Question

What are the similarities between colonial management of the forests in Bastar and in Java?

Answer 1

• Both in Bastar (India) and Java (Indonesia), the colonial Government brought in Forest laws, thereby curtailing the freedom of people who lived in these forests.
• Villagers had to pay rent for the land, they could not graze their cattle, they were forced to provide free labour were some of the important similarities between colonial management of the forests in Bastar and Java.
• In Bastar the laws were made by the British, whereas in Java the laws were made by the Dutch.
• It ultimately led to widespread protests against the colonial administration in Bastar and Java.

Bastar (India) – Colonial Management

• People of Bastar were worried when there was a proposal for reserving two-thirds of the forests by the colonial Government, in 1905.
• The reason for apprehension on this proposal was, in the forest areas these people would be prevented from collecting forest produce, and hunting and shifting cultivation would be stopped.
• In some conditions like protecting forests from fires, and transporting and cutting trees, people who were willing to work for free for the forest department were given the authorization to continue staying in the reserved forests.
• Later on, these were known as forest villages.
• Without any notice or compensation, people from other villages were displaced.
• Villagers continued suffering for a long due to demand for goods from the colonial government, continued demand for free labour, and land rents were increased.
• In 1899-1900 and 1907-1908, there were distressing famines, and the reservation of forests came to be the last straw.
• All of these led to a massive uprising against the British.

Java (Indonesia) – Colonial Management

• Villagers’ access to forests was restricted in Java by the forest laws enacted by the Dutch. They wanted to control not only the people but also the territory.
• Now forest trees could be cut only under close supervision of the colonial government.
• Trees could be cut only for particular purposes like the construction of houses, for making boats etc.
• Villagers were punished for travelling on forest roads with their cattle or horse carts if wood was transported without a permit and if they graze their cattle in the forest areas.
• Initially rent on land was imposed by the Dutch colonial government, subsequently, those few villagers who provided free labour for cutting trees, buffaloes for transportation were exempted from rent. This system was known as the blandongdiensten.
• Later on small wages were given instead of granting exemption from rent, however there was continued restriction on their right to cultivate in forest lands.