Class 9 Social Science Notes Chapter 4 (Livelihoods; Economies and Societies) – India and the Contemporary World-I Book

Alright class, let's focus on Chapter 4 from your History textbook, 'India and the Contemporary World-I'. The chapter is titled 'Forest Society and Colonialism', and it's crucial for understanding how colonial policies dramatically reshaped the lives of communities dependent on forests, both in India and other parts of the world like Java. These notes will help you prepare thoroughly, especially for competitive exams.

NCERT Class 9 History - Chapter 4: Forest Society and Colonialism

Detailed Notes for Exam Preparation

1. Introduction: The Importance of Forests

• Forests are not just collections of trees; they are vital ecosystems providing livelihoods for millions.
• Traditionally, forest dwellers used forests for various needs:
  • Fuelwood: For cooking and heating.
  • Timber: For building houses and tools.
  • Food: Fruits, nuts, roots, leaves.
  • Fodder: For cattle.
  • Medicinal Herbs: For healthcare.
  • Other Products: Bamboo (for fences, baskets), Tendu leaves (for bidis), Gum, Resin, Honey.
• Forests were integral to the cultural and economic lives of communities living in or near them.

2. Why Deforestation under Colonial Rule?

The scale of deforestation increased massively under British colonial rule. Key reasons include:

• Land Improvement Myth: The British considered forests 'unproductive wilderness' that needed to be brought under cultivation to yield agricultural products and revenue.
• Demand for Timber (Royal Navy): England faced an oak forest shortage by the early 19th century. Indian timber (especially Teak and Sal) was needed to build ships for the Royal Navy. Search parties were sent to explore India's forest resources.
• Spread of Railways (from the 1850s):
  • Railways were essential for colonial trade and troop movement.
  • Locomotives needed wood as fuel.
  • Railway lines required wooden sleepers to hold tracks together. Vast quantities of timber were felled for this (estimated 2000 sleepers per mile of track). Contracts were given to individuals who cut trees indiscriminately.
• Agricultural Expansion:
  • The colonial government encouraged the production of commercial crops (jute, sugar, wheat, cotton) needed by industries in England.
  • Large forest areas were cleared and given to cultivators (often Europeans) to expand farming.
• Plantations:
  • Large areas of natural forests were cleared to establish tea, coffee, and rubber plantations, primarily owned by Europeans.
  • Land was given to planters at cheap rates.

3. The Rise of Commercial Forestry / Scientific Forestry

• The British became worried about the reckless felling of trees and its impact on timber supply for railways and ships.
• Dietrich Brandis: A German expert, was invited and appointed the first Inspector General of Forests in India (1864).
• Scientific Forestry: Brandis introduced a system where natural forests with diverse tree species were cut down and replaced with neat rows of one or two commercially valuable species (like Teak or Sal). This was termed 'scientific forestry' but was essentially monoculture plantation.
  • Forest officials surveyed forests, estimated resources, and planned harvesting.
  • Felling of old trees and planting new ones was regulated.
• Indian Forest Service (IFS): Established in 1864.
• Forest Acts:
  • 1865 Forest Act: The first attempt to assert state control over forests.
  • 1878 Forest Act: This was more comprehensive and divided forests into three categories:
    • Reserved Forests: Best forests; villagers could not take anything, even for personal use.
    • Protected Forests: Villagers could take wood for fuel/house building after permission/payment.
    • Village Forests: Villagers had some customary rights, but under strict government control.
  • 1927 Indian Forest Act: Consolidated previous laws, strengthening state control.
• Impact of Forest Acts:
  • Severely restricted villagers' access to forests.
  • Everyday practices like cutting wood, grazing cattle, collecting fruits/roots, hunting, and fishing became illegal.
  • People were forced into stealing wood or bribing forest guards.
  • Women, who collected fuelwood and minor produce, were particularly affected.

4. How were the Lives of People Affected?

• Shifting Cultivators (Jhum/Bewar/Podu etc.):
  • This traditional agricultural practice involved cutting and burning parts of the forest to sow seeds in the ashes.
  • Colonial officials considered it harmful: difficult to tax, risk of forest fires, destruction of valuable timber.
  • Shifting cultivation was banned. Many communities were forcibly displaced, some had to change occupations, while others resisted.
• Hunters and Trappers:
  • Forest laws banned hunting, depriving many communities of a traditional source of food and livelihood.
  • However, large-scale hunting of tigers, leopards, and wolves was encouraged by the British as a 'sport' and because they saw these animals as 'pests'. Rewards were given for killing them. Figures like George Yule are noted for killing hundreds of tigers.
• Pastoralists and Nomads:
  • Forest laws restricted grazing, impacting communities like the Gujjar Bakarwals (J&K), Gaddi (HP), Dhangars (Maharashtra), etc., who depended on forests for fodder.
• Traders in Forest Produce:
  • Before forest laws, local communities often traded minor forest produce.
  • The British gave large European trading firms monopolies to trade in forest products in specific areas.
  • Tribal people (like the Santhals and Oraons of Chotanagpur or Gonds of Central India) were often recruited through contractors to work on plantations or in mines under poor conditions and low wages.

5. Rebellion in the Forest: The Case of Bastar (1910)

• Location: Southernmost part of Chhattisgarh, bordering Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Maharashtra. Home to various tribal communities like Maria and Muria Gonds, Dhurwas, Bhatras, Halbas.
• Context: People depended heavily on forests. The colonial government proposed reserving two-thirds of the forest in 1905, banning shifting cultivation, hunting, and collection of forest produce. Villagers also suffered from increased land rents and demands for free labour (begar) by colonial officials. The terrible famines of 1899-1900 and 1907-1908 added to their misery.
• Leadership & Initiation: Discussions began in the Kanger forest. Gunda Dhur from village Nethanar emerged as a key leader. Secret messages inviting villagers to rebel were circulated (e.g., a mango bough, a lump of earth, chillies, arrows).
• Events (1910 Rebellion):
  • Bazaars were looted, houses and offices of officials and traders were burnt and robbed, grain stores redistributed.
  • Attacks focused on symbols of colonial power and exploitation.
• Suppression: The British sent troops. Leaders were captured or fled. Villages were flogged and punished. It took 3 months (Feb-May 1910) to regain control.
• Outcome: Work on reservation was temporarily suspended, and the area to be reserved was reduced to roughly half. However, colonial control remained firm.

6. Forest Transformations in Java (Indonesia)

• Context: Java was a Dutch colony. It was renowned for its teak forests.
• The Kalangs: A community of skilled forest cutters and shifting cultivators in Java. They were considered essential for harvesting teak and building palaces for the Mataram kingdom in the 18th century. When the Dutch gained control, they tried to force the Kalangs to work exclusively for them. The Kalangs resisted in 1770 but were suppressed.
• Dutch Scientific Forestry: Similar to the British in India, the Dutch enacted forest laws restricting villagers' access.
  • Need for timber for ships and railways drove deforestation and control.
  • Blandongdiensten system: Villagers were exempted from rent on forest land if they provided free labour and buffaloes for cutting and transporting timber (similar to begar). Later, wages were introduced, but forest access remained restricted.
• Samin's Challenge (Around 1890):
  • Led by Surontiko Samin of Randublatung village (a teak forest village).
  • Argued that the state did not create wind, water, earth, and wood, so it could not own it.
  • Movement gained momentum, involving Samin's sons-in-law.
  • Form of protest: When Dutch surveyed land, Samnists lay down on it; refused to pay taxes/fines or perform labour.
• Impact of World Wars:
  • WWI & WWII: Created new demands for timber. The Dutch implemented a 'scorched earth' policy during the Japanese occupation (WWII), destroying sawmills and burning teak logs to prevent them from falling into Japanese hands.
  • The Japanese exploited forests recklessly for their war needs.
  • Post-war, it was difficult for the Indonesian forest service to reclaim this land. Villagers had expanded cultivation into forests during the conflict.

7. Conclusion: New Developments in Forestry

• Since the 1980s, governments across Asia and Africa have begun to see scientific forestry and forest exclusion policies as flawed.
• Conservation of forests rather than just timber extraction has gained importance.
• There's a growing recognition that involving local communities is crucial for effective forest management and conservation goals. Many countries are experimenting with forms of joint forest management.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. Who was appointed as the first Inspector General of Forests in India by the British?
   a) Lord Dalhousie
   b) Dietrich Brandis
   c) George Yule
   d) Lord Curzon
   Answer: b) Dietrich Brandis

2. The Forest Act of 1878 divided forests into which three categories?
   a) Dense, Open, Mangrove
   b) Commercial, Non-commercial, Wasteland
   c) Reserved, Protected, Village
   d) Imperial, Provincial, Private
   Answer: c) Reserved, Protected, Village

3. Shifting cultivation was known by which local name in Central India?
   a) Jhum
   b) Podu
   c) Bewar
   d) Kumri
   Answer: c) Bewar (Note: Jhum is NE India, Podu in Andhra, Kumri in Western Ghats - Bewar is a common term for it in parts of Central India/MP).

4. The rebellion in the Bastar region against colonial forest policies took place in which year?
   a) 1857
   b) 1905
   c) 1910
   d) 1921
   Answer: c) 1910

5. Who was a prominent leader of the Bastar rebellion in 1910?
   a) Birsa Munda
   b) Surontiko Samin
   c) Sidhu Murmu
   d) Gunda Dhur
   Answer: d) Gunda Dhur

6. In Java, the community known for their skills as forest cutters and shifting cultivators were the:
   a) Samins
   b) Dhurwas
   c) Kalangs
   d) Gonds
   Answer: c) Kalangs

7. The 'Blandongdiensten' system implemented by the Dutch in Java involved:
   a) Auctioning forest land to the highest bidder.
   b) Imposing rent exemptions in exchange for free labour for forest work.
   c) Banning shifting cultivation completely.
   d) Establishing large tea plantations.
   Answer: b) Imposing rent exemptions in exchange for free labour for forest work.

8. Surontiko Samin's challenge against Dutch forest ownership in Java was based on the argument that:
   a) The Dutch were charging excessive taxes.
   b) The forest belonged traditionally to the Kalang community.
   c) The state could not own natural resources like wind, water, earth, and wood.
   d) Scientific forestry was destroying biodiversity.
   Answer: c) The state could not own natural resources like wind, water, earth, and wood.

9. Which of the following was NOT a primary reason for large-scale deforestation during the colonial era in India?
   a) Expansion of railways
   b) Shipbuilding for the Royal Navy
   c) Establishment of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries
   d) Spread of commercial agriculture and plantations
   Answer: c) Establishment of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries (These came later, often continuing exclusionary policies, but the primary drivers of colonial deforestation were economic/strategic).

10. The term 'Scientific Forestry' as practiced by colonial powers primarily involved:
    a) Studying forest ecosystems in detail.
    b) Planting diverse native species to enhance biodiversity.
    c) Replacing natural mixed forests with monoculture plantations of commercially valuable trees.
    d) Involving local communities in forest management decisions.
    Answer: c) Replacing natural mixed forests with monoculture plantations of commercially valuable trees.

Study these notes carefully. Understand the connections between colonial economic needs, forest policies, and the impact on the lives of ordinary people. Remember the specific examples like Bastar and Java, as they illustrate the broader patterns. Good luck with your preparation!