02. From Hunting Gathering to Growing Food class 6 NCERT Notes for chapter 2 download in pdf

Welcome to From Hunting Gathering to Growing Food Class 6 NCERT Notes of Chapter 2 Social Science – Histoyr specially created by padhaiguru.in.

From Hunting Gathering to Growing Food

Varieties of foods

• most of our food such as fruit, vegetables, grain, milk and meat comes from plants that are grown and animals that are reared.
• Different plants grow in different conditions.
• Different animals too, prefer different environments — for instance, sheep and goat can survive more easily than cattle in dry, hilly environments.

The beginnings of farming and herding

• People probably observed several things: the places where edible plants were found, how seeds broke off stalks, fell on the ground, and new plants sprouted from them.
• Perhaps they began looking after plants — protecting them from birds and animals so that they could grow and the seeds could ripen. In this way people became
• The first animal to be tamed was the wild ancestor of the dog.
• Later they tamed animals such as sheep, goat, cattle and also the pig lived in herds, and most of them ate grass.
• This is how they became

Domestication

• is the name given to the process in which people grow plants and look after animals. Very often, plants and animals that are tended by people become different from wild plants and animals.
• This is because people select plants and animals for domestication.
• For example, they select those plants and animals that are not prone to disease.
• They also select plants that yield large-size grain, and have strong stalks, capable of bearing the weight of the ripe grain.
• Amongst animals, those that are relatively gentle are selected for breeding. As a result, gradually, domesticated animals and plants become different from wild animals and plants.
• Earliest domesticated plants were wheat and barley. Earliest domesticated animals were : sheep and goat.

A new way of life

• When people began growing plants, it meant that they had to stay in the same place for a long time looking after the plants, watering, weeding, driving away animals and birds — till the grain ripened.
• And then, the grain had to be used carefully.
• As grain had to be stored for both food and seed, people had to think of ways of storing
• In many areas, they began making large clay pots, or wove baskets, or dug pits into the ground.

Storing’ animals

• Animals multiply naturally. Besides, if they are looked after carefully, they provide milk, which is an important source of food, and meat, whenever required.
• In other words, animals that are reared can be used as a ‘store’ of food.

Finding out about the first farmers and herders

• You will notice a number of squares. Each marks a site from where archaeologists have found evidence of early farmers and herders.
• To find out whether these sites were settlements of farmers and herders, scientists study evidence of plants and animal bones.
• One of the most exciting finds includes remains of burnt grain. (These may have been burnt accidentally or on purpose).
• Scientists can identify these grains, and so we know that a number of crops were grown in different parts of the subcontinent.
• They can also identify the bones of different animals.

Some important sites are:

Grains and Bones	Sites
Wheat, barley, sheep, goat, cattle	Mehrgarh (in present day-Pakistan)
Rice, fragmentary animal bones	Koldihwa (in present-day Uttar Pradesh)
Rice,Cattle (hoof marks on clay surface)	Mahagara (in present-day Uttar Pradesh)
Wheat and lentil	Gufkral (in present-day Kashmir)
Wheat and lentil, dog,cattle,sheep,goat,buffalo	Burzahom (in present-day Kashmir)
Wheat, green gram, braley, buffalo, ox	Chirand (in present-day Bihar)
Millet, cattle, sheep,  goat, pig	Hallur (in present-day Andhra Pradesh)
Black Gram, Millet, cattle, sheep, pig	Paiyampalli (in present-day Andhra pradesh)

Towards a settled life

• Archaeologists have found traces of huts or houses at some sites. For instance, in Burzahom (in present-day Kashmir) people built pit-houses, which were dug into the ground, with steps leading into them.
• Archaeologists have also found cooking hearths both inside and outside the huts, which suggests that, depending on the weather, people could cook food either indoors or outdoors.
• Stone tools have been found from many sites as well.
• Many of these are different from the earlier Palaeolithic tools and that is why they are called Neolithic.
• These include tools that were polished to give a fine cutting edge, and mortars and pestles used for grinding grain and other plant produce.
• Mortars and pestles are used for grinding grain even today, several thousand years later.
• Palaeolithic tools also continued. Some were made of bones.
• Many kinds of earthen pots have also been found. These were sometimes decorated, and were used for storing things. People began using pots for cooking food, especially grains like rice, wheat and lentils that now became an important part of the diet.
• Besides, they began weaving cloth, using different kinds of materials, for example cotton, that could now be grown.
• In many areas, men and women still continued to hunt and gather food, and elsewhere people adopted farming and herding slowly, over several thousand years.

Tribes

• Usually two to three generations live together in small settlements or villages. Most families are related to one another and groups of such families form a tribe.
• Members of a tribe follow occupations such as hunting, gathering, farming, herding and fishing. Usually, women do most of the agricultural work, including preparing the ground, sowing seeds, looking after the growing plants and harvesting grain.
• Children often look after plants, driving away animals and birds that might eat them.
• Women also thresh, husk, and grind grain. Men usually lead large herds of animals in search of pasture.
• Both women and men make pots, baskets, tools and huts. They also take part in singing, dancing and decorating their huts. Some men are regarded as leaders. They may be old and experienced, or young, brave warriors, or priests.
• Old women are respected for their wisdom and experience.
• Tribes have rich and unique cultural traditions, including their own language, music, stories and paintings.
• They also have their own gods and goddesses.

A closer look — (a) Living and dying in Mehrgarh

• Find Mehrgarh above map. This site is located in a fertile plain, near the Bolan Pass, which is one of the most important routes into Iran.
• Mehrgarh was probably one of the places where women and men learnt to grow barley and
• wheat, and rear sheep and goats for the first time in this area.
• It is one of the earliest villages that we know about.
• Archaeologists who excavated the site found evidence of many kinds of animal bones from the earliest levels.
• These included bones of wild animals such as the deer and pig. In later levels, they found more bones of sheep and goat, and in still later levels, cattle bones are most common, suggesting that this was the animal that was generally kept by the people.
• Other finds at Mehrgarh include remains of square or rectangular houses. Each house had four or more compartments, some of which may have been used for storage.
• When people die, their relatives and friends generally pay respect to them. People look after them, perhaps in the belief that there is some form of life after death. Burial is one such arrangement.
• Several burial sites have been found at Mehrgarh. In one instance, the dead person was buried with goats, which were probably meant to serve as food in the next world.

Earlier and later levels

• Suppose people first start living on flat land (layer 4). Over the years, the surface will gradually rise, because people discard waste material, and generally stay and rebuild houses in the same place.
• After hundreds of years, this leads to the formation of a mound. So, when this mound is dug up, what is found from the upper layers of the mound is generally from a later time than what is found from the lower layers of the mound, which are older.
• These upper and lower layers are often referred to as levels.

A closer look — (b) Daojali Hading

• This is a site on the hills near the Brahmaputra Valley, close to routes leading into China and Myanmar.
• Here stone tools, including mortars and pestles, have been found. These indicate that people were probably growing grain and preparing food from it.
• Other finds include jadeite, a stone that may have been brought from China.
• Also common are finds of tools made of fossil wood (ancient wood that has hardened into stone), and pottery.

KEYWORDS for – From hunting gathering to growing food

Domestication: is the name given to the process in which people grow plants and look after animals.

Farmers: People who grew food by planting seeds and caring for the crop.

Herders: a person who looks after a herd of livestock or makes a living from keeping livestock, especially in open country

Neolithic: new stone age.

Pots a rounded or cylindrical container
Tribes : a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader.

Village : a group of houses and associated buildings, larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town, situated in a rural area.

Houses : a building for human habitation, especially one that consists of a ground floor and one or more upper storeys.

Burials : the action or practice of burying a dead body. from hunting gathering to growing food.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What is domestication?

A1: Domestication is the process where people grow plants and rear animals for their use. It involves selecting specific traits in plants and animals over generations.

Q2: How did early humans begin farming?

A2: Early humans observed edible plants and started protecting them. They also began taming animals, such as dogs, and later animals like sheep and goats for herding.

Q3: What are Neolithic tools?

A3: Neolithic tools are tools from the New Stone Age that are more advanced and polished compared to earlier Palaeolithic tools. They include tools for cutting, grinding, and food preparation.

Q4: How did people store their food during early farming?

A4: People stored food using methods like making clay pots, weaving baskets, and digging pits into the ground. These methods helped protect the food from pests and spoilage.

Q5: What were some important domesticated plants and animals?

A5: Early domesticated plants included wheat and barley, while domesticated animals included sheep and goats. These became essential for food and other uses.

Q6: How did burial practices reflect beliefs in the afterlife?

A6: Burial practices involved placing offerings like animals with the dead, likely reflecting a belief in an afterlife where these offerings would be useful.

Q7: What is the significance of Mehrgarh?

A7: Mehrgarh is an important archaeological site where evidence of early barley, wheat, and animal domestication has been found, providing insights into the beginnings of farming.

Q8: How do archaeologists determine the age of different layers in a mound?

A8: Archaeologists study the layers of a mound by examining the artifacts, remains, and structures found in each layer. Generally, upper layers are younger than lower layers.

Q9: How did settlements lead to the formation of mounds?

A9: Over time, settlements discarded waste material and rebuilt structures in the same place, causing the surface to rise and form a mound due to accumulated materials.

Q10: What are some characteristics of tribes mentioned in the chapter?

A10: Tribes are groups of families linked by social, economic, or blood ties. They have unique cultural traditions, languages, occupations, and often follow leadership roles.

This was the end of From hunting gathering to growing food class 6 pdf chapter 8 Social Science – History.

For more information, refer to NCERT SOLUTIONS, NCERT NOTES, and NCERT BOOKS