Pastoralism

NOMADISM AS A WAY OF LIFE 

The Mountain Nomads

The Gujjar Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir — They are pastoral nomads who move

in  groups called ‘Kafila’. Their movements are governed by the cold and snow. In winters when

the high mountains are covered with snow these  Gujjars move down to the low hills of the

Sivalik range. On the onset of summer, when the snow melts and the mountains become lush and

green, these pastoralists move back to the mountains.

The Gaddi Shepherds of Himachal Pradesh have a similar cycle of movement. They also

spend the winter on the low Sivalik hills and the summers in Lahul and Spiti.

The Gujjar cattle herders of Kumaon and Garhwal spend their summers in the ‘bugyals’ and

their winters in the ‘bhabar’.

The Bhotias, Sherpas and Kinnauri follow the cyclic movement which helps them to adjust to

seasonal changes and make best use of pastures.

On the plateaus, plains and deserts —

The Dhangars of Maharashtra : The Dhangars stay in the central plateau of Maharashtra

during the monsoon. This is a semi-arid region. By October they begin their movement towards

Konkan. Here their cattle help to manure the fields and hence they are welcomed by the Konkani

peasant. As soon as the monsoon sets in, they retreat back to the semi-arid land of Maharashtra.

The Gollas who herd cattle and the Kurumas and Kurubas who reared sheep and goat are

from Karnataka and Andhra. They live near the woods and in the dry periods they move to the

coastal tracts.

The Banjaras of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra move to

different places in search of good pastures.

The Raikas of Rajasthan combine cultivation with pastoralism. When their grazing grounds

become dry they move to new and greener pastures.

Pastoral life was sustained by

(a) their sense of judgement to know how long one must stay in an area

(b) to know where they could find food and water

(c) to assess and calculate the timings of their movement

(d) their ability to set up a relationship with the farmers so that the herds could graze on the harvested fields.

CHANGES IN PASTORAL LIFE DUE TO COLONIAL RULE

Under colonial rule the life of the pastoralists changed completely. Their grazing grounds became less,

their movements were regulated, the revenues they had to pay increased, their trades and crafts and

agricultural produce declined

How

All grazing lands became cultivated farms

Forests Act restricted movements of pastoralists in the forests

(a) Some customary rights were granted to them

(b) Forests were marked as protected and reserved

British officials were suspicious of these pastoral groups

(a) The Criminal Tribes Acts was passed in 1871

Taxes were imposed on cattle which went up rapidly

Effects

Natural restoration of pastoral growth stopped

Cattle died due to scarcity of fodder

Serious shortage of pastures

Intensive overgrazzing

Quality of pastures declined

PASTORALISM IN AFRICA

The Maasai — Changes in their way of life

The Maasai cattle herders live primarily in East Africa. Rules, laws and regulations have changed their way of life. There are many problems which they have faced, the most prominent being continuous loss of their grazing grounds. This has many reasons :

(a) scramble for territorial possessions in Africa.

(b) dividing the region into different colonies.

(c) best grazing grounds being taken over by the white settlements.

(d) grazing grounds being converted to cultivated land and national parks and game reserves. The Kaokoland herders have faced a similar fate.

Confined to special reserves — Traditionally, pastoralists moved to different pastures but with the restrictions imposed on them these pastoralists were confined to special reserves. They could not move without special permits. They were not allowed to enter the markets in white areas. Some tribes were affected by the Criminal Tribes Act. Even their trade activities were adversely affected.