Question

Analyse any three causes of conflict between the Santhals and Paharias during the 18th century.

Hint:

This historical clash is often symbolized as the battle between the Hoe (the shifting cultivation tool of the Paharias) and the Plow (the settled agriculture tool of the Santhals), driven by British demands for land revenue.

Answer 1

Concept: During the late 18th century, the British East India Company sought to expand its land revenue base in the Rajmahal Hills of eastern India. This intervention disrupted the existing relationships between the indigenous Paharia hill-dwellers and the migrating Santhal community, leading to severe conflict over territory, resources, and lifestyles. The conflict between the Santhals and the Paharias was driven by three primary causes:

• Clash of Basic Livelihoods (Shifting Cultivation vs. Settled Agriculture): The Paharias lived on the upper ridges of the Rajmahal Hills and practiced shifting cultivation (\textit{jhum}). They cleared small forest patches with hoes, grew a variety of pulses and millets, and relied heavily on forest produce for survival. In contrast, the Santhals were encouraged by British officials to settle in the lower valleys and practice intensive, settled agriculture using the plow. As the Santhals cleared large areas of forest for permanent fields, they destroyed the ecosystems that the Paharias relied on for foraging and hunting. ```
• Territorial Displacement and the Encroachment of Damin-i-Koh: In 1832, the British government demarcated a large area of land in the foothills as the \textit{Damin-i-Koh}, officially declaring it as Santhal territory. The Santhals migrated into this zone in large numbers, clearing forests and establishing permanent villages. This migration forced the Paharias off their traditional winter hunting grounds and lower valley slopes, pushing them deeper into the arid, rocky upper ridges of the hills and severely threatening their economic survival.
• British Colonial Policies and the Strategic Use of the Santhals: The British administration found the Paharias difficult to control or tax, as they frequently raided lowland villages and trade routes from their hill strongholds. After failed attempts to subdue the Paharias through military force and pacification allowances, British officials intentionally brought in the Santhals to act as a counterweight. The British provided the Santhals with land grants and tax incentives to clear the wilderness and establish settled farming, turning the frontier into a site of conflict between the plow (represented by the Santhals) and the hoe (represented by the Paharias). ```