Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities - Class 7 History Chapter 7

What Were Tribal Societies?

A tribe was a group of people who belonged together because of kinship (blood or marriage ties), not because of caste or religion. Tribal people did not divide themselves into rich and poor, high and low, the way caste society did. Land and resources were usually owned by the whole clan, and every member had a right to a share.

Tribes could be:

• Settled agriculturists who grew crops, like some Gonds.
• Shifting cultivators who cleared forest patches, farmed for a season, then moved on (also called jhum cultivation).
• Hunter-gatherers, living off forest produce and hunting.
• Pastoralists / nomads, herding cattle, sheep or goats and moving with the seasons.

Unlike caste society, tribal identity depended on where people lived — forests, hills, deserts — and this shaped their economy, food, and way of governing themselves through a chief and a tribal council.

Key Terms and Groups

Tribe

A social group whose members are linked by kinship and who often shared land and resources collectively, without caste-based hierarchy.

Nomadic pastoralists

People who moved from place to place with their herds of cattle, sheep, or camels in search of pasture, e.g., the Banjaras.

Shifting cultivation

A farming method where forest land is cleared and burnt, cultivated for a short period, then left fallow while the farmer moves to a new patch.

Khel

A type of tribal organisation among the Gonds where several villages formed a unit under a chief, used for administration.

Banjaras

The most famous trader-nomads of medieval India who transported grain, salt and other goods over long distances using bullocks.

Chieftaincy/tribal state

A political system where a tribal chief, often after gaining wealth or military power, became a king ruling over both tribal and non-tribal people.

How Tribes Became Powerful Kingdoms - Worked Examples

• Example 1 - The Gonds: The Gonds lived in the forested region called Gondwana (present-day Madhya Pradesh and parts of Chhattisgarh). Step 1: Their society was organised into small units called 'garhs', each governed by a Gond chief. Step 2: Groups of garhs formed a larger unit called a 'garha katanga' meaning 'chief of 70 forts'. Step 3: In the 16th century, a powerful Gond kingdom emerged under Raja Aman Das (Sangram Shah), who brought many garhs under his control. Step 4: After the rise of the Mughals, Gond kingdoms like Garha Katanga were forced to accept Mughal control, e.g. Akbar's general defeated Rani Durgavati. Final understanding: Tribal chiefs could grow into full kings by conquering neighbouring garhs, but larger empires like the Mughals eventually reduced their independence.
• Example 2 - The Ahoms of Assam: Step 1: The Ahoms migrated from present-day Myanmar into the Brahmaputra valley in the 13th century. Step 2: They organised their society through a forced labour system called 'paiks', where men gave a few months of work each year to the state instead of tax. Step 3: With this labour force, the Ahoms built roads, irrigation systems, and a strong army, gradually converting their tribal kingdom into a well-administered state. Step 4: The Ahom state adopted Hinduism gradually, and by the 16th century, the Ahom king was worshipped almost like a Hindu ruler, showing how a tribal group transformed into a caste-influenced kingdom. Final understanding: Migration plus a smart labour-tax system allowed the Ahoms to build one of the strongest tribal-origin kingdoms in medieval India.

Life of Nomadic Pastoralists and Traders - Step by Step

1. Step 1: Seasonal Movement — Nomadic pastoralists like the Van Gujjars (Punjab hills) and the Labanas moved with their herds according to seasons — going to hills in summer for fresh pasture and returning to plains in winter.
2. Step 2: Trade During Travel — While migrating, nomads like the Banjaras carried goods on the backs of their bullocks. A single Banjara caravan (called 'tanda') could have thousands of oxen carrying grain, salt and fodder for the army and towns.
3. Step 3: Supplying Armies — Because armies on the move needed huge quantities of food supplies quickly, Mughal and other rulers depended heavily on Banjara caravans, e.g., Emperor Jahangir noted that a single Banjara chief could supply grain to an entire army.
4. Step 4: Settling Down Over Time — Over centuries, many nomadic and pastoral groups settled permanently in one place, took up farming, and slowly merged into the caste-based village society as a distinct jati (sub-caste).

Tribes and the Formation of New Castes

As tribal people settled down permanently and began farming regularly, many were absorbed into caste society as separate jatis. For example, groups like the Kolis and Berads, who were originally forest and hunting communities, were later classified as 'lower castes' once they settled in villages and started paying land revenue like ordinary peasants.

Similarly, some tribal chiefs who became powerful rulers began claiming Rajput status to gain social respect — this is called 'Rajputisation'. Meanwhile, the poorer members of the same tribe who continued as peasants or labourers were pushed to lower positions in the caste hierarchy. This shows how tribal identity and caste identity often mixed together over the medieval period, creating many new social categories that are still visible in India today.

Common Mistakes and Exam Tips

• Do not confuse 'tribe' with 'caste' — tribes were based on kinship and did not originally follow caste hierarchy; caste involves birth-based occupational hierarchy.
• Remember specific names correctly: Gonds (Gondwana/Garha Katanga), Ahoms (Assam, paik system), Banjaras (trade nomads) — mixing up these examples is a common error in exams.
• Do not assume all tribal people were nomads; many tribes like some Gonds were fully settled agriculturists.
• When asked to compare tribal and caste society, always mention: land ownership pattern, social equality, and basis of grouping (kinship vs birth-occupation).
• In map-based questions, correctly locate Gondwana in central India and the Ahom kingdom in the Brahmaputra valley (Assam) — a frequent scoring mistake is swapping these regions.

Practice Questions with Solutions

• Q: What is the main difference between a tribal society and a caste-based society?
  A: Step 1: In tribal society, people are grouped by kinship (blood or marriage ties) and usually share land and resources collectively. Step 2: In caste society, people are grouped by birth into a hierarchy of high and low castes, with unequal access to land, wealth, and social respect. Step 3: Tribal societies generally did not have rigid ideas of purity/pollution, while caste society strictly followed these divisions. Final answer: Tribal societies are based on kinship and equality of resource-sharing, while caste societies are based on birth-determined hierarchy and unequal status.

• Q: Describe how the Gonds organised their kingdom, using the terms 'garh' and 'garha katanga'.
  A: Step 1: The Gond tribal region was divided into small administrative units called 'garhs', each ruled by a local Gond chief. Step 2: A group of garhs (about 84 villages each) formed larger clusters, and 70 such garhs together formed a large kingdom called 'Garha Katanga', meaning 'chief of 70 forts'. Step 3: The most powerful ruler, Sangram Shah (Aman Das), united many garhs under his control in the 16th century, expanding Gond power. Final answer: The Gonds built their kingdom by organising villages into garhs, combining many garhs into the larger Garha Katanga state under a central Gond ruler.

• Q: How did the Ahoms build a powerful kingdom in the Brahmaputra valley?
  A: Step 1: The Ahoms migrated from Myanmar into Assam in the 13th century and gradually subdued local tribes. Step 2: They introduced the 'paik' system, where able-bodied men worked for the state for a fixed number of days each year instead of paying tax in cash. Step 3: This organised labour force was used to build irrigation canals, roads and a strong professional army. Step 4: Over time, the Ahoms adopted Hindu customs and expanded their kingdom, eventually resisting Mughal invasions. Final answer: Through migration, the paik forced-labour system, infrastructure building, and gradual adoption of Hindu practices, the Ahoms transformed a tribal group into a strong, organised kingdom.

• Q: Who were the Banjaras and why were they important to medieval Indian trade and armies?
  A: Step 1: The Banjaras were nomadic trader communities who travelled long distances with large caravans (tandas) of oxen. Step 2: They transported bulk goods such as grain, salt, and fodder between villages, towns, and army camps. Step 3: Because armies moving through different regions needed huge food supplies quickly, rulers like the Mughals depended on Banjara caravans to feed soldiers on campaign. Final answer: The Banjaras were essential nomadic traders whose bullock caravans supplied grain and goods to towns and moving armies, making them a vital economic link in medieval India.

• Q: Explain the process called 'Rajputisation' with reference to tribal chiefs.
  A: Step 1: As some tribal chiefs gained wealth and military power, they wanted higher social status recognised by settled caste society. Step 2: They began claiming descent from established Rajput clans, adopting Rajput customs, titles, and marriage alliances. Step 3: This helped them gain acceptance as kings within the caste hierarchy, even though their origin was tribal. Final answer: Rajputisation was the process by which powerful tribal chiefs claimed Rajput identity to gain higher social status and legitimacy as rulers within caste society.

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