Tribal Participation in the Freedom Struggle

Tribal Participation in the Freedom Struggle

Key Pointers

• Causes of tribal revolts: Colonial land revenue and forest policies (Forest Acts 1865, 1878); loss of access to forests and shifting cultivation; intrusion of 'dikus' (outsiders: moneylenders, traders, zamindars); forced labour (begar); missionary activity; new administrative systems.
• Major uprisings:
  • Pahariya Revolt (1772–82), Rajmahal hills.
  • Chuar Rebellion (1766–72, 1798–99), Midnapore (Bengal).
  • Ho Rebellion (1820–22) and Kol Uprising (1831–32) in Chotanagpur.
  • Bhil Uprisings (1817–31) in Khandesh; Govind Guru's Bhagat movement (1913, Mangarh Hill, Rajasthan).
  • Khasi Rising (1829–33) under Tirot Singh.
  • Santhal Hul (1855–56) led by Sidhu and Kanhu (with Chand and Bhairav) against zamindars, moneylenders and the British; led to creation of Santhal Pargana.
  • Khond Uprising (1846–55) under Chakra Bisoi (Orissa).
  • Munda Ulgulan (1899–1900) under Birsa Munda (Chotanagpur); he founded the Birsait faith, was arrested and died in jail (1900); led to the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (1908).
  • Koya Rebellion (1879–80); Rampa Rebellion (1879) and the Rampa/Manyam Rebellion (1922–24) led by Alluri Sitarama Raju (Andhra), a guerrilla struggle that combined Gandhian ideas and armed resistance.
  • Tana Bhagat Movement (1914) among the Oraons (Jatra Bhagat), later Gandhian.
  • Bastar Bhumkal (1910) (Gunda Dhur).
  • Naikda Movement (Gujarat; Joria Bhagat) and Kuki Rebellion (1917–19).
  • Zeliangrong Movement (1930s) in Manipur and Nagaland under Jadonang and Rani Gaidinliu (Heraka cult).
• Features: Millenarian and messianic leaders; mobilisation along ethnic and religious lines; targeted outsiders as well as the colonial state; mostly spontaneous and localised; harsh repression; some later joined the Gandhian movement.
• Impact and legacy: Tenancy and forest protections (e.g., Chotanagpur Tenancy Act 1908); recognition of tribal land rights; British 'Excluded' and 'Partially Excluded' Areas (1935); post-independence constitutional protection through the Fifth and Sixth Schedules.
• Notable martyrs: Birsa Munda, Sidhu–Kanhu, Tirot Singh, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Jadonang, Laxman Naik (Koraput, Quit India).

MCQs

Q1. The Santhal Hul (1855–56) was led by: (a) Birsa Munda (b) Sidhu and Kanhu (c) Alluri Sitarama Raju (d) Tirot Singh Answer: (b).

Q2. The Munda Ulgulan was led by: (a) Birsa Munda (b) Jatra Bhagat (c) Govind Guru (d) Chakra Bisoi Answer: (a). 1899–1900.

Q3. Rani Gaidinliu is associated with which movement? (a) Santhal Hul (b) Zeliangrong/Heraka movement (c) Bhil movement (d) Rampa rebellion Answer: (b).