Bengal.
• Maharashtra Highlands & Karnataka: Kolis, Berads, and others. Kolis also lived in Gujarat.
• South India: Koragas, Vetars, Maravars, Badagas.
• Central India: Bhils were widespread hunter-gatherers and agriculturists. Many became settled farmers, some even zamindars.
• Gonds: Found in large numbers across present-day Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh. They formed a significant kingdom (discussed later).

3. Nomads and Itinerant Groups

• Nomadic Pastoralists:
  • Moved over long distances with their animals (cattle, sheep, etc.).
  • Lived on milk and other pastoral products.
  • Exchanged goods like wool, ghee (clarified butter), etc., with settled agriculturalists for grain, cloth, utensils, and other products.
  • Travelled in groups, following seasonal patterns for pastures.
• The Banjaras:
  • Most important trader-nomads.
  • Their caravan was called a tanda.
  • Sultan Alauddin Khalji used them to transport grain to city markets.
  • Emperor Jahangir wrote about Banjaras carrying grain on bullocks from different areas to sell in towns.
  • They transported food grain for the Mughal army during military campaigns. A large army could have lakhs of bullocks carrying grain.
• Other Itinerant Groups:
  • Craftspersons, pedlars, entertainers who travelled from place to place practicing their occupations.
  • Examples: People selling reed mats, weavers, entertainers (dancers, musicians, acrobats), mendicants (beggars).

4. Changing Society: New Castes and Hierarchies

• Interaction and Change: As the economy grew and society became more complex, interactions between Varna-based society and tribal/nomadic groups increased.
• Emergence of Jatis: Needs for new skills led to smaller castes or jatis emerging within varnas (e.g., smiths, carpenters, masons were recognised as separate jatis).
• Tribes into Caste System:
  • Many tribes and social groups were absorbed into the caste-based society and given the status of jatis.
  • Specialised artisans (smiths, carpenters, masons) were often recognized as separate jatis by the Brahmanas.
  • Among Kshatriyas, new Rajput clans became powerful by the 11th-12th centuries (Hunas, Chandelas, Chalukyas, etc.). Some of these originated from tribal backgrounds.
  • Many tribes adopted agriculture and became part of the ruling classes, often seeking Rajput status. This required acceptance from Brahmanas.
• Dominant Tribes: Some large and powerful tribes (like Gonds and Ahoms) established extensive states.

5. A Closer Look: The Gonds

• Location: Lived in a vast forested region called Gondwana ("country inhabited by Gonds").
• Livelihood: Practiced shifting cultivation (also known as bewar).
• Social Structure: Large Gond tribe was divided into smaller clans, each with its own raja or rai.
• Rise of Gond Kingdoms: As Delhi Sultanate declined, larger Gond kingdoms began to dominate smaller chiefs.
• Garha Katanga:
  • A rich Gond kingdom mentioned in Akbar's chronicles (Akbar Nama).
  • Controlled 70,000 villages (likely an exaggeration, but indicates size).
  • Administrative system: Kingdom divided into garhs. Each garh controlled by a particular Gond clan. Garh further divided into units of 84 villages called chaurasi. The chaurasi was subdivided into barhots (made up of 12 villages each).
• Social Change:
  • Emergence of large states changed Gond society. Basic equality diminished.
  • Gond chiefs desired recognition as Rajputs.
  • Aman Das, the Gond raja of Garha Katanga, assumed the title of Sangram Shah. His son, Dalpat, married Rani Durgawati, a Chandela Rajput princess.
• Rani Durgawati: Ruled effectively after Dalpat's early death, on behalf of her young son, Bir Narain. Fiercely resisted the Mughal forces under Asaf Khan in 1565 but was defeated.
• Economy: Garha Katanga was wealthy, exporting wild elephants.
• Decline: Despite resistance, the kingdom weakened after the Mughal attack. They later faced challenges from the Bundelas and Marathas.

6. A Closer Look: The Ahoms

• Origin and Migration: Migrated to the Brahmaputra valley from present-day Myanmar in the 13th century.
• State Formation: Created a new state by suppressing the older political system of the bhuiyans (landlords). Annexed kingdoms of the Chhutiyas (1523) and Koch-Hajo (1581). Subjugated many other tribes.
• Military:
  • Built a large state and used firearms as early as the 1530s.
  • By the 1660s, they could make high-quality gunpowder and cannons.
• Mughal Conflict: Faced many invasions from the Mughals (south-west). Mir Jumla attacked in 1662, Ahoms were defeated but Mughal control didn't last long.
• Administration:
  • State depended upon forced labour known as paiks.
  • A census of the population was taken.
  • Each village had to send a number of paiks by rotation.
  • People from densely populated areas were shifted to less populated places.
  • Ahom clans were thus broken up. Administration became quite centralised by the first half of the 17th century.
• Economy: Introduced new methods of rice cultivation.
• Social Structure: Ahom society divided into clans or khels. A khel often controlled several villages. Very few castes of artisans.
• Culture and Religion:
  • Worshipped their own tribal gods initially.
  • During the 17th century, influence of Brahmanas increased. Hinduism became the predominant religion under rulers like Sib Singh (1714-1744).
  • However, Ahom kings did not completely give up their traditional beliefs after adopting Hinduism.
  • Ahom society was sophisticated: poets and scholars were given land grants; theatre was encouraged.
  • Important historical works, known as buranjis, were written (first in Ahom language, then in Assamese).
• Conclusion: The Ahoms built a complex state through military power, efficient administration (paik system), advanced agriculture, and cultural synthesis.

7. Conclusion

• Medieval Indian society saw considerable social change.
• Varna-based society and tribal societies constantly interacted, influencing each other.
• This interaction led to adaptation and change in both kinds of societies.
• Some tribes established powerful states and administrations (Gonds, Ahoms), while others were integrated into the caste system or maintained their distinct nomadic/tribal identities.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. Which of the following tribes was prominent in Punjab during the 13th and 14th centuries?
   a) Gonds
   b) Ahoms
   c) Khokhars
   d) Bhils

2. The caravan of the Banjara trader-nomads was known as:
   a) Khel
   b) Tanda
   c) Garh
   d) Buranji

3. Rani Durgawati, known for resisting Mughal forces, belonged to which kingdom?
   a) Ahom Kingdom
   b) Garha Katanga (Gond Kingdom)
   c) Chero Chiefdom
   d) Rajput Kingdom of Mewar

4. The paik system, involving forced labour, was a key feature of the administration of which group?
   a) Gonds
   b) Banjaras
   c) Ahoms
   d) Bhils

5. The historical chronicles of the Ahoms are known as:
   a) Akbar Nama
   b) Tanda
   c) Chaurasi
   d) Buranjis

6. In the Gond administrative system, a unit comprising 84 villages was called:
   a) Garh
   b) Barhot
   c) Chaurasi
   d) Khel

7. The Ahoms migrated to the Brahmaputra valley in the 13th century from which region?
   a) Central Asia
   b) Persia
   c) Present-day Myanmar
   d) Afghanistan

8. Which tribal group lived in the Western Himalayas and were primarily shepherds?
   a) Nagas
   b) Gaddis
   c) Kolis
   d) Mundas

9. Aman Das, the Gond raja of Garha Katanga, assumed the title of:
   a) Sangram Shah
   b) Sib Singh
   c) Mir Jumla
   d) Kamal Khan Gakkhar

10. Which Mughal emperor's general, Raja Man Singh, attacked the Chero chiefdoms in 1591?
    a) Babur
    b) Humayun
    c) Akbar
    d) Jahangir

Answer Key:

1. c) Khokhars
2. b) Tanda
3. b) Garha Katanga (Gond Kingdom)
4. c) Ahoms
5. d) Buranjis
6. c) Chaurasi
7. c) Present-day Myanmar
8. b) Gaddis
9. a) Sangram Shah
10. c) Akbar

Make sure you revise these points thoroughly. Understanding the diversity of societies beyond the major kingdoms is essential for a complete picture of medieval India. Good luck with your preparation!