Tag: pastoral nomand and their movements

Under colonial rule, the life of pastoralists changed dramatically. When grazing lands were taken over and turned into cultivated fields, the available area of pastureland declined.  When restrictions were imposed on pastoral movements, grazing lands came to be continuously used and the quality of pastures declined. This, in turn, created a further shortage of forage for animals and the deterioration of animal stock. Underfed cattle died in large numbers during scarcities and famines.

Banjaras are a well-known group of graziers. They were to be found in the villages of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. In search of good pastureland for their cattle, they moved over long distances, selling plow cattle and other goods to villagers in exchange for grain and fodder.

The Maasai lost about 60 percent of their pre-colonial lands. They were confined to an arid zone with uncertain rainfall and poor pastures. The loss of the finest grazing lands and water resources created pressure on the small area of land that the Maasai were confined within. Continuous grazing within a small area inevitably meant a deterioration of the quality of pastures. Fodder was always in short supply.

In the early twentieth century their population in this region was estimated to be 467,000. Most of them were shepherds, some were blanket weavers, and still others were buffalo herders. 

 Many of them migrated to this region in the nineteenth century in search of pastures for their animals. 

In the deserts of Rajasthan lived the Raikas. the Raikas combined cultivation with pastoralism. During  the monsoons, the Raikas of  Barmer, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bikaner stayed in their home villages, where pasture was available. The camel herders of the region are Maru (desert) Raikas, and their settlement is called a dhandi.

The Kurumas and Kurubas reared sheep and goats and sold woven blankets. They lived near the woods, cultivated small patches of land, engaged in a variety of petty trades and took care of their herds. In the dry season they moved to the coastal tracts, and left when the rains came. 

Before colonial times, Maasailand stretched over a vast area from north Kenya to the steppes of northern Tanzania. In the late nineteenth century, European imperial powers scrambled for territorial possessions in Africa, slicing up the region into different colonies. In 1885, Maasailand was cut into half with an international boundary between British Kenya and German Tanganyika. 

To the east, in Garhwal and Kumaon, the Gujjar cattle herders came down to the dry forests of the bhabar in the winter, and went up to the high meadows – the bugyals – in summer. Many of them were originally from Jammu and came to the UP hills in the nineteenth century in search of good pastures. 

• Maldhari herder's villages are in the Rann of Kutch.
• Maldharis are nomadic tribal herdsmen who live in the Gujarat state of India. The literal meaning of Maldhari is "owner of animal stock". They are notable as the traditional dairymen of the region, and once supplied milk and cheese to the palaces of rajas.