Page 121 - Understanding NCERT Histroy 09th

result, the available area of pastureland declined.
The reservation of forests added to their miseries.
Now they could no longer freely pasture their cattle in the forests. As pasture lands
disappeared under the plough, the existing animal stock had to feed on whatever grazing
land remained. This led to intensive grazing of these pastures as a result of which their
Goyal Brothers Prakashan
quality declined over time.
This created a further shortage of fodder for animals and the deterioration of animal stock.
Underfed cattle died in large numbers during scarcities and famines.
In such a situation it was difficult to survive. So, many pastoralists adopted other means to
earn their livelihood. Some became settled peasants cultivating lands, others took to more
extensive trade. Those who were very poor, became labourers.
5. From the late nineteenth century, the colonial government began imposing various restrictions
on the mobility of the Maasai and other pastoral groups of Africa. How all these restrictions
affected their lives?
Ans. The colonial government in Africa never liked the mobility of the pastoral people. So, they
imposed several restrictions on them:
l They were forced to live within the confined areas. The boundaries of these reserves
were limited within which they could move now.
l They were not allowed to move out with their stock without permits. And it was
difficult to get permits without harassment. Those found guilty of disobeying the rules
were severely punished.
l Pastoralists were 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 them as dangerous and savage.
l The new territorial boundaries and restrictions imposed on pastoralists suddenly changed
their lives. This adversely affected both their pastoral and trading activities.
l Earlier they used to traded in various products along with rearing of animal herds but
now under colonial rule they faced various restrictions.

6. How did the Indian pastoralists cope with the changes that was introduced by the British
colonial government?
Ans. Under colonial rule, the life of pastoralists changed dramatically. Their grazing grounds
shrank, their movements were restricted , and the revenue they had to pay increased.
l Some reduced the number of cattle in their herds, since there was not enough pasture
to feed large number of animals.
l Others discovered new pastures when movement to old grazing grounds became difficult.
l After 1947, the camel and sheep herders - Raikas, for instance, could no longer move
into Sindh and graze their camels on the banks of the river Indus, as they had done
earlier.
l 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.
l Over the years, some richer pastoralists began buying land and settling down, by giving
up their nomadic life.
l Many poor pastoralists, on the other hand, borrowed money from moneylenders to
survive. At times they lost their cattle and sheep and became labourers, working on
fields or in small towns.

H-112 History Class IX