how were taxes collected by british from pastoralists

Important q and a

6.  What does the word Maasai mean? Where are they formed? What changes occurred in Maasai society during colonial rule.

 

A. 1. The word Maasai is derived from the word ‘Maa’. The word Maasai means

  my people. 

  2. They are to be found primarily in east Africa, 3, 00,000 in Southern Kenya

  and 1, 50,000 in Tanzania.

  3. During Colonial rule the traditional difference based on age, between

  elders and warriors was disturbed but did not break down entirely.

  4. A new distinction between the wealthy and poor pastoralists developed.

 

7.  What restrictions were imposed by the colonial government on the African pastoralists?

 

A. 1. The various pastoral groups were formed to live in special reserves. They

  were not allowed to move their stock without special permits which were

  not easy to get. Those who defied the rules were severely punished.

  2. Pastoralists were not allowed to enter the markets of white areas. They

  were prohibited from trading activity.

  3. Europeans viewed pastoralists as being savage and dangerous. They wanted

  to avoid contact with them. But cutting off all links was not possible as

  the colonists had to depend on them to bore mines and build roads and

  towns.

  4. Thus the restrictions imposed on the pastoralists adversely affected

  their pastoral and trading activities.

 

8.  How did the poor Maasai pastoralists survive during war and famines?

 

A. 1.  During war and famines the poor pastoralists searched for work in the

   towns.

  2. Some eked out a living as Charcoal burners while others did odd jobs.

  The lucky ones got more regular work in road and building construction. 

 

9.  Why did the cattle stock of the Maasai’s decrease under colonial rule?

 

A. 1. Initially when droughts occurred, cattle were moved to areas where   

  forage was available.

  2. But now the Maasai’s were bound down to a fixed area, confined within a

  reserve and prohibited from moving in search of pastures, they were cut

  off from the best grazing lands and forced to live within a semi – arid

  tract, prone to frequent droughts.

  3. Since they could not shift their cattle to secure adequate forage, Maasai

  cattle died in large numbers due to starvation and disease.

  4. In 1993 and 1994 years of severe drought, over half the cattle in the

  Maasai reserve died as the area of grazing lands shrank, droughts

  increased and led to a steady decline of the animal stock.

 

10.   Describe the social organization of Maasai’s in the pre – colonial times?

 

A. 1. The Maasai’s society was divided into social categories: elders and

  warriors. The elders were the rulers and met in periodically to decide on 

   community affairs and settle disputes amicably.

  2. The warriors were the younger people, who were responsible for the

  protection of the tribe and organized cattle raids.

  3. Raiding was important because cattle signified wealth.

  4. Young men were recognized as warriors when they helped in raiding the  

  cattle of other groups and participated in wars.

 

11.  How did the Maasai’s chiefs appointed by the British benefit

  economically?

 

A. 1. The chiefs gradually became wealthy as they now had a regular income

  with which they could buy animals, goods and land.

  2. They lent money to poor neighbours and many became traders.

  3. They managed to survive adverse conditions like war and drought.

  4. They had a secure income and could buy animals when their stock was

  depleted.

 

12.  Give Reasons for the following :

 

1. Give reason to explain why the Maasai community lost their grazing lands.

A.  a) In the lath 19^th century, European imperialists divided Africa among

  themselves. In 1885, Maasailand was divided between British Kenya 

  and German Tanganyika.

  b) As a result, the best grazing lands were taken over by the European

  colonists. The Maasai were pushed into a small area which was arid and

  had poor pastures.

  c) In the late 19^th century, the British encouraged local peasant

  communities to expand cultivation which reduced the amount of

  pasture land available.

  d) In pre-colonial times, the Maasai pastoralists had dominated their

  neighbours economically and politically. But by the end of colonial rule

  the situation was reserved.

  e) Large areas of grazing land were also turned into game reserves like

  the Maasai Mara and Samburu National Park in Kenya and Serengeti

  Park in Tanzania.

  f) Pastoralists were not allowed to enter these reserves. Very often

  these reserves were in areas that had traditionally been the regular 

  grazing grounds for Maasai herds.

 

2. Discuss why the colonial government in India brought the following laws.

  and explain how the law changed lives of pastoralists:

     1) Waste land rules,

     2) Forest Acts,

     3) Criminal Tribes Act,

     4) Grazing Act.

A. 1) Waste land rules – i) The British wanted to transform all grazing lands

  into cultivated farms and thus increase its land

  revenue. Also at the same time more agricultural

  products like jute, cotton and wheat would be

  available which was urgently needed in England.

  Colonial officials believed that all uncultivated

  land was ‘waste land’ that needed to be brought

  under cultivation. Therefore this was done.

   ii)  Under these rules, uncultivated land was taken over

  and given to selective individuals. These individuals

  were given various concessions and encouraged to

  settle these lands. Some of them were made village

  headmen. In most areas the land taken over was

  actually the land used by the pastoralists which

  meant a decline in pastures.

    

  2) Forest Acts – i)  The forest Acts, changed the lives of the pastoralis-

  -s. They were prevented from entering many forests

   that had earlier provided valuable forage for their

  cattle. In the areas they were allowed to enter,

  their movements were regulated. For entry, a permit

   was needed. The timing of their entry and departure

  was specified and the number of days they could

  spend in the forest were fixed. The permit specified

   the periods in which they could be legally within a

  forest. Overstaying would lead to imposition of fines.

 

 3) Criminal tribes Act – i)  The British officials were suspicious of

   nomadic people. They wanted the rural

  people to live in villages, in fixed places with

  fixed rights on particular fields. They felt that

   such a population would be easy to identify and

  control. Nomadic people were considered to be

  criminal. Therefore in 1871, the Criminal Tribes

  Act was passed.

  ii)  By this act, many communities of traders,

  craftsmen and pastoralists were stated to be

   criminal by nature and birth. These

  communities were expected to live only in

  notified village settlements. They were not

   allowed to move without a permit. The village

  police kept a close watch on them.

 

4) Grazing Act – i)  In order to increase its revenue, the British

   introduced the Grazing Act. Pastoralists had to pay

  a tax on every animal they grazed in the pastures.

  ii)  In course of time, the collection system was made

   efficient. The right to collect taxes was auctioned

  out to contractors who tried to extract a tax as

  high as possible in order to earn a profit. By the

   1880’s the government began to collect taxes

  directly from the pastoralists. Each of them was

  given a pass. To enter a grazing area, the pass had

   to be shown and the tax had to be paid fully.