BEACON HIGH SCHOOL

(Session 2020-21)
History
Ls.7.(Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities)(Summary)
NAME: _____________________________________

STD – VII SUB – SST DATE: __/10/2020

____________________________________________________________

SUMMARY OF LESSON
 (Not to write, only for reading)
 India has been the abode of various tribal groups
since the commencement of history.
 The tribals of the sub-continent did not follow
the caste system. They believed in equality.
 Different tribes have their own means of
livelihood.
 With time, many tribals were taken into the
caste-based society in various jaatis.
 There are many pastoral nomadic tribes in India.
Some of them are Gaddis, Banjaras and Gujjars.
 The Gonds are a large tribal community found in
Central India.

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 The Ahom was a medieval Kingdom in the

Brahmaputra valley. The state of Assam is
believed to have derived its name from the
Ahom dynasty.

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 BEACON HIGH SCHOOL

(Session 2020-21)
History
Ls.7.(Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities) (Ques - Ans)

NAME: _____________________________________

STD – VII SUB – SST DATE: __/10/2020

*Read the chapter thoroughly.

* Copy the following notes in your notebook.
Q. Short answer questions.
1. Who are tribal people?
Ans:- Tribals are the original inhabitants or remotely settled adivasis.
Tribal societies spread over a large area and play an important role in the
study of our past.
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2. When did the Ahom Kingdom reach its zenith?
Ans:- The Ahom kingdom reached its zenith under the rule of Rudra
Singh.
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3. Who are nomadic tribes?
Ans:- Nomadic tribes are a group of people who travel from place to
place forlivelihood. They move according to seasonal changes along
with their animals. Their main occupation is herding cattle and sheep.
They exchange animal products for the things they require. There were

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many nomadic tribes in India. Some of them are Jats, Gaddis, Banjaras
and Gujjars.
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4. What was the paik system?
Ans:- In the Ahom kingdom, there was a system of forced labour called
the paik system. Every subject was a paik and had to render services to
the king when required.
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5. What was Garha Katanga?
Ans:- The Gondwana kingdom has been mentioned in the Akbarnama as
Garha Katanga. It consisted of 70,000 villages.
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Q. Long answer questions.
1. What is the difference between caste based and tribal society?
Ans:- Caste based society was divided according to the rules of the
varna. The Brahmans occupied the dominant position and the Shudras
were at the bottom rung of the social hierarchy. Tribal societies were
egalitarian. They did not follow the varna system and there was equality.
No caste or caste division existed. They did not follow the rules and
customs of the Brahmanas.
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2. Discuss the administration of the Gonds.
Ans:- The Gond kingdom was divided into garhs. These were further
divided into chaurasi which had 84 villages. A chaurasi consisted of

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barhots, each constituted of 12 villages. Each garh was the responsibility

of one gond clan. Each Gond village had a headman known
as mukhia or patel and a village council chosen by the villagers.
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3. What do you understand by shifting agriculture?
Ans:- Some tribes practice shifting agriculture. They clear a patch of the
forest and cultivate the land. After a few years when the land loses its
fertility, they move on and clear another area of the forest and use that
for agriculture. This is also called slash and burn agriculture. This is
because they often burn the vegetation to clear the land. Also, the ash
was a natural fertilizer for the crops they grew.
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4. Discuss how the tribals earn their livelihood.
Ans:- Historically, the economy of most tribes was subsistence
agriculture or huntinggathering. They traded with outsiders for the
necessities they lacked such as salt and iron. Different tribes have their
own means of livelihood. Even in each tribe, people engage themselves
in different professions. Some tribes practice shifting agriculture. Some
tribes are hunters- gatherers. But today, this is not very common. They
depend on other means of livelihood such as gathering forest products
such as honey, and selling them. Some tribes have settled down and
farm their own piece of land. They also rear animals to supplement their
income. Also, some tribes were skilled dancers and acrobats, and they
use this skill to earn their livelihood. For example, the Nayaks are
itinerant drama troupes in Gujarat. They move from village to village to
perform. Artisan tribes earned their livelihood by crafts like basket
making, tool making, spinning and weaving.

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5. How did the Ahom kingdom come to an end?

Ans:- The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb wanted to conquer the Ahom
kingdom. He sent Mir Jumla to attack the Ahom kingdom. The Ahoms
put up a brave front but were finally defeated by the Mughal forces.
However, this victory of the Mughals was short lived as they
reestablished their kingdom. The Ahom kingdom was again attacked by
the Mughal forces in 1671. The Ahoms were successful in defeating the
huge Mughal army. They extended the Ahom kingdom upto the Manas
River. This river was the dividing line between the Mughal and Ahom
Empire. However, the Ahom kingdom began to decline in the late 18th
century.
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6. Discuss the socio-cultural changes in the Tribal communities during
the medieval period.
Ans:- The caste system continued to exist during the early medieval
period. But it was not very rigid. There were cordial relations between
the castes. However, many subcastes called jaatis began to appear during
this period. This was because as the economy developed, special
occupations originated like carpenters, masons and artisans etc. which
were classified into different jaatis. The jaatis were different in food,
customs, professions and religious practices. There was a special caste
called the Kayasthas. This was a mixture of all the castes. With time,
many tribals were taken into the caste based society in various jaatis.

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(Session 2020-21)
History
Ls.7.(Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities) (Worksheet)
NAME: _____________________________________

STD – VII SUB – SST DATE: __/10/2020

__________________________________________________________________

Q1. Fill in the blanks:

a. During ____________ rule, a need emerged to utilize more
coal and wood for building railways.
b. The main occupation of the Gaddi tribes is
_______________.
c. The Mughal emperor _____________ sent Mir Jumla to
defeat the Ahoms.
d. The Ahom kingdom has a system of forced labour called
________________.
e. The ___________ introduced the Wet Rice cultivation
technique.
Q2. Write down True or False:
a. The Rang Ghar was built by Ahoms.
b. The Gond king was called Swargdeo.
c. The Muslims were divided into two classes.

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d. The Hindu caste system was shaken up by the Bhakti

Movement.
e. The Ahom kingdom is mentioned in Akbarnama.

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