Jhum: An indigenous method of cultivation and British attitude towards it in Colonial Assam

Abstract

The paper attempts to study the Indigenous method of jhum, or shifting cultivation, and British attitude towards it. It was a popular method of cultivation not only in Colonial Assam but also in various parts of the country. Though jhum has been practiced for several millennia and found to be suitable for the climate of Assam, the British government tried to ban this form of cultivation for their interest. To meet the need of timber for railways, shipbuilding, etc., they wanted to expand plantation areas, and shifting cultivation was an obstacle to that. But the native people were not in favour of giving up their practice of jhum cultivation, and even the revenue officers demanded a mid-way to resolve the issue. This resulted in the adaptation of the taungya system of cultivation in which both cultivation and plantation could go simultaneously. The method used for the study is empirical and historical. Both primary sources such as forest administrative reports for Assam, Assam District Gazatteers and other official records collected from the National Archive of India, New Delhi and the Directorate of Assam State Archive, Guwahati and secondary sources such as books and research articles have been used for the study.