Page 91 - Understanding NCERT Histroy 09th

Source D (Page no. 89)
Rubber extraction in the Putumayo ‘Everywhere in the world, conditions of work in plantations
were horrific. The extraction of rubber in the Putumayo region of the Amazon, by the Peruvian
Rubber Company (with British and Peruvian interests) was dependent on the forced labour of
Goyal Brothers Prakashan
the local Indians, called Huitotos. From 1900-1912, the Putumayo output of 4000 tons of rubber
was associated with a decrease of some 30,000 among the Indian population due to torture,
disease and flight. A letter by an employee of a rubber company describes how the rubber was
collected. The manager summoned hundreds of Indians to the station: He grasped his carbine
and machete and began the slaughter of these defenceless Indians, leaving the ground covered
with 150 corpses, among them, men, women and children. Bathed in blood and appealing
for mercy, the survivors were heaped with the dead and burned to death, while the manager
shouted, “I want to exterminate all the Indians who do not obey my orders about the rubber
that I require them to bring in.”
Michael Taussig, ‘Culture of Terror-Space of Death’, in Nicholas Dirks, ed.
Colonialism and Culture, 1992.

3. REBELLION IN THE FOREST

l Deprivation and exploitation of forest communities led to rebellion, all over the world,
particularly so in India.
l These rebellions were led by Sidhu & Kanhu (in Santhal Pargana), Birsa Munda (in
Chhotanagpur), Alluri Sitaram Raju (Andhra Pradesh).

3.1 The People of Bastar
l Bastar is situated in the southernmost part of Chhattisgarh bordering Andhra Pradesh,

Odisha and Maharashtra.
l Central region of Bastar is located on a plateau which is bounded by Chhattisgarh plain

in north and by Godavari plain in South. Indrawati river flows across Bastar. Many tribal
communities such as Halbas, Dhurwas, Dhatras, Maria, Maria Gonds live in Bastar.
l The people are tribal, hence they worship spirits of river, forest and mountains and are

held together by clan and kinship loyalties.

3.2 The Fears of the People
l In 1905 the government reserved two-thirds of the forest as reserved forests, thereby

banning shifting cultivation, hunting and collection of forest produce. People of Bastar rose
in rebellion as they had lost their traditional rights. Most of the villages were displaced
without any notice or compensation.
l The terrible famines of 1899–1900 and 1907–1908 further aggravated the misery of

people.
l People of Bastar rose in rebellion first started under Dhurwas of Kanger forest. Gunda

Dhur assumed the leadership of the rebellion. Bazars were looted, houses of officials,
traders, schools and police stations were burnt and robbed – all associated with Colonial
government were destroyed.
l The government sent troops to suppress the rebellion. Most of the villages were deserted

as people fled to jungles. The British brought the situation under control in three months.
But the leader Gunda Dhur escaped. Rebels won concession — work on reservation was
temporarily stopped and the area to be reserved was halved of that planned earlier.

H-82 History Class IX