Chapter 5
Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities
Let’s recall
1. Match the following:
garh khel
tanda chaurasi
labourer caravan
clan Garha Katanga
Sib Singh Ahom state
Durgawati paik
2. Fill in the blanks:
(a) The new castes emerging within varnas were called _____________.
(b) _____________ were historical works written by the Ahoms.
(c) The ____________ mentions that Garha Katanga had 70,000 villages.
(d) As tribal states became bigger and stronger, they gave land grants to _________ and ________.
3. State whether true or false:
(a) Tribal societies had rich oral traditions.
(b) There were no tribal communities in the northwestern part of the subcontinent.
(c) The chaurasi in Gond states contained several cities
(d) The Bhils lived in the north-eastern part of the subcontinent.
4. What kinds of exchanges took place between nomadic pastoralists and settled agriculturists?
Let’s understand
5. How was the administration of the Ahom state organised?
6. What changes took place in varna-based society?
7. How did tribal societies change after being organised into a state?
Let’s discuss
8. Were the Banjaras important for the economy?
9. In what ways was the history of the Gonds different from that of the Ahoms? Were there any similarities?
Let’s do
10. Plot the location of the tribes mentioned in this chapter on a map. For any two, discuss whether their mode of livelihood was suited to the geography and the environment of the area where they lived.
11. Find out about present-day government policies towards tribal populations and organise a discussion about these
12. Find out more about present-day nomadic pastoral groups in the subcontinent. What animals do they keep? Which are the areas frequented by these groups?
Type by-Gauri Bora
