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North Sentinel Island an Isolated Area
North Sentinel Island considering around 59.67 km2 been treated like a home of Aboriginal Tribes. Living more than about 55, 000 years ago. The place lies under the part of India and is located in the Bay of Bengal. A Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The most interesting facts and for your knowledge to know let me give you the exact information. This North Sentinel island is the only place to live and shelter for the Sentinelese. An ancient tribe of a group of people less than 500 approximate is living here.
An isolated kind of Sentinelese those who are not connected to any part of the outside world or people. In other clear words, isolation was practiced from the outside world more than thousands of years ago. No outside from any part of the world can get connected to them. They protect themselves and refuse to meet the people beyond their own tribes. It has been strictly ordered by the Indian authority not allowed to visit these Islands.
They basically killed or murdered people who belong to an outsider world. In the year 1956 Indian Government have made a decision. It’s been declared as no traveler should visit the banned area of 5.6 km of the said island. And cameras and photography are strictly not allowed in this area and if such is found it will be the act punishable.
What is the History of Sentinelese?
Some of the close by Islands like the Andaman peoples are known as Onge tribes. They are aware of the presence of the Island and their isolated behavior. Some of Onges culture and tradition is been absorbed as similarities as compared to North Sentinelese. In the 19th century, Onges were made to travel North Sentinel Island by the British. But they even failed to understand the languages of Sentinelese. So, the language gaps are the major problem that leads to the separation of the sentinel from the outside world.
It’s have been noticed that there were several lights observed by the ship named East India Company. A ship that was passing by the Sentinelese’s island in the year 1771. Apart from this in the same year of the close by monsoon season an Indian ship called Nineveh. A ship which gone stuck or broken up just close by the North Sentential Island. And due to an emergency, more than 106 survived and the crewmen all landed on the ship boat from the broken ship. They were caught under attack with the Sentinelese with the bow and arrow.
Some of the history been like a Maurice Vidal Portman a government administrator have visited North Sentinel Island. In hope of making research on their lifestyle native and customs in January 1880.
Another landing was made on 27 August 1883 by the Portman.
What efforts T. N Pandit took towards Sentinelese?
Mr. Pandit was the well-known Anthropologist of the Indian Survey. He started to begin his way out to visit the Island of North sentential. In the year 1967 being part of the expedition as mentioned above. He uses to take a variety of items and try to attract the Sentinelese to make contact with them. The Sentinelese was at the beginning was ready with bows and arrows with a non-friendly interact behavior. All this was have been observed by them.
But after many several journeys to the North Sentinel Island and making the effort to contact them. So by gifting them like coconuts, tools, etc. The Sentinelese seems to become calm and is given chances to come close to them in the ocean to collect the gift of coconut which took place in the year 1991. But still, they were not permitted to visit their isolated Island.
The team of anthropologists has tried several ways to get in contact with them by using sign languages but they didn’t succeed as all were busy collecting the gifts which were offered to them. They were also speaking in their own tribal languages which is not any by any of them but it sounds like some kind of other tribal languages that have been spoken by other Andaman tribes.
Overall, many of the British and Portman’s have made their traveling towards North Sentinel Island to get them in contact in some ways but none was succeeding to get connected to isolated tribes.
Where is North Sentential Island located?
The North Sentinel Island is located on the west side of the town of Wandoor which is in South Andaman, a distance of around 50 km west side of the Port Blair and is about 59.6 north side of the parallel of South Sentential Island. An area that is geographically in the square outline. The North Sentential Island is basically a deep bushes area surrounded by wildlife trees, plants, herbs, animals, birds, and insects. A deep area consists of bushes and jungles to be called a forest.
Sentinelese are habituated to living in the wildlife with the weapons and tools sort of elements almost used by the old stone age people. They fully depended on the resources available on their island itself which is enough to fulfill their necessity so therefore they are not interested or meeting the people of the outside world.
What food Sentinels eat to survive?
The people of the North Sentinel Island are basically hunters it seems that some practice of the old stone age still exists in the form of North sentinel tribes. This island also has wildlife so sentential depends on hunting their food on the islands themselves for living. They use bows and arrows to hunt and even they must be using some early stone techniques to hunt fish and seafood which is easily available in the seashore of an Island. They also feed themselves with some wild plants and herbs, fruits, nuts, mud crabs, etc. But non-available agriculture has been the practice here.
Fire used by Sentential
The fire part was observed by Pandit an anthropologist who visited North sentential Island every time for 24 years. He keeps on putting in an effort into making friendly contacts with the Sentinelese by gifting them a variety of items. So, it was mentioned that They roasted fish, wild fruits on fire. Apart from this, they are not aware of making up the fire so they keep continuous burning of the blaze on which they can invent more fire when needed. They even make a fire to lighten their huts and everywhere.
Sentinels Lifestyle
Sentinelese lives in a hut made of dry leaves with the balance and support of four poles of branches and wood. They wear an ornament-like necklace, jawbones of the wild animal on their neck which they hunted. And some belt kind structure has been worn on the waist by both the gender as a part of their clothes. As to discuss the dressing sense they basically wore nothing stays naked.
And some pictures taken by the helicopters show that some of their bodies are been painted with red clay or mud as body art or dress-up forms. Their skin colors are toned and dark as you can trace that on the pictures taken by some of them who tried to get connected to them earlier. They are good at practicing hunting and using bows and arrows.
And some iron has also been used to make the edge of the arrow and other kinds of tools and weapons to protect themselves from wildlife. This is the only work in which they have been expertise in this kind of field. As they have been totally cut off from the outer world so they even don’t know what money is and how the lifestyle of people in the outer world.
Why North Sentential Island is banned for the visitors?
The government of India had banned outsiders to visit this place for many reasons. Some reasons are for the health protection of the Sentinelese as they are not aware of the technology. An efficiency of bearing the latest disease of the outside world. They have been staying on the same Island for more than 60,000 years without migrating. So, their immune system doesn’t have the capability to bear the disease of our modern society.
Their wild food and lifestyle of living for thousands of years have been a part of their lives. So, they enjoy their own tribes’ company and celebrates among themselves and very much don’t want to involve with any outside people or with their languages. And the latest technologies which they are not aware of it. The Island is the only world for them to survive rather than that they cannot be living in any other places.
Earlier in 1880, a British Naval Officer Maurice Vidal had decided to make research on the sentential people so after observing some days a few of the 6 sentential were kidnapped and were made their way to Port Blair. But 2 of them died and 4 were sent back to the island.
As written:
It was said to be as they were an elderly couple and 4 children were kidnapped for the research but unfortunately, the elderly couples were infected to death so the all-rest children were sent back to their island. This shows that the immunity system is not strong to fight against the several diseases available around the world and this may cause them to death.
Secondly lack of language gaps. None have ever understood those who visited earlier to the Island. And weird behavior of sentential as they don’t want to interact with the people of the outside world. As mentioned above they killed Allen John Chau who visited the Island to preach Christianity and they also killed the pig buried in the seashore. All this seems it’s dangerous for the people to visit there. And all these incidents have been resulted in banned in North Sentinel Island. To prevent people from reaching here Indian government has guarded security close by of around 9.26 km area by the Indian Navy who always keep an eye.
Is North Sentinel Island being dangerous?
According to so many incidents and the lack of understanding languages of the Sentinelese’s, there is no connection is been made by sentinel to the outer world though many of them tried to get in touch with them in different ways there was no improvement with the behaviors of the sentential they continuously ignore all kinds of contact made to interact with them.
In 2004 there was an earthquake in the Indian Ocean, continuing with the tsunami. After some three days ago, an Indian government has flown a helicopter to check the survival of Sentential. But it has been noticed that they were some of the Sentinelese of the island have attacked the Indian government helicopter with stones and bow and arrows.
Some Incident as:
In the year 1967, some team gathered Mr. Pandit an anthropologist, the forest department, and some local management from the area of the island, just 50 km to the west of Port Blair had organized to build a friendly interaction by the sentential so they arranged to drop some food item to the Island.
Previously some coconuts and irons have been offered to sentential and it was positively been accepted. So, this time they tried to make their appearance more friendly by gifting Pig to them in the boat. After leaving the pig on the Sentential island they visited again the next day and found that the pig was killed and buried on the shore. It’s been clearly seeming that sentinel is not at all interested to serve the outer world with friendly manners.
In the year 2006, the two fishermen were illegally fishing close by the island where it was strictly prohibited by the Indian government but unfortunately, they were killed by the Sentinelese. And ultimately no action was taken for the criminal acts against them.
Who was John Allen Chau?
John Allen Chau was a young man aged 27, an American Christian Missionary. He was born on December 18, 1991, in Scottsboro, Alabama a state of the U.S. He was the third youngest child of Lynda Adams-Chau and Patrick Chau. His education was from Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma. He loved traveling, camping, hiking, and various other extracurricular activities. His occupation was to preach about Christianity.
He traveled from America way to the Andaman Islands in the years 2015 and 2016 as part of the missionary journey. He includes himself in many missionary expeditions like South Africa, Mexico, etc. But North Sentinel Island have been his last trip in the month of November 2018 after he illegally visited the place of an isolated tribal area.
What happened to John Allen Chau?
The next incident took place in the year 2018 month of November a 27 years old John Allen Chau. A US missionary visited this place illegally. The purpose of planning was to preach Christianity to the Sentinelese’s. John Allen Chau carried a gift with him like scissors football etc for the tribes when he planned to visit North Sentinel Island. He offered his gift to the tribal and wanted to get connected to them in terms of preaching them towards Christianity. He was killed by the isolated Sentinelese people of the island which was resulted in shocking and become headlines of every news in the year 2018.
The case of John Allen Chau was a murder by the Sentinelese’s but there was no action been conducted for the people of North Sentential Island. In fact, besides the sentential seven volunteers are been arrested by the police for supporting and encouraging John Allen Chau. To enter the prohibited islands illegally.
As Heard:
According to Indian Law entering into a radius of 5 nautical miles, that’s about 9.3 km approx. are illegal. It has been heard by the fishermen given the statement to the police that they have seen John Allen Chau’s body. His body was been dragged around the Island by the Sentinelese’s. There were no cases or complaints been lodged against the tribal of sentential after this incident.
In fact, beyond this seven people were taken into custody in the terms of the doubt. For encouraging and supporting John Allen Chau to make him reach the Island illegally. Since then, the government of India had dumped the concept of gifting them. And also non-permitted of no outsider been issued to reach their island of Sentinelese’s.
The Indian government has made up its mind of not disturbing anymore to the tribal people. And decide that they should be left alone in their own world. And for their safety and protection, they have been surrounded by the Naval officers. A force by the Indian government so that no outsider can pass by these areas and reach North Sentinel Island.
FAQ’s
Who was John Allen Chau?
John Allen Chau was a young man aged 27, an American Christian Missionary. He was born on December 18, 1991, in Scottsboro, Alabama a state of the U.S. He was the third youngest child of Lynda Adams-Chau and Patrick Chau. His education was from Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma. He loved traveling, camping, hiking, and various other extracurricular activities. His occupation was to preach about Christianity.
He traveled from America way to the Andaman Islands in the years 2015 and 2016 as part of the missionary journey. He includes himself in many missionary expeditions like South Africa, Mexico, etc. But North Sentinel Island have been his last trip in the month of November 2018 after he illegally visited the place of an isolated tribal area.
What happened to John Allen Chau?
The next incident took place in the year 2018 month of November a 27 years old John Allen Chau. A US missionary visited North Sentinel Island illegally. The purpose of planning was to preach Christianity to the Sentinelese’s. John Allen Chau carried a gift with him like scissors football etc for the tribes when he planned to visit North Sentinel Island. He offered his gift to the tribal and wanted to get connected to them in terms of preaching them towards Christianity. He was killed by the isolated Sentinelese people of the island which was resulted in shocking and become headlines of every news in the year 2018.
The case of John Allen Chau was a murder by the Sentinelese’s but there was no action been conducted for the people of North Sentential Island. In fact, besides the sentential seven volunteers are been arrested by the police for supporting and encouraging John Allen Chau. To enter the prohibited islands illegally.
What is North Sentinel Island?
North Sentinel Island is a strictly forbidden place where no visitors are allowed as ordered by the Indian government. This island consists of ancient Sentinelese people who are not connected to us and unaware of our living styles and technology.
Is North Sentinel Island dangerous?
This place is not suitable for normal people to visit due to the sentinel people don’t like any otherwise visiting or contact them. Once a famous American preacher was killed by then Sentinelese when he visited there illegally.
Why North Sentinel Island is banned?
North Sentinel island is banned due to their ancient way of living naked. And they’re living on an island from ancient times with a low population of around 500 people with a low immunity system. It would be harmful to them if people visiting may infect them with any kind of spread of disease that will lead them to death.