(Image source from: Latestly.com)
An American national John Allen Chau was killed on the remote North Sentinel Island, by members of the secure and unsocial tribe in the Andamans, possibly with arrows, when he tried to enter one of the Indian Andaman Islands in Bay of Bengal that is restricted to visitors.
But, what precisely is the Sentinelese tribe?
You are utterly mistaken if you were under the impression that poverty-stricken villages of India are among the most underdeveloped places in our country since this North Sentinel Island is actually the most unsocial and outlying region.
The island located in the Andaman and Nicobar consists of Sentinelese people, who say no to any contact with the outside world. The island is deprived of any scientific or technological developments, and people living in the islands are among the last people to remain virtually untouched by modern civilization.
ImageSource: america.aljazeera.com
The island is located in the Bay of Bengal, 50 Kilometer west of Port Blair. The island is entirely covered by forest, surrounded by coral reefs. Inhabited by Sentinelese with an estimated population between 40 to 300, the island is considered a sovereign area under the protection of Indian government. The Indian government has also maintained 3 nautical miles (5.6 kilometers) exclusion zone along the island.
ImageSource: India.com
This decision was taken by the Indian Government due to the incidents of attacks by the Sentinelese on other people trying to visit the island. Sentinelese have attacked galore tourists and exploratory parties visiting the island, killing some of them with weapons of bows and arrows. Thus, the Indian government has recognized the islanders' desire to be left alone.
ImageSource: Times of India
The expedition of the island was made in the year 1880 by a British Government administrator Maurice Vidal Portman, who intended to research the natives of the island.
Six natives, as well as an elderly couple and four children, were captured during the journey and brought to Port Blair. Alas, the entire group sickened rapidly resulting in the death of the elderly couple, so the children were sent back to the island with many presents.
Later in 1981, an expedition was made by cargo ship MV Primrose. After the ship landed at coral reefs of the island, the crewmen after several days noticed Sentinelese preparing for attacks by making boats. The crewmen were later rescued by an operation by ONGC.
ImageSource: HybridTechCar
The peaceful contact with Sentinelese was first made by Triloknath Pandit, a director of the Anthropological Survey of India, in 1991 and visits to the island halted after 1997.
-Sowmya Sangam
