Pastoralists In The Modern World

Very Short Question/Answer (1 Mark)

1.Mention the states to which the following communities belong:

(a) Gujjar Bakarwals (b) Gaddi
Answer:
(a) Jammu and Kashmir.
(b) Himachal Pradesh

2.Name any two pastoral communities of South India.

Answer:

● The Gollas
● The Kurumas.

3.How is the movement of Dhangar different from that of Gujjars?

Answer:
Dhangar’s movement is guided by the annual cycle of monsoon whereas
Gujjar’s movement depends upon change of season i.e winter and summer.

4.Name the act through which uncultivated lands were taken over and
given to select individuals.
Answer:
Waste Land Rules

5.Name any two pastoral communities of the Himalayas which followed an

annual pattern of cyclical movement.
Answer:
● Bhotiyas
● Sherpas
 ● Kinnauris
● Gujjars

.
6.Who were the Banjaras ? Name any two states where they were found.
Answer:
The Banjaras were nomads who used to move from one region to another
in search of good pasture land. They were found in

● Uttar Pradesh
● Rajasthan

7.Name the Act which was passed by the British government to limit the
movement of the nomadic people. Mention any two features of the Act.
Answer:
The Criminal Tribes Act

● By this Act, many communities of craftsmen, traders and

pastoralists were classified as Criminal Tribes.
● Under this Act, various restrictions were put on their movement.

8.Name any two nomadic communities of Africa.

Answer:

● Bedouins
● Maasai

.
9.What are the major activities of the nomadic communities of Africa?
Answer:

● They raise cattle, camels, goats, sheep and donkeys.

 ● They sell milk, meat, animal skin and wool.

10.Name a pastoral community of Kenya.

Answer:
Maasai.

11.“Large areas of grazing land were turned into game reserves.” Mention
its two impacts on pastoral communities.
Answer:

● Pastoralists were not allowed to enter these reserves.

● The loss of the finest grazing lands and water resources created
pressure on the small area of land that the Maasai were confined
within.

12.The “Maasai society was divided into two social categories”. Name two
categories.
Answer:
The Elders and Warriors.

Short Question/Answer (3 Mark)

1.How did The pastoralists cope with the changes brought by colonial rule ? Explain.
Answer:

● Reduction in the number of cattle: When the grazing lands were taken over
and converted into fields, this forced many nomads to reduce the number
of cattle in their herds.
● New pastures : Defining boundaries forced many nomads to search for new
pastures. For example, after the partition of India in 1947, the camel and
sheep herding Raikas, for instance, could no longer move into Sindh and
graze their camels on the banks of the Indus, as they had done earlier. The
 new political boundaries between India and Pakistan stopped their
movement. So they had to find new places to go. In recent years, they have
been migrating to Haryana where sheep can graze on agricultural fields
after the harvests are cut. This is the time that the fields need manure that
the animals provide.
● New occupations : Over the years, some richer pastoralists began buying
land and settling down, giving up their nomadic life. Some became settled
peasants cultivating land others took to more extensive trading. Many poor
pastoralists, on the other hand, borrowed money from moneylenders to
survive. At times, they lost their cattle and sheep and became laborers,
working on fields or in small towns.

2.Why did the Colonial government introduce the Waste Land Rules ? Explain the
impact of Waste Land Rules on the pastoral communities.
Answer:
(a) Waste land Rules : Under this, uncultivated land was brought under cultivation.
Reasons :

● Revenue : The basic aim was to increase land revenue because by

expanding cultivation the Government could increase its revenue collection.
● Raw materials : Crops like jute, cotton and indigo were used as raw material
in England. So the British government wanted to bring more and more areas
under these crops.

Impact on the lives of the pastoralists :

● After the Act, the mobility of nomads was restricted.

● Under the Act the grazing land was given to big landlords. Due to this
nomads’ grazing grounds shrank.
● Due to shrinking grazing grounds, the agricultural stock of the nomads
declined and their trade and crafts were adversely affected.

3.Explain the impact of droughts on the life of pastoralists.

Or
‘From the colonial period, the Maasai were bound down to an area.’ Explain the impact
of being bound on the Maasai people.
Or
How does drought affect the life of pastoralists ? Explain. [CBSE March 2012, 2013]
Answer:

● Limited grazing area : Because of the restrictions on the movement of-

nomads, they were bound down to a fixed area. They were cut off from the
best grazing lands, and forced to live within a semi-arid tract prone to
frequent droughts.
● Death of animals : Since lots of restrictions were imposed on their
movements, they could not move to places where pastures were available.
Due to this, there was a shortage of fodder. A large number of Maasai cattle
died of starvation and disease.

Long Question/Answer (5 Mark)

1. Give reasons to explain why the Maasai community lost their grazing lands. [CBSE
March 2011,2013]
Or
Why did the Maasai face the problem of continuous loss of their grazing lands under
the colonial rule? Give reasons. [CBSE March 2012]
Or
How did the new territorial boundaries and restrictions suddenly change the lives of
pastoralists in Africa ? Explain any five points. [CBSE March 2013]
Or
Give any four reasons to explain why cattle stock of Maasais decreased under colonial
rule ? [CBSE 2011]
Answer.

● Closing the borders : In the late nineteenth century, the European Imperial
powers scrambled for territorial possessions in Africa, slicing up the region
into different colonies. In 1885, Maasailand was cut into half with an
international boundary between British Kenya and German Tanganyika.
Subsequently, the best grazing lands were gradually taken over for the
White settlement and the Maasai were pushed into a small area in South
Kenya and North Tanzania. The Maasai lost about 60 per cent of their
 pre-colonial lands. They were confined to an arid zone with uncertain
rainfall, and poor pastures.
● Expansion of Cultivation : From the late nineteenth century, the British
colonial government in East Africa also encouraged local peasant
communities to expand cultivation. As cultivation expanded, pasturelands
were turned into cultivated fields. In pre-colonial times, the Maasai
pastoralists had dominated their agricultural neighbours, both economically
and politically. By the end of colonial rule, the situation had reversed.
● Setting up of reserves: 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. Pastoralists were not allowed to enter
these reserves; they could neither hunt animals nor graze their herds in
these areas. Very often, these reserves were in areas that had traditionally
been regular grazing grounds for the Maasai herds. The Serengeti National
Park, for instance, was created over 14,760 km. of the Maasai grazing land.
● Deterioration of the quality of pastures : The loss pf the finest grazing lands
and water resources created pressure on the small area of land that the
Maasai were confined within. Continuous grazing within a small area
inevitably meant a deterioration of the qualify of pastures. Fodder was
always in short supply. Feeding the cattle became a persistent problem.
● Droughts and death of animals : Since lots of restrictions were imposed on
the movement of pastoralists, so they could not move to places where
pastures were available. Due to this, there was shortage of fodder. A large
number of Maasai cattle died of starvation and disease.

HOTS

1.“The Pastoral groups had been sustained by a careful consideration of a host of

factors”. Explain these factors.
Answer:

● Climatic Factor: They had to judge the climatic conditions of the regions
where they wanted to move. They had to judge how long the herds could
stay in one area, and where they could find water and pasture.
● Timing: They needed to calculate the timing of their movements, and
ensure that they could move through different territories.
 ● Relationships : They had to set up a relationship with farmers so that the
herds could graze in harvested fields, and manure the soil.

2.“In the nineteenth century, African pastoralists could move over vast areas in search
of pastures. When the pastures were exhausted in one place, they moved to a different
area to graze their cattle. From the late nineteenth century, the colonial government
began imposing various restrictions on their mobility.” Explain its impact on the
pastoralists of Africa.
Answer:

● Special permits were issued to the people. They were not allowed to move
out with their stock without special permits. And it was difficult to get
permits without trouble and harassment.
● Pastoralists were also not allowed to enter the markets in the White areas.
In many regions, they were prohibited from participating in any form of
trade. So now they were fully dependent on their stock.
● When restrictions were imposed on pastoral movements, grazing lands
came to be continuously used, and the quality of pastures declined. This, in
turn created a further shortage of forage for animals, and the deterioration
of animal stock.
● Now most of the nomads were forced to live within a semi-arid tract prone
to frequent droughts.

Value Based

1.By which Act many pastoralist communities were classified as criminal Tribes ? Was
it fare to declare them as criminals ?
Answer:
Criminal Tribe Act. No, it was not fair.

2.Why did feeding the cattle become a persistent problem for the Massais ?
Answer:
Because continuous grazing in small areas deteriorates the quality of pasture.

3.“Pastoralists of Africa were not allowed to enter the markets in white areas”. Which
immoral value is being reflected?
Answer:
 ● Discrimination
● Inequality

4.Do you think all the grazing lands or forests should be transformed into cultivable
forms ? Justify your answer.
Answer.
No, all the grazing lands or forests should not be transformed into cultivable lands
because this will disturb the ecological balance.

5.‘Many ecologists believe that in dry regions and in the mountains, pastoralism is still
ecologically the most viable form of life’. Do you agree? Justify by giving reasons.
Answer:
Yes I do agree that in dry regions and in the mountains, pastoralism is still ecologically
the most viable form of life because

● In winter, when the high mountains are covered with snow the pastoralists
need to move in the low hills in search of pastures.
● The people of central plateau of Maharashtra need to move out of the
plateau during the dry season in search of pastures. They migrate towards
the Konkan region manuring the fields of the Konkan farmers.
● In the hilly areas or dry regions if the pastoralists do not move the ,
continuous intense grazing of the pastures will lead to deterioration of
pastures.

6.“Maasai the Pastoralists of Africa were discriminated against by the White people.”
Explain.
Answer:
Pastoralists were also not allowed to enter the markets in white areas. In many regions,
they were prohibited from participating in any form of trade. White settlers and
European colonists saw pastoralists as dangerous and savage people with whom all
contact had to be minimized. Cutting off all links was, however, never really possible,
because white colonists had to depend on black labor to bore mines and build roads
and towns.