The lives of tribal groups changed during British rule in many strange and unexpected ways:
What Happened to the Tribal Chiefs?
The tribal groups were considered important people, because it is they who controlled their territories. Under the British rule they lose their administrative power and were forced to follow law made by British officials in India.
Before the British arrived, tribal chiefs were important people; they had some money and the right to manage their lands and people.
But under the British rule, they lost much of their powers and were asked to discipline their tribe on behalf of the British government.
This subjugation meant that the tribal chiefs lost the authority among their people, and gradually also the will to fulfil their traditional functions.
What Happened to the Shifting Cultivators?
The British wanted tribal groups to settle down and become peasant cultivators, because as settled peasants they were easier to control and administer.
The British also wanted a regular revenue source for the state. So they introduced land settlements, that is, they measured the land, defined the rights of each individual to that land, and fixed the revenue the farmer had to pay to the state.
But the British effort to settle jhum cultivators was not very successful, because when their fields did not produce good yields, shifting cultivators who took to plough cultivation often suffered a lot.
Facing widespread protests, the British had to ultimately allow the right to carry on shifting cultivation in some parts of the forest.