The correct option is Only two
Explanation
In the nineteenth century, tribal communities in India practiced diverse economic activities based on their geographical location and interaction with the environment. These activities included shifting cultivation (jhum), hunting and gathering, animal herding (pastoralism), and settled plough cultivation.Statement-wise Analysis:
- Statement 1 is Correct: The Khonds were a tribal community living in the forests of Orissa. They were traditionally hunter-gatherers. They regularly went out on collective hunts and divided the meat amongst themselves. They ate fruits and roots collected from the forest and cooked food with oil extracted from the seeds of the sal and mahua.
- Statement 2 is Correct: The Baigas of Central India were reluctant to do work for others. They practiced shifting cultivation and saw themselves as people of the forest, who could only live on the produce of the forest. It was considered below the dignity of a Baiga to become a labourer.
- Statement 3 is Incorrect: The Van Gujjars of the Punjab hills were traditionally cattle herders (pastoralists), not settled plough cultivators. They moved annually between their summer and winter grazing grounds. Settled plough cultivation was practiced by groups like the Mundas of Chottanagpur, Gonds, and Santhals, whom the British officials considered more civilized than hunter-gatherers or shifting cultivators.
Key Takeaway:
Khonds were hunter-gatherers (Orissa); Baigas were shifting cultivators averse to labour (Central India); Van Gujjars were pastoralists (Punjab Hills); and Mundas/Santhals were settled cultivators.