The Great Andamanese on board were visibly frightened and warned Homfray of the islanders’ fearsome defensiveness. On approach, Homfray, escorted by police and some Great Andamanese, saw “some ten men on the beach, naked, long haired, and with bows and arrows, shooting fish.” In March 1867, Jeremiah Homfray, the ‘Officer in Charge of the Andamanese’, journeyed to North Sentinel Island on the trail of some convicts who had escaped from the penal colony at Port Blair. Their language is markedly different even from other languages on the Andamans, which suggests that they have remained uncontacted for thousands of years. Language: Sentinelese – an unclassified language. The four Andaman tribes – the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, and Sentinelese – are known as the Negrito tribes and are of African descent, possibly direct descendants of the first humans out of Africa. However, as the survey was conducted from a distance, there is little chance the numbers are accurate. The 2001 Census of India recorded 39 individuals (21 males and 18 females) while the 2011 Census noted only 15 individuals (12 males and 3 females). Population: Estimated at 50 to 400 individuals. After the earthquake, large parts of the coral reefs became exposed, extending the island’s boundaries by as much as 1km on the west and south sides and uniting Constance Island with the main island. Before the 2004 earthquake, reefs extended around the island for 800-1,290m and an islet, Constance Island, was located about 600m off the southeast coastline. Topography: Forest surrounded by natural coral reef. The 2004 earthquake tilted the tectonic plate under the island, lifting it by another 1-2m. Administered by India since 1947 as part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory.Īrea: 72km² before the 2004 earthquake (see ‘Topography’ below). Location: Andaman Islands, Bay of Bengal. Here, we take a look at the island’s extraordinary timeline. It’s feasible that the Sentinelis are the last people on Earth to remain virtually untouched by modern civilisation – but who are they and why are they so fiercely insular? Should we in the developed world leave them alone – even if it consigns them to eventual doom? What are the ethical implications of contact versus retreat? These are the questions pondered by scientists, researchers, explorers and officials for at least a century. It’s speculated that the Sentinelis wait for lightning and keep the resulting embers burning for as long as possible in a hollowed out tree. They fish, hunt and collect wild plants, but there is no evidence of agriculture or even methods of making fire. We know they have weapons (arrows and spears most likely fashioned from wreckage) and that they use fishing nets and basic outrigger canoes. The Sentinelis’ violent behaviour precludes close observation and, as such, very little is known about them. Indian Coast Guard/Fair Use Tribesmen on North Sentinel Island take aim at an Indian Coast Guard helicopter
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