The Tribals are a group of people who accept and profess that they have descended from their common ancestors, they have their common language, culture, custom and tradition. They are governed by their own social institutions like kingship, clan, Parha-system, beliefs and customary laws. They are the group of people who constitute a homogenous unit, live in a particular geographical unit, speak a common language and with a social structure based on kingship. So for the Tribals, Jal, Jungle, Jameen (water, forest, and land) become their indelible identity.
Definition of Land:
People think of land as a plot, cycling in season and off season, producing fruits they reap. This is the utilitarian understanding of land. It is the human perception that needs to be more flexible to gain a better understanding of land According to the perception of tribal societies, land is not property but the means of livelihood. Including agricultural land, all natural resources belong to the village community and every individual has the right to use these resources for his livelihood.
Land in Hebrew Bible and Tribal Land
There is a great similarity between the Hebrew Bible understanding and Tribal understanding of land. For the Israelites, land was a promise and a gift. Land is given to them as a people and signifies their identity, the presence of Yahweh and therefore, an open future. The Book of Deuteronomy spoke of; “A good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters, welling up in of brooks of water, fountains and springs flowing forth in valleys and hills… a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity a land in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper.” (Duet 8:7-9) The Exodus Tradition of liberation from slavery finds its fulfilment in the Promised Land.
When we see the historical movements related to land, we find that it is very similar to the significance of the land in the Hebrew Bible. Tribals are known as sons of the soil, the original settlers of Jharkhand land, which is known as Chotanagpur and Santal Parganas. The land of Tribals is considered holy, the land of their ancestors and, yet that too, is a long and sad history. Wherever tribals went first, they sought for land and wanted to establish themselves well. But some alien forces (the Dikus, Turks, Zamindars) drove them away from their land and, as a consequence, they had no other alternative than to go in search of new places for their settlement until they reached the Jharkhand Plateau, ‘the promised land’. It was covered by dense forest. They cleared the forest, prepared the land for cultivation with their efforts, hard work and limited tools.
Jharkhand, on which today’s tribals live, is the same land which was prepared and cleared through their ancestors’ sweat and blood. This is a gift from God. Therefore, it is sacred and belongs to their ancestors.
Historical Movement Related to Land
During the period between1585-1765, the great Mughals conquered Chota Nagpur and gave the name Jharkhand. This time against the will of the people. The ‘Raiyat’ system was introduced which broke the back of the whole political system of the tribals. In order to pay a tribute to the Emperor, the kings demanded regular revenue payment. This displeased the tribals and they resisted the efforts of the kings. The Zamindari and Landlord ship system was chiefly responsible for triggering off the agrarian movement of the 19th century.
British rule came to Chota Nagpur around 1765. It started its rule under the Mughal Diwani rule. The Jagirdari System was introduced and tribals were more oppressed and exploited than before. They eventually lost their land. The massive agrarian discontent finally erupted in the Great Kol Insurrection of 1831-32. Its magnitude shook the entire length and breadth of the country.
The Arrival of the Missionary
The Missionaries arrived in Chota Nagpur around 1845-1886. Their coming was a big blessing for the tribals. They tried to motivate and educate the young tribal people to put up a brave front against the crisis which they were facing. Fr. Constant Lievance fought the land cases in court, the setting up of factories, building dams and the establishment setting of mining mills. The impact of displacement on the tribals and their socio, religious and cultural life has always been devastating with deadening consequences. Such a displacement is not merely physical moving out of their homeland to another place but it is their emotional, psychological, social, religious and cultural disintegration, a virtual tearing apart of a community that has emerged out of innumerable difficulties, struggles and pain. It is really cruel to deprive of them of land, streams, rivers, forests, hills, mountains and from their affinity that is linked to these core areas of Mother Earth.
Conclusion:
A Tribal is emotionally linked to land and nature. Apart from these and from nature, you cannot impose tribal identity. A tree for a business man is a thing of commercial gain. But when a tribal looks at a tree, he thinks of its shade, fruits and its direct usefulness in his life. So this is their slogan: “Jaan Dengey, Jameen Nahi” (“We will give our life but not land.”)
Fr George Beck SJ
The Superior of DNC Philosophers
DNC Times, Sep 2019, Pg 6-7.
Definition of Land:
People think of land as a plot, cycling in season and off season, producing fruits they reap. This is the utilitarian understanding of land. It is the human perception that needs to be more flexible to gain a better understanding of land According to the perception of tribal societies, land is not property but the means of livelihood. Including agricultural land, all natural resources belong to the village community and every individual has the right to use these resources for his livelihood.
Land in Hebrew Bible and Tribal Land
There is a great similarity between the Hebrew Bible understanding and Tribal understanding of land. For the Israelites, land was a promise and a gift. Land is given to them as a people and signifies their identity, the presence of Yahweh and therefore, an open future. The Book of Deuteronomy spoke of; “A good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters, welling up in of brooks of water, fountains and springs flowing forth in valleys and hills… a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity a land in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper.” (Duet 8:7-9) The Exodus Tradition of liberation from slavery finds its fulfilment in the Promised Land.
When we see the historical movements related to land, we find that it is very similar to the significance of the land in the Hebrew Bible. Tribals are known as sons of the soil, the original settlers of Jharkhand land, which is known as Chotanagpur and Santal Parganas. The land of Tribals is considered holy, the land of their ancestors and, yet that too, is a long and sad history. Wherever tribals went first, they sought for land and wanted to establish themselves well. But some alien forces (the Dikus, Turks, Zamindars) drove them away from their land and, as a consequence, they had no other alternative than to go in search of new places for their settlement until they reached the Jharkhand Plateau, ‘the promised land’. It was covered by dense forest. They cleared the forest, prepared the land for cultivation with their efforts, hard work and limited tools.
Jharkhand, on which today’s tribals live, is the same land which was prepared and cleared through their ancestors’ sweat and blood. This is a gift from God. Therefore, it is sacred and belongs to their ancestors.
Historical Movement Related to Land
During the period between1585-1765, the great Mughals conquered Chota Nagpur and gave the name Jharkhand. This time against the will of the people. The ‘Raiyat’ system was introduced which broke the back of the whole political system of the tribals. In order to pay a tribute to the Emperor, the kings demanded regular revenue payment. This displeased the tribals and they resisted the efforts of the kings. The Zamindari and Landlord ship system was chiefly responsible for triggering off the agrarian movement of the 19th century.
British rule came to Chota Nagpur around 1765. It started its rule under the Mughal Diwani rule. The Jagirdari System was introduced and tribals were more oppressed and exploited than before. They eventually lost their land. The massive agrarian discontent finally erupted in the Great Kol Insurrection of 1831-32. Its magnitude shook the entire length and breadth of the country.
The Arrival of the Missionary
The Missionaries arrived in Chota Nagpur around 1845-1886. Their coming was a big blessing for the tribals. They tried to motivate and educate the young tribal people to put up a brave front against the crisis which they were facing. Fr. Constant Lievance fought the land cases in court, the setting up of factories, building dams and the establishment setting of mining mills. The impact of displacement on the tribals and their socio, religious and cultural life has always been devastating with deadening consequences. Such a displacement is not merely physical moving out of their homeland to another place but it is their emotional, psychological, social, religious and cultural disintegration, a virtual tearing apart of a community that has emerged out of innumerable difficulties, struggles and pain. It is really cruel to deprive of them of land, streams, rivers, forests, hills, mountains and from their affinity that is linked to these core areas of Mother Earth.
Conclusion:
A Tribal is emotionally linked to land and nature. Apart from these and from nature, you cannot impose tribal identity. A tree for a business man is a thing of commercial gain. But when a tribal looks at a tree, he thinks of its shade, fruits and its direct usefulness in his life. So this is their slogan: “Jaan Dengey, Jameen Nahi” (“We will give our life but not land.”)
Fr George Beck SJ
The Superior of DNC Philosophers
DNC Times, Sep 2019, Pg 6-7.
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