Question

Cocoons were bought from the Santhals and sold by the traders at five times the purchase price.

• A. True
• B. False

Answer 1

The correct option is A True

Cocoons:

1. Cocoons are collected, kept in sunlight then boiled, or subjected to steam.
2. This aids in separating the fibers of silk.
3. Reeling the silk is the method used to remove the silk thread from the cocoon.
4. After then, the silk fibers are spun into threads.

Facts:

1. In Hazaribagh, which is located in the present-day state of Jharkhand, Santhals cultivated cocoons.
2. Agents were dispatched by the silk traders to gather cocoons from tribe members.
3. The growers received between 3 and 4 rupees per thousand cocoons.
4. The price at which these cocoons were obtained from the indigenous people was five times the price at which they were sold.
5. These cocoons were shipped to Burdwan or Gaya.
6. Middlemen who negotiated contracts between silk exporters and producers generated enormous sums.
7. Tribal members who cultivated silk made a very meager living.
8. As a result, tribal people began to see markets and traders as their enemies.