Those tribes of Andaman-Nicobar, who have no contact with the outside world, why is it dangerous to bring them into the mainstream?

In 2018, an American tourist was allegedly murdered by a tribal group of Andaman-Nicobar Islands. The Sentinelese tribe is considered one of the most untouched communities in the world, which has no contact with the outside world. There are many other tribes in Andaman-Nicobar, which have been living in isolation. Now efforts are being made to connect them with the mainstream.

Last month, talks progressed on an ambitious plan of the Centre in Nicobar Island. The international transshipment project will take shape around the forests where the tribals live. However, the local administration says that the project will not disturb that place, but the work will be carried out at another place. Meanwhile, discussions started on the tribal community living in Andaman and Nicobar. These groups living in dense forests rarely come out. There is a fear that their already reduced population may get wiped out completely after being mainstreamed.

How someone falls into particularly vulnerable groups

– In this it is seen whether anyone in a particular group is educated, whether they have any structure like a school.

– The scale of technology is also checked. If the community is away from facilities like electricity, mobile etc then it is kept in PVTG.

– The group of people who are economically backward and who do not even have a way to get out of it, are a part of it.

– Since PVTGs have neither health facilities nor food, their population has reduced considerably.

How many such tribes are there in Andaman?

Five communities were placed on top among the particularly vulnerable tribes. These are Onge, Jarawa, Great Andamanese, Sentinelese and Shompen. All of them are cut off from the rest of the world. Also, their population has decreased considerably.

How is the Shompen tribe

The Shompen tribe settled on the Great Nicobar Island was kept in PVTG. The population of these people living in the dense forests within the island was about 230 in the year 2011. In the Lok Sabha elections this year, seven of its members voted for the first time. For this, they came out of the forest. The Shompen are nomadic people, whose food is dependent on hunting. They also do not have any written language. In such a situation, the officials had a lot of difficulties while contacting them for the elections. It is being feared that the International Transshipment Project will have the most impact on them.

What is special about the Jarwa tribe?

The population of the Jarawa tribe can be between 250 and 400. This group lives in the deep forests of the southern part of Andaman. The Jarawa tribe has very limited contact with the outside world. Even if someone tries to reach them, they would kill him. These people speaking the Jarawa language met the outside world for the first time during the construction of the Andaman Trunk Road. But this is threatening both their identity and population.

There is another tribe- Great Andamanese

In the 18th century, their estimated population was around ten thousand. But soon the population started decreasing. In fact, in the year 1969, their number had decreased to less than 20. After this, the administration started protecting them to increase their population. Currently, these people live on a very small island named State Island.

Sentinelese tribe is quite aggressive

The Sentinelese people are residents of Sentinel Island. It is believed that these people are as different as the tribals living in the dense forests of the Amazon, who have no connection with the outside world. Whenever they encounter an outsider, they become violent. In 2018, this group was also accused of killing an American tourist. The actual population of this tribe is not known yet. It is estimated that these people would be several hundred.

The Ongi tribe is settled on Little Andaman Island. It also comes under the category of vulnerable tribe, which has neither education nor technology. Wild fruits and flowers and hunting are their food. These people speaking the Ongi language came in contact with outsiders only some time ago. The administration also built a primary school for them.

Being mainstream is extremely dangerous for the population

Being isolated from the world, these communities have very low immunity to fight diseases. They have not suffered any infection which is common for us. This is the reason that if their interaction increases, then even diseases like common cold can be fatal for them. If one person gets infected, then the entire community will not remain untouched by it. In such a situation, the population of vulnerable groups can be wiped out overnight.

This has been happening. As soon as the people of the Shompen and Jarawa tribes mixed with outsiders, their population decreased. The same is the case with the Amazon. After contact, smallpox spread in some tribes there, due to which their population almost vanished.