Birsa Munda led a movement against the British colonial government in the late 1800s in present-day Jharkhand and Odisha. The document discusses how tribal groups in this region traditionally lived by practices like jhum cultivation and herding, but were negatively impacted by British policies aimed at sedentarization and control of forest resources. Tribal chiefs lost power and people faced exploitation. Birsa Munda's movement sought to recover tribal peoples' independence and way of life, establishing a "golden age." Though Birsa died in 1900, his movement drew attention to injustice and introduced some legal protections for tribal land rights.

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2.  What problems did Birsa set out to solve?
 Who were the outsiders?
 How did they enslave the people of this area ?
 What was happening to the forest people under
the British?
 How did it change their lives?
lets answer all these questions…………
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3. HOW DID THE TRIBAL GROUPS LIVE?
 Lived in clans, in groups & practiced Jhum
cultivation:
This type of cultivation is usually found in
forests and hilly areas
 Some were hunter‟s and gatherer‟s-
They hunted deer, pig & other animals and
gathered for their survival
 Some were herderer‟s.
 Many tribal's lived by herding and grazing
animals. They are known as nomads.
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4. PROBLEM OF BRITISH WITH SHIFTING
CULTIVATION?
 They wanted shifting cultivators to settle down and
become peasants
 As people engaged in shifting cultivation who were
moving around, lot of problems in calculating tax.
 Water was scarce in those areas where settled
cultivation practiced.
 Jhum cultivators were forced to take up settled
cultivation, suffered, because the yield from their
fields were less or not good.
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5. SHIFTING CULTIVATION
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6. HOW DID COLONIAL RULE AFFECT TRIBAL
LIVES?
Tribal chiefs enjoyed many
administrative and influencing rights.
But during the colonial period there
was a loss of power; they had to obey
British law and the government
restricted the rights of the tribal
chiefs.
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7. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SHIFTING
CULTIVATORS?
 British wanted the tribal's to settle down.
 Government wanted tax therefore they wanted
tribal's to settle down as it is easier to calculate
tax.
 Settled cultivation was not successful were
water is scarce and soil is dry.
 Facing widespread protests, the British had to
ultimately allow them the right to carry on
shifting cultivation in some parts of the forests.
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8. FORESTS LAW AND THEIR IMPACT
 The British extended their over all forests and
declared that forests were state property.
 Some forests were classified as reserve forests
which was used to produce timber which the
British wanted
 The colonial officials allowed some land for
jhum cultivation that they would provide labor
for the forests department for looking after
forests.
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9. impacts:-
 Many tribal groups reacted against the
colonial forest laws .
 They disobeyed the new rules, continued
with the practices that were declared
illegal .
 Such was the revolt of Songram Sangam
of 1906 in Assam.
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10.  many people were depending on money-
lenders, traders etc for purchasing raw
goods and loans.
 These traders made huge profits but only
a meager amount reached the producers.
 The condition of people who went to
towns for work was also not better.
 They were paid low wages, and prevented
them from returning home.
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11.  Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries
tribal's rebelled against the forest laws.
 the kolas rebelled in 1831-32
 Santhal rose in revolt in 1855
 The bastar rebellion in central India broke
out in 1910 .
 Warli revolt in Maharashtra on 1940.
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12. BIRSA MUNDA-AN IMMORTAL LEGACY
 In 1895 Birsa urged his followers to recover the
past glory, a golden age were the tribal's held
their heads high
 He talked of a golden past were Mundas led a
good life, constructed embankments, tapped
natural springs, planted trees and orchards,
practised cultivation to earn their living.
 As the movement spread the British officials
decided to act. They arrested Birsa in 1895,
convicted him on charges of rioting and jailed
him for 2 years.
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13.  When Birsa was released in 1897 he began to
gather support against the British by using
traditional methods
 They attacked police stations and churches, and
raided the property of moneylenders and
zamindars.
 They raised the white flag as a symbol of Birsa raj.
 In 1900 Birsa Munda died of cholera and the
movement faded out.
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14.  Birsa- a person with miracular powers
 Worshipped as god- able to save from slavery
and to save from rule of Dikus [outsiders].
 He wanted to reform the tribal societies- to stop
drinking- to have clean villages- to stop
superstitions- to recover own land from the
encroachers-
 To establish „Satyug‟- age of truth.
 To help to lead a good life, honest life, no
killing- doing some work.
 To establish „ Munda Raj‟.
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15. BIRSA MUNDA
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16. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MOVEMENT OF BIRSA
MUNDA
 It showed that the tribals could protest
against injustice and express their
dissatisfaction over the colonial rule
 It introduced laws so that the govt. could
not take away the land of the tribals
 His efforts to destroy „Ravanas‟-
 Raising of white flag[ a symbol of Birsa raj.
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17.  TRIBAL GROUPS:
 Mundas, Santhals, Oraons [ Bihar]
 Khonds – Odisha
 Gujjars- Punjab
 Labadis- Andhra
 Gaddis, Kulu, Bakarwals,
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19. QUESTIONS
 What did Birsa Munda refer to as “the golden age”?
 What happened to jhum cultivators during the colonial
period?
 What happened to tribal cheifs during the colonial
period?
 How were the lives of the tribals affected by the laws
imposed by the colonial government?
 How were the tribals exploited by the colonial officers?
 In what way was the movement of birsa munda
significant ?
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20. VSA QNS
 The British described the tribal people as…….
 The method of sowing seeds in jhum cultivation
is known as…………
 The tribals cheifs got…………. tittles in
central india under the British settlements.
 Tribals went to work in the………… of Assam
and the…… in bihar.
 Birsa was arrested in……………. year on charges
of rioting and jailed him for 2 years.
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