Adam's Reports on Vernacular Education in Bengal and Behar/Report 3/Chapter 2/Section 5

SECTION V.

Application of the plan to the instruction of the Aboriginal Tribes.

The preceding arrangements will gradually and effectually provide for the promotion of vernacular instruction and the preservation of learning amongst the Hindu and Mohammadan divisions of the population; but within the limits of the British territories in India there are numerous and widely-spread tribes who acknowledge no affinity of race or of language, no sympathy in manners or in religion, with either. A scheme of national instruction that should leave them out of view would be essentially defective.

The Santhals, a tribe of this description, are found in considerable numbers in the Beerbhoom district, and came there under my personal observation. In one thana I found 786 Santhal families containing 4,261 persons, being considerably more numerous than the Musalmans of the same thana; and they are found in still greater number in the north and west of the district. They are also found in the Bhaugulpore district, in the jungle mehals or West Burdwan, and in the Midnapore district; but in greatest abundance in Coochung, Bamanbati, and Dolbhoom in Ramghur on the western and southern frontier of Bengal. The Dhangars, a well known division of the Cole tribe, are also found, but in less number, in Beerbhoom; and Singhbhoom is chiefly occupied by the Coles. In Orissa three distinct mountain or forest races are found,—the Coles, the Kunds, and the Sours. The inhabitants of the hills in the districts of Bhaugulpore and Rajmahal are known to Europeans in connection with the name of Mr. Cleveland, “who, without bloodshed or the terrors of authority, employing only the means of conciliation, confidence, and benevolence, attempted and accomplished the entire subjection of the lawless and savage inhabitants of the jungleterry of Rajmahal who had long infested the neighbouring lands by their predatory incursions, inspired them with a taste for the arts of civilized life, and attached them to the British Government by a conquest over their minds,—the most permanent, as the most rational, mode of dominion.” On the eastern frontier of Bengal we find the Kookies or mountaineers of Tippera and the Garrows occupying the mountainous country between the Kassya Hills and the Brahmaputra. The Kassya tribes occupy the country from the plains of Sylhet in Bengal to Gowhatti in Assam, and there are other uncivilized hill tribes of Assam enumerated by Dr. McCosh, as the Akas, Duphlas and Koppachors; the Miris, the Abors, Bor-Abors, and Mishmis; the Singhphos and the Nagas, all more or less acknowledging subjection to the British Government or living under its protection, exclusive of the Assamese, Manipuris, Cacharis, Kangtis, and Mattucks, who are either Hindus, or Buddhists, or have a written language. The space intervening between Bengal, Orissa, and Nagpore, is the country of the Gonds, numerously divided and sub-divided. Still further west and along and beyond the Taptee and Nerbudda in Malwa, and in all the eastern quarter of Guzerat, are the Bheels who meet the coolies in Guzerat. In the peninsula we have the Tudas, the Erulars, the Curumbars, and the Cohatars, and the extent to which these and similar tribes prevail may be estimated from a statement recently made By Colonel Briggs at a meeting of the Royal Asiatic Society of London that, from his personal knowledge of the south of India, Brahmanism had not spread there, and that most of the peninsula was inhabited by persons not Hindus.

This must be received as a very loose and imperfect notice of the tribes scattered all over the face of India, but principally possessing its forest and mountain-tracts, who may be conjectured to be the remnants of the Autochthones or indigenous population existing before the occupation of the country by the Hindu, the Mohammadan, and the European races. Are these tribes to be allowed to remain in the rude and barbarous condition in which they have come under the dominion of the British Government? The Cole insurrections and the frequent necessity for the service of troops against the Kassya tribes and against the Bheels, compared with the peace which has been maintained amongst the Rajmahal mountaineers by Mr. Cleveland’s arrangements, show the advantage that would accrue to Government by extending that conquest over their minds which, by the Bengal Government of 1784, was justly declared to be at once “the most permanent” and “the most rational mode of dominion.” Since the date of this declaration—an interval during which British armies have overrun and subjugated almost the whole of India—what means have been employed to effect this higher and nobler species of conquest over the hill-tribes? I am aware that much may be, and has been, done to civilize those tribes by promoting and protecting industry, by administering justice between man and man, and by punishing crimes against society. But such moral conquests can be secured only by that knowledge and those habits which education gives, and the means of education have hitherto been very sparingly employed. The only institutions, as far as I am aware, formed under this Presidency for their benefit, are a school at Bhaugulpore in which a few of the children of the Rajmahal tribes are taught English and Hindi; a school established at Surgeemaree in Rangpur for the Garrows, some of whose children were for a while taught their own language in the Bengali character, the Bengali language, and the English language; and an English school established for the Ramghur Coles. The two last mentioned institutions no longer exist, and it would thus appear that the ground is almost wholly unoccupied.

The present Government has recently expressed sentiments on this subject, to which it may be hoped that some means may be devised of giving practical effect. During the past year it was ascertained that amongst the Kunds, one of the three aboriginal races mentioned above as being found in Orissa, an extensive system of human sacrifice is practised; and when this subject was brought to the notice of the Governor of Bengal the following instructions were communicated to the commissioner and superintendent of the Tributary Mehals in Cuttack, under date 14th March 1887:—“His Lordship has perused the details given by you of the system of human sacrifice prevalent among the Kunds with feelings no less of horror than surprise. He is well aware of the difficulty of dealing with a description of crime which, however unnatural and revolting, has been sanctioned by long usage as a national rite and confirmed by the gross delusions of the darkest ignorance and superstition. The working of a moral change among the people by the progress of general instruction and consequent civilization can alone eradicate from among them the inclination to indulge in rites so horrible. But though the entire suppression of the practice of human sacrifice among this wild and barbarous race must be the work of time, yet much may be done even now, and no proper exertion should be omitted towards checking the frequency of the crime by the terror of just punishment. His Lordship is fully prepared to sanction the use of judicious measures in aid of the power of the Rajah of Duspullah whenever that chieftain shall have discovered the commission of this crime in any of his villages. Immediate injunctions should be issued, not to him only, but all other Tributary Rajas having nominal authority over a Kund population, expressive of the views of the British Government and of its determination to do all in its power for the effectual repression of this atrocious practice. You will be pleased to report upon every instance in which in your opinion the British power in support of that of the Rajahs themselves may be exerted without the hazard of serious embarrassment and disturbance. The Governor is not disposed to accord his sanction at once to your proposal for the annual progress of a military force under an officer vested with the power of summary punishment for the purpose of suppressing human sacrifices. This point may be considered and decided on before the commencement of the ensuing cold season. Should it appear by the failure of the contemplated measures of interference that the chiefs of the Kunds are either unable or unwilling to exert themselves effectively for the maintenance of order and repression of crime, the expediency of the occupation of the country, or of some part of it, by British troops may become a question for consideration.”

It is here announced to be the expectation of Government that, in addition to the coercive measures contemplated, the cessation of these atrocities will be effected chiefly by the progress of civilization as a consequence of general instruction. But general instruction, especially in the case of these fierce and unruly tribes, can be communicated only by a Government that knows its value and consults large and general interests. If without the employment of direct means for the communication of general instruction, we trust to the unaided progress of civilization, centuries may elapse before it reaches them. Some specific plan, then, must be formed, and some specific provision made to communicate that instruction which is justly regarded by Government as the necessary forerunner of civilization. In the present state of our knowledge respecting these tribes, it seems probable that no one plan would be adapted to them all, but they have several characteristics in common. They have several distinct languages amongst them with affinities to each other, but with no affinity to the dialects that are of Sanscrit derivation and are used by the different Hindu tribes. They have no written character, and consequently no instruction in letters; no caste in a religious sense, although they have numerous distinctions of tribes; and no peculiar prejudices or jealousy respecting their women who mix freely in the ordinary intercourse of life. Their worship is Sabean, and their superstitions rude, unsystematized and often cruel. They are in no case nomades, many live by the produce of the bow and arrow, but in general they cultivate the soil. To attempt to teach the English language indiscriminately to these savage tribes appears one of the wildest flights of benevolence. To teach them Hindi, or whatever may be the language of the contiguous district or province, is somewhat more rational. But the most judicious course appears to have been adopted, apparently on Bishop Heber’s recommendation, with the Surgeemaree school for the Garrows who were taught in the first place their own language in the Bengali character; then, if practicable, the Bengali language; and lastly, in the case only of the more intelligent boys, the English language. With respect to all the tribes bordering on Bengal, their own language in the Bengali character seems to be the proper medium of instruction; with respect to all the tribes bordering on Orissa, their own language in the Ooria character; and with respect to all the tribes in Central and Western India, their own languages in the Nagari, Marathi, or Guzerathi character; in short, in every case their own language with the modification in respect of written character which convenience and utility may dictate. Having fixed upon a language and character, the next, step would be to prepare some easy elementary but instructive books adapted to the comprehension of persons in a very low grade of civilization, but capable of raising them a grade higher. This would not present so great difficulties as might at first be supposed. I have understood that materials already exist for a dictionary of the language of the Rajmahal tribes, whose friendly disposition would suggest that a beginning should be made with them, and whose language when known would probably afford facilities for the acquisition of the dialects of some of the other hill-tribes. The means of communication also are by no means wanting. These tribes in general maintain regular communications with the more civilized races of the plains for the purpose of disposing of their own surplus produce and of purchasing articles which they need and do not themselves produce. In this way they acquire some knowledge of Bengali, Hindi, Ooria, &c.; and Hindus, Musalmans, Oorias, &c., mix with them and acquire a knowledge of their dialects. In my communications with Santhals, I employed as an interpreter a Bengali trader of this description, who had for many years trafficked with them and who appeared to possess a very good colloquial knowledge of the Santhali dialect. With the aid of these persons the necessary books might be prepared; and the same persons, or others who would be found to quality themselves, might be employed to go amongst them as teachers, and by means of the system of public examinations and rewards to teachers and scholars, modified as circumstances might suggest, the love and desire of knowledge would take root in their minds, and its elevating and restraining influences be witnessed in their habits and pursuits.