The Indian archipelago comprises 572 islands, all perfect for sunny days snorkeling among the reefs and sunbathing on the shores. However, there is one island where you definitely are not welcome to spend a beach day.
North Sentinel Island is a small island that falls under Indian territory. It’s located off the Andaman Sea in the Bay of Bengal, and what makes it so extraordinary is that it’s inhabited by one of the world’s last remaining uncontacted tribes.
The Sentilese
The Sentinelese have chosen to remain excluded from society, even resisting contact from outsiders with hostility and aggression.
The Indian government and additional international bodies implemented a non-interference and protection policy, establishing a 5 km exclusion zone around the island. This was done to protect outsiders from the tribe and to prevent a potential epidemic among the tribe, as they lack immunity from common diseases.
Based on the size of the island and available resources, anthropologists have estimated there to be between 80 to 150 inhabitants, although this number could vary.
The Sentilese belong to the indigenous groups of the Andaman Islands. However, they have been isolated so long that no other Andamanese people can understand their language. From outsiders’ few visual encounters, the Sentilese live in lean-to huts, use thin canoes, and live a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. They are highly skilled with bows, arrows, knives, and spears and will use these skills and resources to defend their territory.
Contacting the Sentilese
In the 1800s, British authorities arrived on the island in an attempt to contact the Sentilese which was met with suspicion and hostility. The Indian government officially claimed the island in 1970 and periodically visited the island with gifts in an attempt to befriend the islanders. The Sentilese often aimed their arrows at the contact team, once even attacking their wooden boat with a stone axe.
Officials finally dropped the gift-giving idea in 1996 when they realised their efforts were not reaching the desired results, and they decided to stop contact efforts.
Although it is illegal to visit the island, a few individuals have ignored the rules. In 2006, two fishermen illegally harvested crabs in their little boat along the Island’s shore and were captured and killed by the islanders. The latest incident took place in 2018 when an American tourist/ missionary tried to make contact with the Sentilese and was killed for his efforts.
The Indian government emphasised that this group of people deserves to have their wishes for isolation respected.
Pictures: Alamy
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