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CBSE Class 9th History Extra Question and Answer Chapter 5 Pastoralists in the Modern World

Passage 1

Writing in the 1850s, G.C. Barnes gave the following description of the Gujjars of Kangra:

‘In the hills the Gujjars are exclusively a pastoral tribe – they cultivate scarcely at all. The Gaddis keep flocks of sheep and goats and the Gujjars, wealth consists of buffaloes. These people live in the skirts of the forests, and maintain their existence exclusively by the sale of the milk, ghee, and other produce of their herds. The men graze the cattle, and frequently lie out for weeks in the woods tending their herds. The women repair to the markets every morning with baskets on their heads, with little earthen pots filled with milk, butter-milk and ghee, each of these pots containing the proportion required for a day’s meal. During the hot weather the Gujjars usually drive their herds to the upper range, where the buffaloes rejoice in the rich grass which the rains bring forth and at the same time attain condition from the temperate climate and the immunity from venomous flies that torment their existence in the plains.’

From: G.C. Barnes, Settlement Report of Kangra, 1850-55.

Questions / Answer:

Question 1: What is the primary livelihood of the Gujjars of Kangra, as described in the passage?

Answer: The Gujjars of Kangra are primarily a pastoral tribe, deriving their livelihood from the rearing of buffaloes.

Question 2: How do the Gaddis and Gujjars differ in terms of their livestock, according to the passage?

Answer: While the Gaddis keep flocks of sheep and goats, the Gujjars’ wealth mainly consists of buffaloes.

Question 3: Where do the Gujjars typically reside and how do they sustain themselves?

Answer: The Gujjars live in the vicinity of forests and sustain themselves by selling milk, ghee, and other products obtained from their herds.

Question 4: Describe the daily routine of the Gujjar women, as mentioned in the passage.

Answer: Every morning, Gujjar women carry baskets on their heads to the markets, containing earthen pots filled with milk, buttermilk, and ghee, each pot holding the portion required for a day’s meal.

Question 5: How do the Gujjars adapt their grazing practices during the hot weather?

Answer: During the hot weather, the Gujjars drive their herds to the upper range where the buffaloes can benefit from the rich grass brought forth by the rains. This move also provides them relief from the temperate climate and reduces their exposure to venomous flies present in the plains.

Passage 2

The accounts of many travellers tell us about the life of pastoral groups. In the early nineteenth century, Buchanan visited the Gollas during his travel through Mysore. He wrote:

‘Their families live in small villages near the skirt of the woods, where they cultivate a little ground, and keep some of their cattle, selling in the towns the produce of the dairy. Their families are very numerous, seven to eight young men in each being common. Two or three of these attend the flocks in the woods, while the remainder cultivate their fields, and supply the towns with firewood, and with straw for thatch.’

 From: Francis Hamilton Buchanan, A Journey from Madras through the Countries of Mysore, Canara and Malabar (London, 1807).

Questions / Answer:

Question 1: What was the primary livelihood of the Gollas, as described by Buchanan?

Answer: The primary livelihood of the Gollas was pastoralism, supplemented by cultivation of a small amount of land near the woods.

Question 2: Where did the families of the Gollas typically reside?

Answer: The families of the Gollas lived in small villages near the edge of the woods.

Question 3: How did the Gollas sustain themselves economically?

Answer: The Gollas sustained themselves by selling dairy produce in towns, cultivating their fields, and supplying firewood and straw for thatching to the towns.

Question 4: How did the division of labor occur within the Golla community, according to Buchanan?

Answer: Two or three young men from each family attended the flocks in the woods, while the remainder cultivated the fields and provided town supplies.

Question 5: What was the typical family size among the Gollas, as mentioned in Buchanan’s account?

Answer: The families of the Gollas were described as very numerous, with seven to eight young men being common in each family.

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