Tag: tribal societies

Peter Mundy was an English trader who came to India during the early seventeenth century. He has described the Banjaras in his writings.
As per his writings, he met a tanda of Banjaras with 14000 Oxen. They were laden with grains such as wheat and rice.

The Banjaras were the most important trader nomads. Their caravan was called tanda. Sultan Alauddin Khalji used the Banjaras to transport grain to the city markets. Emperor Jahangir wrote in his memoirs that the Banjaras carried grain on their bullocks from different areas and sold it in towns. They transported food grain for the Mughal army during military campaigns.

Many societies in the subcontinent did not follow the social rules and rituals prescribed by the Brahmanas. Nor were they divided into numerous unequal classes. Such societies are often called tribes.

The societies which did not follow the societal rules prescribed by the Brahmanas were called as the Tribes. The members of each tribe were united by Kinship bonds.

Contemporary historians and travellers give very scanty information about tribes. A few exceptions apart, tribal people did not keep written records. But they preserved rich customs and oral traditions. These were passed down to each new generation. Present day historians have started using such oral traditions to write tribal histories.

Members of each tribe were united by kinship bonds. Many tribes obtained their livelihood from agriculture. Others were hunter-gatherers or herders. Most often they combined these activities to make full use of the natural resources of the area in which they lived.

The Banjaras were the most important trader nomads. Their caravan was called tanda. Sultan Alauddin Khalji used the Banjaras to transport grain to the city markets. Emperor Jahangir wrote in his memoirs that the Banjaras carried grain on their bullocks from different areas and sold it in towns. They transported foodgrains to the Mughal army during military campaigns.

In Punjab, the Khokhar tribe was very influential during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Later, the Gakkhars became more important. Their chief, Kamal Khan Gakkhar, was made a Mansabdar by Emperor Akbar.

Peter Mundy was an English trader who came to India during the early seventeenth century. He has described the Banjaras in his writings. 

As the economy and the needs of society grew, people with new skills were required. Smaller castes, or jatis, emerged within varnas. For example, new castes appeared amongst the Brahmanas. On the other hand, many tribes and social groups were taken into caste-based society and given the status of jatis. Specialised artisans smiths, carpenters and masons were also recognised as separate jatis by the Brahmanas. Jatis, rather than varna, became the basis for organising society.