resources: education
Education and Change among the Tribal Peoples of Jharkhand
Posted on: May 25, 2005.
Modified on:
By James Toppo, S.J.
... cont'd from page 4.
5. Expansion, a natural process
Younger male adults were expected to branch out and create fields of their own, preferably away from parental place. By clearing virgin forests somewhere, young men would become new Khuntkattidars in their own right. This effectively forestalled ownership disputes likely to arise over the ancestal property. As such, the tribals in big numbers went exploring new avenues on all four directions, looking not for cities and clustered habitations, but for dense forests and unoccupied jungles. The Uraons, the Mundas and the Kherias seem to be adept at converting forest land into cultivable ones. The British rulers later capitalized on these skills for various projects: road making in the Andaman islands, tending tea plants in the tea estates and bunker digging at World War II.
II. Change in Tribal Leadership and the Beginnings of Tribal Exploitation
1. 'Diku' invasion of Jharkhand
Diku is a term applied to any non-tribal, who has turned into an exploiter. Initially tribals did not have kings. They were democratic communities, highly egalitarian in behaviour. To have leaders or chiefs in the style of royalty, as generally understood, was adverse to tribal culture. They had chieftains for defence and administration. Civil administration was in the hands of the Parha, the House of elders, chosen by common consent. Parha presided over all the functions of the villages but the members of the Parha in comparison to other members of the community were like 'Primi inter Pares'; nothing to show off, no palaces, no retinue, no princely style of living. Whatever they possessed was an honest man’s own earnings.
Amidst tribal protests, fresh reinforcement of foreigners -- the Musalmans, the Pathans, the Sikhs and the Rajputs -- aggravated the situation beyond proportion, forcing the tribals to take up arms in a futile bid to drive away Dikus of all brands. Larka Kol Rebellion, Santhal Hul, Sardar Larai, Birsa Movement and so on must be considered in the light of attempted flush out of all non-tribals.
In the course of time one such chieftain, Phani Mukut Rai, got hinduised and proclaimed himself a king; established a hereditary kingdom. He began to behave like the Hindu rajas: he collect tributes from every village. This violation of the tribal tradition gave rise to vehement resistance. Such a revenue system went against the very basic concept of land ownership. A historical chasm appeared between the chieftain and his subjects, never again to be filled.
Henceforth, people’s alienation from their chieftain would continue to grow. During the Moghul period, King Durjansal was arrested by Jahangir, the Emperor. He was taken to Delhi to be imprisoned in Gwalior for ten or more years. Here he learnt the Hindu ways of administering the state, which accorded high offices to the Brahmins.
On his release, Durjansal returned with a retinue of courtiers and completed the incomplete project of his ancestor. He appointed the newly arrived Dikus as Jamindars the Thikedars or the Jagirdars for collecting village tributes. In defiance to opposition, the raja broght in more Hindu courtiers to settle down in Jharkhand. These foreign nobles and courtiers were granted village overlordship in return for the services rendered. These Jamindars and Jagirdars with their Thikedars were bound to come in conflict with the established khuntkatidars. (Sahay, K. N.: Tribal Transformation in India vol. V, (Essay): “The Theoritical model for the study of Christianisation among the tribal of Chotanagpur”, pp.73)
As such, the Jagirdars in their turn brought in more thikedars to carry out rent collection. The collection soon extended beyond land rent in that rents were imposed on random pretexts. This infuriated the tribals so much that they repelled such demands altogether. (Sahay, K. N.: pp.73)
Fresh reinforcement of foreigners, the Musalmans, the Pathans, the Sikhs and the Rajputs aggravated the situation beyond proportion, forcing the tribals to take up arms in a futile bid to drive away Dikus of all brands. Larka Kol rebellion, Santhal Hul, Sardar larai, Birsa Movement and so on must be considered in the light of attempted flush out of all non-tribals.
Yet the attitude of hospitality and welcoming friendliness to people, who may seek to clear of the forest and peacefully settle down, continued to mark the tribals' rational behaviour. It had two unhappy consequences: firstly, it opened floodgates for profit-seeking merchants and the moneylenders, who would soon occupy the tribal land. Secondly, it heralded direct cultural conflict between the land-and-plough minded tribals and the money-and-profit minded non-tribals. Needless to say, when the British assumed power, the tribals were a defeated lot, having lost much of their land and whatever else they had possessed.
2. Advent of Fiscal Economy and money-culture
The advent of fiscal economy was an unavoidable phenomenon in tribal history. However, tribals from the beginning failed to mentally differentiate the value of land and money. The new settlers -- business-minded people, who now abundantly lent money, and supplied goods and servies -- generated irresistible need for and promise of luxury till now unknown to the tribals. Worse, they demanded land in return for the debts incurred in assuaging the thirst for luxury. This process systematically divested the tribals of their fields, reducing them to serfs. The Jamindars, the Jagirdars, the Thikedars, the Soodkhors and the Sahukars (money lenders with exorbitant rates of interest) combined, sapped the life-blood out of tribal life in Chotanagpur.
"Handiya" or rice beer in earthen pot is a popular local brew in Chotanagpur. Indeed, hardly any celebration would be complete without it. Excessive consumption of it is also a regrettably common sight.
"In addition to perpetuating the ills of Bihar, no suitable education policy to emancipate the tribals and backward classes has been worked out, despite several years of autonomy."