Tribal Revolts

The tribal revolts and uprisings by Indian tribal communities rose against the British’s forcible and disastrous incursions into their lives and territories. Prior to the entry of colonial forces, the tribals had been living quietly and in harmony with nature in their own woods for hundreds of years. The British arrived and brought numerous changes to their way of life, as well as strangers into their domain. They went from being masters of their own land to becoming slaves and debts as a result of this. The revolutions were primarily motivated by a desire to reclaim their freedom from this unwelcome incursion. 

Causes

• Shifting agriculture, hunting, fishing, and the usage of forest products were the tribals’ mainstays.
• The practice of settled agriculture was established with the inflow of non-tribals into the tribals’ customary territories.
• The tribal population lost land as a result of this.
• The tribals were confined to working as agricultural laborers without land.
• Moneylenders were introduced by the British into tribal communities, resulting in serious exploitation of the native tribes. Under the new economic structure, they were forced to work as bonded laborers.
• The concept of joint ownership of land was supplanted by the concept of private property in tribal communities.
• Forest products, changing agriculture, and hunting techniques were all subject to limitations. For the tribals, this resulted in a loss of livelihood.
• In contrast to mainstream culture, which was characterized by caste and class divisions, tribal life was typically egalitarian. The arrival of non-tribals or outsiders pushed the tribals to the bottom of society’s ladder.
• Police, traders, and moneylenders (most of whom were ‘outsiders’) exploited the tribals, exacerbating their plight.
• Some general laws were also despised because they were intrusive, as tribals had their own customs and traditions.
• The government established a Forest Department in 1864, primarily to manage the vast riches of Indian forests.
• The Government Forest Act of 1865 and the Indian Forest Act of 1878 gave the government total control over wooded territory.
• The Christian missionaries’ activity also caused social instability in tribal civilization, which the tribes hated.

Characteristics of Tribal Revolts

• The unity displayed by these organizations was motivated by tribal or ethnic connections.
• However, not all ‘outsiders’ were viewed as enemies: the poor who supported the community via physical labor or profession were left alone.
• The violence was focused on moneylenders and businessmen who were perceived as extensions of the colonial administration.
• One prevalent motive was hatred of the ‘foreign government’ imposing regulations that were regarded as an attempt to dismantle the tribals’ traditional socioeconomic structure.
• Many tribal revolutions were sparked by the erosion of tribal rights to land and forest as a result of British-imposed laws.
• The land was gradually alienated from tribes as non-tribe people gradually took over the land as land became private property and market forces dominated.
• This was especially true with the construction of roads and trains linking tribal territories.
• Many revolutions were led by messiah-like personalities who pushed their people to revolt and promised that they would be able to eliminate their misery caused by “outsiders.”
• Given the antiquated guns they fought with vs the sophisticated weapons and strategies utilized by their opponents, tribal uprisings were doomed from the start.

Chuar Uprising (1776)

The Chuar uprising was a series of peasant rebellions against the East India Company that took place between 1771 and 1809 in the area around the West Bengali villages of Midnapore, Bankura, and Manbhum. The rebels rose in revolt in response to the East India Company’s oppressive land revenue policy, which endangered their economic survival. Chuar Uprising is also called Jungle Mahal Revolt. 

Background

• The Chuars were Bhumij tribes descended from the Mundari mainstream.
• After leaving the Chotanagpur plateau, they settled in considerable numbers in the Bengal districts of Midnapur, Bankura, and Purulia.
• These people were primarily farmers and hunters, with some working for local zamindars.
• The Chuars were an important ethnic group in Manbhum and Barabhum, particularly in the highlands between Barabhum and Ghatsila.
• They owned their holdings under a form of feudal tenure, but they were not very committed to the land, being willing to switch from farming to hunting at the whim of their jungle chiefs or zamindars.
• These forest zamindars were used to recruit Chuars as paiks (guards who policed the community). Sardars were the name given to the chief paiks.
• The Chuar uprisings took place in stages, each with its own set of traits, leaders, and epicenter.

Chuar Uprising

• The first Chuar uprising erupted in response to the jungle zamindars’ increased earnings. The money was difficult to generate because the forest region produced little.
• Furthermore, in 1767, the British residents of Midnapur were ordered to demolish their mud forts, which infuriated the zamindars.
• In 1768, Jagannath Singh, the zamindar of Ghatsila (or the monarch of Dhalbhum), led a rebellion with thousands of Chuar supporters. The Company’s government surrendered.
• The Chuar sardars, Shyam Ganjan of Dhadka, Subla Singh of Kaliapal, and Dubraj, rose in revolt in 1771. However, the uprising was put down this time.
• Durjan (or Durjol) Singh led the most major revolt in 1798.
• The East India Company’s tax and administrative policies (including the Permanent Settlement), as well as the police restrictions enforced in rural Bengal, rendered the practice of employing local paiks obsolete since they were eventually replaced by professional police.
• In the Chuar uprising of 1798, disgruntled paiks and common Chuars banded together with the jungle zamindars.
• Durjan Singh was the zamindar of Raipur, which he lost due to the actions of the Bengal Regulations.
• In May 1798, his supporters, a group of 1,500 Chuars, engaged in violent operations in Raipur to prevent the auction of Raipur’s estate.
• In 1799, the British violently repressed the insurrection. Other Chuar chiefs were Madhab Singh, the raja of Barabhum’s brother; Raja Mohan Singh, zamindar of Juriah; and Lachman Singh of Dulma.
• The individuals involved in the uprisings were all connected to the land in some way: zamindars, paiks, and common Chuars.
• It may be said that there was a collision of lifestyles. The rebels had previously lived an agricultural lifestyle, in a small community.
• The invasion of colonial armies into their territory introduced them to a new circumstance that disrupted their way of life.
• They were also unwilling to accept foreigners (or non-Adivasis).
• Some historians believe the epithet ‘Chuar’ to be disparaging, and instead, refer to this as the Revolt of the Jungle Mahal.