Conflict and Tension in Tribal Society

Chota Nagpur and Santal Parganas constitute the heartland of various tribes in Bihar and nerve centre of Mid Tribal India constituting Tributary Mahals of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh and Parts of West Bengal. The propensity of conflict and tension germinated among these tribes when the Britain started making inroads into their tribal homes and societies to subjugate them and regulate their inalienable rights in the land and jungles. The tribal reaction to these overtures made itself manifest in rebellions against tyranny of the rulers and their allies, the Zamindars and the Christian Missionaries. During the rule of East India Company bows and arrows and battle-axes were widely wielded for the settlement of their grievances, but soon after the taking over by the British Crown in 1858, the rebel tribals gradually took to the mode of prayer, protest and petitions for the settlement of their problems. But sometimes the amount of tyranny, suppression and miscellaneous irritants was so enormous that on occations the tribals were left with no option but to revert to their natural instinct of rebellion and warfare. There were as many as eleven tribal rebellions of telling impetuosity between 1885 and 1990. The conflict and tension of the last century imperceptibly shaped the tenor of the political agitation launched in the present century. To whatever tribal denomination they may belong, the inner texture of the tribals aspirations as well as the basis of every rebellion was the same?end of iniquitous system of land and forest management foisted by the British upon the tribals for their allies the Zamindars of all kinds, the Hindus, the Muslims and the Europeans.
This books is an attempt to synthesise anti-imperialist struggle as its central focus side by side totality administrative, socio-economic and political development of late colonial India. This is a study in sociology of Revolution, and perhaps the first attempt to piece together all possible relevant materials to integrate them into a whole using the Postanian methodology of the historical method in Social Sciences, i.e., making micro-cosmic view of microscopic problem of historical research. The struggle of the tribal communities like the Santals, Korwas, Gonds, Khonds, Mundas, Hog, etc., against the injustices and tyranny is a microscopic account of what may be seen as microscosm, a great world represented in small one. Looking at these little histories in Redfielddian sense is a historiography of their accomplishment, their development, it would call for look at history as a whole. This may be welcome addition to the field of Social History and Social Anthropology.