NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science History Chapter 7 Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities

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Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science History Chapter 7

Class 7 History Chapter 7 Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities InText Questions and Answers

Text Book Page No. 92

Question 1.
On a physical map of the sub¬continent, identify the areas in which tribal people may have lived.
Answer:
[Hint : According to the book, tribes used to live in forests, hills, deserts and places different to reach. Therefore, you can search such areas on the physical map of the subcontinent and shade them. Also see Map 1 on Text Book Page 93.

Text Book Page No 95

Question 1.
Find out how grain is transported from villages to cities at present. In what ways is this similar to or different from the ways in which the Banjaras functioned?
Answer:
At present, grain is transported from villages to cities in lorries, trucks, trains, etc. The present-day method of grain transportation is much faster than the method of Banjaras who used bullock-carts for grain transportation.

Text Book Page No. 99

Question 1.
Discuss why the Mughals were interested in the land of the Gonds.
Answer:

1. The territory of Gonds was in central part of the subcontinent.
2. Mughals ruled over the northern part. They wished to expand their control over the southern kingdoms of the subcontinent.
3. In order to do that, they first had to take control in the central part of the subcontinent which was ruled by Gonds.
4. Therefore, Mughals were interested in the land of the Gonds.

Text Book Page No. 100

Question 1.
Why do you think the Mughals tried to conquer the land of the Ahoms ?
Answer:

1. Ahoms ruled the north-east region of the subcontinent, Mughals in order to expand their domain in the entire subcontinent, tried to conquer the land of Ahoms.
2. Also, the land of Ahoms was a rich source of forest produce and animals such as elephants were war animals. They also led to the Mughal attack on the land of Ahoms.

Text Book Page No. 101

Imagine

Question 1.
You are a member of a nomadic community that shifts residence every three months. How would this change your life ?
Answer:

1. I think, due to a nomadic life, my education would be highly disturbed otherwise I would have to live in a hostel. That would result in the separation of the family.
2. I would get a chance to see many new places, to go through unknown, unexplored forests.
   Therefore, my life would be changed in both positive and negative manners.

Class 7 History Chapter 7 Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities Exercise Questions and Answers

Let’s Recall

Question 1.
Match the following

Garh	Khel
Tanda	Chaurasi
Labourer	Caravan
Clan	Garha Katanga
Sib Singh	Ahom state
Durgawati	puik

Answer:

Garh	Chaurasi
Tanda	Caravan
Labourer	puik
Clan	Khel
Sib Singh	Ahom state
Durgawati	Garha Katanga

Question 2.
Fill in the blanks :
(а) The new castes emerging within varnas were called _______.
Answer:
Jatis

(b) _______ were historical works written by the Ahoms.
Answer:
Buranjis

(c) The _______ mentions that Garha Katanga had 70,000 villages.
Answer:
Akbar Nama

(d) As tribal states became bigger and stronger, they gave land grants to _______ and _______
Answer:
poets, scholars

Question 3.
State whether true or false :
(a) Tribal societies had rich oral traditions.
Answer:
True

(b) There were no tribal communities in the north-western part of the subcontinent.
Answer:
False

(c) The chaurasi in Gond states contained several cities.
Answer:
False

(d) The Bhils lived in the north-eastern part of the subcontinent.
Answer:
False

Question 4.
What kinds of exchanges took place between nomadic pastoralists and settled agriculturists?
Answer:
The nomadic pastoralists exchanged wool, ghee, etc. with settled agriculturists for grain, cloth, utensils, and other products.

Let’s Understand

Question 5.
How was the administration of the Ahom state organised ?
Answer:
The administration of the Ahom state was organised in the following manner :

1. The Ahom state depended upon forced labour or paiks.
2. The census of the population was taken.
3. Each village had to send a number of pajks by rotation.
4. People from heavily populated areas were shifted to less populated places. Ahom clans were thus broken up.
5. By the first half of the 17th century, the administration became quite centralised.

Question 6.
What changes took place in varna-based society?
Answer:
Changes in Varna based Society:

1. In almost the entire subcontinent, society was already divided on the basis of varna.
   • These rules, prescribed by the Brahmanas, were accepted by the rulers of large kingdoms.
   • The differences between the high and low, and between the rich and poor, increased.
     Under the Delhi Sultans and the Mughals, this hierarchy between social classes grew further.
2. With the growth of economy and the needs of society, people with new skills were required.
3. Smaller castes, or jatis, emerged within varnas.
   • New castes appeared amongst the Brahmanas.
4. Many tribes and social groups formed a caste-based society and were given the status of jatis.
   • Specialized artisans like—smiths, carpenters and masons were also recognized as separate jatis by the Brahmanas.
   • Jatis surpassed varna and became the basis of society organization.

Question 7.
How did tribal societies change after being organised into a state ?
Answer:
The emergence of large states changed the nature of tribal societies. We can understand this with the help of two examples—the Gond society and the Ahom society.

The Gond Society: Their basically equal society gradually got divided into unequal social classes. Brahmanas received land grants from the Gond rajas and became more influential. The Gond chiefs now wished to be recognized as Rajputs. So, Aman Das, the Gond raja of Garha Katanga, assumed the title of ‘Sangram Shah’.

The Ahom Society: The Ahoms built a large state which brought many changes in the Ahom society. The influence of Brahmanas increased. Temples and Brahmanas were granted land by the king. In the reign of Sib Singh, Hinduism became the predominant religion. But the Ahom Kings did not completely give up their traditional beliefs after adopting Hinduism.

Let’s Discuss

Question 8.
Were the Banjaras important for the economy?
Answer:
Yes, the Banjaras were important for the economy in the following ways :

1. Banjaras were trader-nomads.
2. Under Sultan Alauddin Khalji, Banjaras used to transport to the city markets.
3. According to Emperor Jahangir, Banjaras carried grain on their bullocks from different areas and sold it in towns.
4. Banjaras transported food grains for the Mughal army during military campaigns.

Question 9.
In what ways was the history of the Gonds different from that of the Ahoms ? Were there any similarities ?
Answer:
There were following differences in the history of Ahoms and Gonds :

Ahoms	Gonds
Ahoms expanded their rule by wedging war against kingdoms of chhutiyas and Koch-Hajo. They did not have marriage alliances.	Gonds were influenced by Rajputs, In order to gain power and recognition , they had marriage alliances with Rajputs.
Ahoms were migrants of Brahmaputra valley from present-day Myanmar.	Gonds were not migrants.
The Ahom state was dependent upon the forced labour.	Gond state was not dependent upon the forced Labour.
Ahoms introduced the new methods of rice cultivation.	Gonds did not introduce the new methods of rice Cultivation.
Under  Ahom king sib singh, Hinduism became a predominant religion.	Gond society was further divided into unequal social classes.
Ahom society was more developed.	Gond society was not as developed as Ahoms.
	Gonds Practised shifting cultivation.

Yes, Ahom and Gonds had following similarities:

1. Both the tribal states were attacked by Mughals at different times. This became a cause of their decline.
2. Both of them, in order to enjoy raised social status, pleased Brahmanas, by granting them lands.
3. Both of these tribes evolved centralised administrative systems.

Let’s Do

Question 10.
Plot the location of the tribes mentioned in this chapter on the map. For any two, discuss whether their mode of livelihood was suited to the geography and the environment of the area where they lived.
Answer:

1. Balociis
2. Gakkhars
3. Khokhars
4. Janjuhas
5. Langahs
6. Arghuns
7. Sammas
8. Kolis
9. Jaitwas
10. Bhils
11. Katkaris
12. Koragas
13. Berads
14. Badagas
15. Vetars
16. Maravars
17. Koyas
18. Khonds
19. Baigas
20. Gonds
21. Oraons
22. Cheros
23. Mundas
24. Santals
25. Kochs
26. Khasis
27. Kacharis
28. Ahoms
29. Nagas

(1) Bhil – Bhils used to live in the western part of the subcontinent which was full of forests and fertile land. Bhils were engaged in agriculture and hunting-gathering. Therefore, their occupation suited to the geography of the area where they lived.

(2) Ahom – The Ahom people used to live in north-east. The area received heavy rainfall. It also had plenty of water as Brahmaputra river flows in this area. And Ahom people were rice cultivators. Therefore, their occupation matched to the geography of their area.

Question 11.
Find out about present-day government policies towards tribal populations and organise a discussion about these.
Answer:
Students, do yourselves.
[Hint-You can discuss the reservation policy of government for Scheduled Tribes which ensure them a prescribed number of seats in educational and government jobs.]

Question 12.
Find out more about present-day nomadic pastoral groups in the subcontinent. What animals do they keep ? Which are the areas frequented by these groups ?
Answer:
Gurjars and Bakarwals of the Himalayan region, Gaddis, Oswals, etc.

• Goats and sheep.
• Kumaon region of Uttarakhand
• Jammu and Kashmir.