Knowledge of Natural World
Saves Primitive Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands From Tsunami 

The Hindu (India) 5jan04

Primitive Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Escape Tsunami

[More below]

QUAKE-ABORIGINES

NEW DELHI (PTI) — Helped by nature and luck the endangered aborigines of Andaman and Nicobar islands survived the December 26 tidal fury which wiped away thousands of people in south and southeast Asia.

The worst-hit islands of Nicobar and Car Nicobar consists of the Nicobarese who are the largest Scheduled Tribe in the union territory, according to an official release.

The Nicobarese, 3000 of whom are still missing, have taken the brunt of the tsunami most due to its geographical location.

The southern part of Car Nicobar island, inhabited by the Mongolian-origin primitive tribe of Shompen, who were feared to have been hit badly by the tidal waves due to its proxomity to Sumatra which was epicentre of the massive earthquake, have now been confirmed safe by-and-large after an aerial survey, the release said.

The tribe, scattered over 17 villages with a total population of 398 (254 males, 144 females), managed to survive the tsunami as they had taken shelter in the forests of the biosphere reserves which acted as a shield against the high waves.

The Negrito-origin Andamanese, who inhabit the Strait islands in Rangat tehsil, with a population of 43 (24 males, 19 females) have been brought to safety to Port Blair and would require rehabilitation, it said.

The Jarawas, the most primitive of all the tribes to inhabit the chain of islands and classified as a heritage tribe, have also escaped the worst of the disaster since they live deep into the jungles on relatively high land in the middle and southern parts of the Andaman islands. A total of 240 of them have settled in six villages of the Andaman district.

The Onges population of 96 persons of Port Blair tehsil of the Andaman district, living in the northern areas are naturally protected from the tsunami. An aerial survey have confirmed that they are safe and have taken refuge in the forests of the region.

Another primitive tribe, the Sentinelese, who are hostile to outsiders and have been counted from a distance during the 2001 census have also been sighted during the aerial survey and are safe, the release said.

Andaman and Nicobar islands, with a total population of 3,56,152 as on March 1, 2001, today continued to be rocked with the aftershocks of the deep sea quake.

source: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/001200501052161.htm 7jan04

Tribe Shoots Arrows at Aid Flight 

JONATHAN CHARLES / BBC

Andaman Islands — An Indian helicopter dropping food and water over the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been attacked by tribesmen using bows and arrows. There were fears that the endangered tribal groups had been wiped out when massive waves struck their islands.

But the authorities say the attack is a sign that they have survived.

More than 6,000 people there are confirmed as either dead or missing, but thousands of others are still unaccounted for.

The Indian coastguard helicopter was flying low over Sentinel Island to drop aid when it came under attack.

A senior police officer said the crew were not hurt and the authorities are taking it as a sign that the tribes have not been wiped out by the earthquake and sea surges as many had feared.

The Andaman and Nicobar archipelago is home to several tribes, some extremely isolated.

Officials believe they survived the devastation by using age-old early warning systems.

They might have run to high ground for safety after noticing changes in the behaviour of birds and marine wildlife.

Scientists are examining the possibility to see whether it can be used to predict earth tremors in future.

source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4144405.stm 7jan04

Ancient tribes of Andaman and Nicobar islands have survived 

PRATAP CHAKRAVARTY /AFP / Times (UK) 30dec04

Tidal wave survivors from Car Nicobar at a relief
camp at Port Blair, capital of the Andaman Islands
(MANISH SWARUP/AP)

Campbell Bay, Great Nicobar — Groups of rare aboriginal tribes already near the edge of extinction in the Andaman and Nicobar islands survived a massive tsunami, the coast guard said today.

Five tribes numbering 989 people were safe after Sunday's onslaught, including the 100-member Onge, 250 of the fiercely independent Sentinelese, 39 of the almost extinct Andamanese, 350 of the Jarawa and 250 of the hunter-gatherer Shompen.

They were located by helicopter and some were reached by boat and provided with supplies and medical treatment, director-general of the Coast Guard, Arun Kumar Singh, said.

The Indian Navy had been hunting for the aborigines on the tsunami-savaged Nicobar islands amid fears that any harm to some of nature's most enigmatic communities could push them into extinction. The mangrove islet of Campbell Bay is one of hundreds in the archipelago, some partly or fully reserved for aborigines.

"The great Andamanese tribes are all OK," Lieutenant Governor Ram Kapse told reporters. "There are no casualties among them."

The Shompen live along riverbanks in the dense mangroves surrounding the settlement of Campbell Bay, 800 kilometres (500 miles) south of the Andamanese capital Port Blair.

For centuries they have shied away from outside contact, notably with Indians. On Sunday, the island chain bore the full brunt of the massive waves triggered by a huge undersea earthquake off nearby Sumatra, Indonesia.

The Indian Government in the mid-1970s sent retired military personnel as settlers to the breathtaking tropical territory amid friction with neighbouring Indonesia over ownership.

The Onge tribe was confined to 25 square kilometres after the Forest Department took over their land in 1977 and face further loss of territory as the government builds homes, roads, jetties and a match factory near their reserve.

The Sentinelese on North Sentinel island have constantly repulsed outsiders with showers of arrows and remain one of the least studied of the tribes.

The Andamanese, on the verge of extinction, were decimated by disease from colonisers in the mid-19th century and remain settled on tiny Strait Island. The once reclusive and hostile Jawara occupy 639 square kilometres on the south and middle Andaman islands.

But in recent years they have been steadily engaging with tourists since a road split their land. One other tribe numbering 30,000, the Nicobarese, are not decreasing and have been partly assimilated into Indian society.

The origins of the endangered Andaman tribes, today only about 12 per cent of the overall population of some 350,000, still mystify anthropologists. Genetic evidence suggests the pygmy-like people with dark skin and tightly curled hair have lived on the Andamans for at least 60,000 years.

"They are very important -- a link to our roots we come from, to our prehistoric days when we were at the hunting and gathering stage," Ajoy Bagchi, executive director of the New Delhi-based Anthropological Survey of India said.

source: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,18690-1419558,00.html 7jan04

History

The existence of these islands was first reported in the 9th century by Arab merchants, who sailed past them, on their way to the straits of Sumatra. The first Western visitor was Marco Polo, who called it `the land of the head - hunters'. The islands were annexed by the Marathas in the late 17th century. In the early 18th century, the islands were the base of Maratha admiral Kanhoji Angre, whose navy frequently captured British, Dutch and Portuguese merchant ships. Angre remained undefeated by the combined British / Portuguese naval task force, right up to his death in 1729.

The Nicobar Islands were annexed by Britain in 1869 and were joined with the Andaman Islands to form a single administrative unit in 1872. Japanese forces occupied the islands from 1942 until the end of World War in 1945, and control of the territory was transferred to India when it gained independence from Britain in 1947. Society and Culture

The Andaman & Nicobar Islands are characterised by two distinct native cultures. One is of the Negrito population in the Andamans and other is of the Autochthones, i.e. the Mongoloid Nicobarese and Shompen. Both during pre- and post-British periods and even after Independence, these two cultures have maintained their distinct identities.

The main aboriginal group in the Andamans are the Onges, who live on Little Andaman. Onges, like other Andamanese tribes, are of Negrito origin. They practice food - gathering, hunting, honey - collecting and fishing, and are the only tribe on the islands, who freely accept contact with the outside world. In the Nicobars, the only aboriginals are the Shompens, who are averse to any contact with the outside world. The Nicobarese, the largest group, seem to be of mixed Burmese, Malay, Mon and Shan origin. They are a friendly and cheerful lot, who do not accept money and prefer the barter system. Communing with the dead is one of the many intriguing rituals practiced in Nicobar.

The special festive celebrations of particular groups include Durgapuja for the Bengalis, Panguni Uthiram for the Tamils, Pongal for the Telugus and Onam for the Malayalis. The Local Born of the Andamans, who are divided into Hindus, Muslims and Christians, celebrate the festivals of all the three religions. Some of their main festivals are Shivratri, Janmastami, Holi, Diwali, Ramanavami, Idd, Christmas, Good Friday etc. All three religious groups among the locals participate in one another's festivals.

Thus the people of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, irrespective of the regions that they originally come from or the religion they practice or the language or dialect they speak have many common cultural traits. A remarkable feature of Andaman and Nicobar society is the amicable co-existence of the people belonging to the different religions. Communal violence is unheard of here. There is amicable participation of all in religious festivals and the incidence of inter-religious marriages is increasing.

source: http://www.mapsofindia.com/stateprofiles/andamanandnicobar/ 7jan04