Adivasi and the State Government

The Adivasis and the State

During the British rule the adivasis were considered uncivilized people who had to change for their best interest. Their slash and burn methods of cultivation were highly unproductive and unremunerative to the government; some colonial officers wondered whether it was even worth to preserve the adivasis. When the British imposed their rule these much denigrated people made no attempt to resist, they generally avoided confrontation. They did not need to fight to control their sparsely populated territory. Rather than meet an official they would hide themself in the forest. When the demand of tax collector become intolerant they migrated to other areas. In the period after 1860, the British made some attempt to encourage the adivasis to cultivate fixed land-holdings. Tax arrangement were worked out in which the lands of each village were mapped out and divided in plots. Each cultivator was allowed to take up as many plots as he needed, after which he was registered as the owner and required to pay a tax on his holding. Many plots remained unoccupied, gradually, however, the unoccupied plots were taken up by non- adivasis land speculators. These were for the most part urban money lenders or Parsis. They generally exploited the grass and timber, they posted guards on the land to prevent adivasis from taking timber or allowing their cattle to graze on it. In some cases they charged grazing fee to villagers. Previously this land was considered property of the villagers who used it for shifting cultivation, timber and fodder. In an act of outright appropriation they had been deprived of one of their chief material resources. In general, it was believed that this scrub forest was a major cause of malaria. Malaria was commonly believed during the nineteenth century to be caused by putrefied vegetable matter which polluted the drinking water. After it become known that the illness was caused by mosquitos it was argued that insects lived in the forests. The forest had therefore to be cleaned to improve the health and productivity of the people. In some areas, the adivasis were banned from cultivating the forest and were to pay fees for grazing their cattle or for collecting forest products. Each year many cattle were impounded for failure to pay this fee, they were also forced to labour in the forest, planting samplings, clearing firebreaks. The forest officers treated the adivasis in a very oppressive manner.