The Sentinelese tribesmen. An American tourist has been killed by the pre-neolithic and isolated Sentinelese tribe in Andaman and Nicobar Islands while trying to reach out to them.
John Allen Chau is believed to have died around November 14. Police officials were trying to recover his body around the restricted and unguarded North Sentinel Island home to Sentinelese tribes, government sources said.
Seven locals including some fishermen, who facilitated Chau’s visit, have been arrested. They confirmed seeing Chau being shot down by arrows fired by Sentinelese.
This is not the first time when Sentinelese have attacked and killed trespassers. In 2006, two fishermen went near the island and were killed. The tribals also shot arrows at the helicopter that went to retrieve the bodies.
According to an Andaman journalist, Chau was keen to visit Sentinelese. His mother contacted the American Consulate in Chennai after he could not be reached for over a week.
“Chau’s mother contacted the US Consulate, which in turn reached out to Andaman Police. The police investigated and arrested the seven people who facilitated his visit,” Denis Giles, editor of the Andaman Chronicle, said.
Chau first went to Port Blair and then took a boat.
Giles and green activists held the recent government decision to exclude 29 Andaman islands, including North Sentinel Island, from Restricted Area Permit (RAP) regime to promote tourism responsible for the killing.
Earlier this month, the Indian government removed the islands from RAP, allowing tourists to visit the islands after obtaining permission from the local administration.
“Sentinelese are the only isolated tribe of the world. They have never been contacted by the outside world for thousands of years. Their hostility towards outsiders is open. What was the point in opening their area?” Giles asked.
The officials said they believed that the American did not take the mandatory permission to visit the island.
The government had declared about five kilometres of the surrounding waters of the North Sentinel island as a buffer and thus a prohibited zone. While the restrictions still apply, one can now easily acquire a permit and visit the island.
“This tragedy should never have been allowed to happen. A few months ago the authorities lifted one of the restrictions that had been protecting the Sentinelese tribe’s island from foreign tourists which sent the wrong message and may have contributed to this terrible event,” Stephen Corry, Director Survival International, said in a statement.
The organisation now fears that Sentinelese might have been infected by deadly pathogens to which they have no immunity.
One of the most isolated tribes of the world, Sentinelese are estimated to number 50 to 100. Spread over 27 sq miles, North Sentinel Island is situated 58 km from Port Blair.
In January 1991, the tribe established its first friendly contact with the outside world for 23 minutes. A 13-member team led by anthropologist S.A. Awradhi interacted with the tribes through gestures.
“The contact was made after years of safe distance observations and sending gifts,” said an official on the condition of anonymity.
Earlier, a team of scientists protected by security forces stepped on the island in 1967 but could not establish friendly contact, officials said.
The Andaman and Nicobar islands are home to six tribes — Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, Sentinelese, Nicobarese and Shompen.
There are about 300 Jarawas, 100 Onges and 300 Shompens left. Another tribe called Jangil or Rutland Jarawa became extinct around 1920 due to an epidemic. (IANS)