#A Land of Their Own – Indian edition

A Land of Their Own

Samuel Richard Tickell and the Formation of the Autonomous Ho Country in Jharkhand, 1818-1842. The Indian edition

Paul Streumer

The establishment of the Kolhan Government Estate in 1837 is the decisive moment in the history of the HO tribe of Jharkhand and Odisha. It set a standard for tribal policy in India. This outcome was not easily reached. It took 25 years, from 1818 to 1842.

With a wealth of contemporary documentation, the confrontations between army officers, local rajas, and HO leaders are reconstructed. Each of these groups was at times opposed to the other groups; each was divided itself. When HO leaders met British officers, they often showed themselves tough negotiators. Even when they had conflicts – and there were quite some fierce ones – there was an underlying mutual appreciation between HOS and British.

After 20 years of trials and errors, in 1837 Samuel Richard Tickell got the task to organise the Kolhan Government Estate under direct British rule. It enabled the HOS to continue their life without much outside influence.

A grandson of one of Britain’s leading opera singers, and himself a pioneering ornithologist, Tickell wrote a grammar of the HO language and an extensive account of the people. His HO-English dialogues present an immediate insight into HO daily life.

This study gives a fascinating insight into the origins of tribal policy, as well as into the tribal life of eastern India at the very start of its march towards modernity.

BlueRose Publishers (23 May 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 376 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9362611775
SBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9362611772
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 21.59 x 2.24 x 27.94 cm