A Study of the Social and Cultural Contexts of the Munda, Santhal and Uraon Tribes in Bihar During the Colonial Period

This paper discusses the revolutionary impact of British colonialism on the society of the tribal peasantry in Bihar,with particular reference to three tribes in the province: Munda, Santhal and Uraon. Based on history, census data and anthropology, it examineshow colonial land revenue regimes, missionary activism and labour exploitation disturbed tribal independence, identity and economic structures. The study identifies separate patterns of resistance and adaptation against the British Indian government by each of these tribes that ranged between armed rebellions such as the Santhal Hul and Ulgulan Movement, to reformist action movements such as the Tana Bhagat Movement. The paper has highlighted the common experiences of marginalization along with cultural resilience through both qualitative and quantitative analysis such as percentages of the land alienation, literary levels and trends of conversion. This text provides a comparative context in conceptualizing the various practices of tribal survival, resistance and transformation that have foundation as a basis of additional post-colonial and contemporary investigations on tribals in the Eastern Indian region.