'Uncontacted Tribes' still exist. One of them killed an American a few days ago.

[Bill Ryan]

From https://ndtv.com/india-news/what-we-know-about-sentinelese-hostile-tribe-that-killed-an-american-1951270:

What we know about the Sentinelese, a hostile tribe that just killed an American
21 November, 2018

Since the 1960s, there have been a handful of efforts to reach out to the Sentinelese tribe who live in the North Sentinel Island, off Andaman and Nicobar, but all have largely failed.

https://c.ndtvimg.com/2018-11/8ip2j3i8_sentinelese-indian-coast-guard-_625x300_21_November_18.jpg

The Sentinelese, an aboriginal tribe of hunter-gatherers who have lived isolated from the outside world for almost 60,000 years, killed an American man who landed on one of the islands in India's remote cluster of Andaman and Nicobar.

The North Sentinel Island -- home to the Sentinelese tribe -- is out of bounds for visitors. They used arrows to kill the man identified as John Allen Chau after he was illegally ferried there by fishermen, the police said. Very little is known about the tribe, one of the most protected ones in India. Scientific observation over the last three decades has gathered only elementary knowledge about them and their lifestyle.

Here are 10 things we know about the Sentinelese tribe:


The Sentinelese are assumed to be direct descendants of the earliest humans who emerged from Africa. Their language is incomprehensible even to other tribes in the region.
They live on an island 50 km west of Port Blair. Their numbers are believed to be less than 150 and as low as 40.
It is said they have made little to no advancement in the over 60,000 years and still live very primitive lives, surviving mainly on fish and coconuts.
They are very vulnerable to germs since they have not had contact with the outside world. Even a common flu virus carried by a visitor could wipe out the entire tribe.
Since the 1960s, there have been a handful of efforts to reach out to the tribe but all have largely failed. They have repeatedly, aggressively made it clear that they want to be isolated.
The only man believed to have succeeded in establishing friendly contact with the tribe was an Indian anthropologist, Triloknath Pandit, in 1991.
In 1981, a cargo ship MV Primrose grounded on the reef surrounding North Sentinel Island. The crew were rescued after a week by an Indian helicopter. The wreckage of the ship is still visible in satellite images.
In 2006, the tribe killed two fishermen who strayed on to the island. They even rejected outside help after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, throwing spears and arrows at a rescue helicopter that flew above.
The Indian government has had strict laws that ensure that they are isolated. These laws prohibited anyone from making any unauthorised contact with these isolated aboriginals.
But in a major step earlier this year, the Indian government excluded this island and 28 others in the Union Territory from the Restricted Area Permit or RAP (https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/american-tourist-killed-in-andaman-and-nicobar-islands-seven-arrested-1950906) regime till December 31, 2022, news agency Press Trust of India reported. The lifting of RAP means foreigners can go to the island without permission from the government, PTI reported.

~~~

And from https://boingboing.net/2018/11/21/remote-uncontacted-island.html:

Remote "uncontacted" island tribe killed an interloping missionary with arrows

https://i1.wp.com/media.boingboing.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/screenshot-53.jpg

The Sentinelese are one of the world's last "uncontacted" indigenous peoples, a hunter-gatherer tribe who live on the remote North Sentinel Island in India's Andaman Islands chain. This week, John Allen Chau, 27, eager to meet the tribe and hopefully convert them to Christianity, paid local fishermen to help him get near the island. As soon as he illegally landed his canoe on the shore, the Sentinelese fired arrows. He escaped with injuries but returned twice later and was eventually killed. From CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/21/asia/andaman-nicobar-us-missionary-killed-intl/index.html):
"We refuse to call him a tourist. Yes, he came on a tourist visa but he came with a specific purpose to preach on a prohibited island," said (Dependra Pathak, Director General of Police of the Andaman and Nicobar islands).

Chau did not inform the police of his intentions to travel to the island to attempt to convert its inhabitants...

"According to the fishermen, they used a wooden boat fitted with motors to travel to the island on November 15," Pathak said.

"The boat stopped 500-700 meters (1,640 - 2,300 ft) away from the island and (the American missionary) used a canoe to reach the shore of the island. He came back later that day with arrow injuries. On the 16th, the (tribespeople) broke his canoe.

"So he came back to the boat swimming. He did not come back on the 17th; the fishermen later saw the tribespeople dragging his body around."

A 2011 survey only spotted 15 Sentinelese on their island -- the count was done from a distance due to the danger in approaching the tribe. In the 2001 census, the total population was estimated to be 39.

India has designated five indigenous tribal groups in the territory as "particularly vulnerable" due to the loss of sustaining resources and customs.

India's Ministry of Tribal Affairs has said that, with regard to Sentinelese tribes, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration "has adopted an 'eyes-on and hands-off' policy to ensure that no poachers enter into the island."

[James]

The Sentinelese are insanely fascinating - humankind in a Petri dish, without the domestication.

It would be a neat study to drone into place an arrangement of several, small cameras to capture a bit of their psychology from treetop distance.

Maybe we’d recall a familiar face, or find something completely foreign to our understanding gazing back - the tabby cat and the mountain lion. Bred for purpose, or born with purpose.

[enfoldedblue]

Wanting to put cameras up to observe this tribe feels really wrong to me. Yes I'm sure we could learn something... possibly a lot. However, to me this represents so much that is wrong with humanity. They clearly don't want to share with the rest of the world. They clearly want to be left alone. To me it would be arrogant and disrespectful to ignore their wishes and impose our big brother eye on them, for our own benefit.

[ichingcarpenter]

I've been aware of this tribe in my anthropological studies, ( my x wife's degree). I was thinking that on a certain level wouldn't this response from the tribe be how humans react to aliens? I reminded of that great 'Outer Limits' show on the episode ''The Architects of Fear'' where Robert Culp is made into an alien with a craft that suppose to land at the UN in New York city but instead lands in some backwoods hick area and gets shot by rednecks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Architects_of_Fear


I think even our air force is on record for aggressive violent actions with ufos is clearly on the historic record. So maybe these islanders' behavior is not that weird.

[Strat]

They clearly don't want to share with the rest of the world. They clearly want to be left alone. To me it would be arrogant and disrespectful to ignore their wishes and impose our big brother eye on them, for our own benefit.

I don't necessarily agree with this. I think they fear modern man because they don't understand modern man. I'm not aware of any case where a newly contacted tribe turns away modern creature comforts. The first contact is always tense and needs to be handled by professional anthropologists, not missionaries. Even with anthropologists, death can ensue.

That being said, if we did know for sure that they wished to remain isolated, then I agree with you 100%. Leave them be.

Kinda offtopic but there's a documentary on Netflix regarding all of this...i can't remember the name though. It's really neat, folks make contact with a tribe in the amazons. They're a rough bunch, they (more or less) raid a camp and steal items which is sketchy because one has to try and stop them because they don't understand germs and the danger they're putting themselves in. But if you get too close to them or appear aggressive then they'll attack.

Here's a similar documentary, all on youtube. I really like it (in 3 parts):
5aV_850nzv4

[Satori]

The man made a deadly mistake by returning after he had received warnings and initially got away with only wounds. I did not realize that he kept going back after escaping with his life once or twice. He made his choices. They made theirs. I don't know why he thought the outcome would be different by returning.

[pueblo]

They clearly don't want to share with the rest of the world. They clearly want to be left alone. To me it would be arrogant and disrespectful to ignore their wishes and impose our big brother eye on them, for our own benefit.

I don't necessarily agree with this. I think they fear modern man because they don't understand modern man. I'm not aware of any case where a newly contacted tribe turns away modern creature comforts. The first contact is always tense and needs to be handled by professional anthropologists, not missionaries. Even with anthropologists, death can ensue.

That being said, if we did know for sure that they wished to remain isolated, then I agree with you 100%. Leave them be.

Kinda offtopic but there's a documentary on Netflix regarding all of this...i can't remember the name though. It's really neat, folks make contact with a tribe in the amazons. They're a rough bunch, they (more or less) raid a camp and steal items which is sketchy because one has to try and stop them because they don't understand germs and the danger they're putting themselves in. But if you get too close to them or appear aggressive then they'll attack.

Here's a similar documentary, all on youtube. I really like it (in 3 parts):
5aV_850nzv4

Great doc (all 3 parts) thanks. I found it a little bitter-sweet knowing the inevitability that for them life will never be the same again.

This was 1998 I think? It would be interesting to see what has changed in the last 20 years for these people.

[Dennis Leahy]

The man made a deadly mistake by returning after he had received warnings and initially got away with only wounds. I did not realize that he kept going back after escaping with his life once or twice. He made his choices. They made theirs. I don't know why he thought the outcome would be different by returning.The tribe hinted very strongly that they didn't want to be "saved." Finally, he got the point.
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OK, OK, I know, that was awful. The tribe hasn't even digested the guy yet, and already I'm making jokes. The preacher didn't believe in evolution, so is not qualified to win a Darwin award, so how can we celebrate his brash, arrogant, stupidity but to laugh? Think what this just did to Jehovah's Witness recruiting! - (was trying to channel some Bill Hicks, got some Sam Kinison)

[Mike Gorman]

The man made a deadly mistake by returning after he had received warnings and initially got away with only wounds. I did not realize that he kept going back after escaping with his life once or twice. He made his choices. They made theirs. I don't know why he thought the outcome would be different by returning.

He was a missionary, convinced he needed to 'save' these people, the arrogance of faith killed him, why can't we simply leave these folks be, we have plenty to be getting on with.

[Bill Ryan]

The man made a deadly mistake by returning after he had received warnings and initially got away with only wounds. I did not realize that he kept going back after escaping with his life once or twice. He made his choices. They made theirs. I don't know why he thought the outcome would be different by returning.The tribe hinted very strongly that they didn't want to be "saved." Finally, he got the point.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
OK, OK, I know, that was awful. The tribe hasn't even digested the guy yet, and already I'm making jokes. The preacher didn't believe in evolution, so is not qualified to win a Darwin award, so how can we celebrate his brash, arrogant, stupidity but to laugh? Think what this just did to Jehovah's Witness recruiting! - (was trying to channel some Bill Hicks, got some Sam Kinison)

I think that's one of the the best worst posts I've ever read. :)

Confession! I totally agree. The moral to the tragic (for him) story is so clear. Some people just create their own fate, which rolls out in many different forms.

[Agape]

They can’t live like this forever either. From bigger perspective it’s an illusion and utopia. Sorry to say that. If they were peaceful tribe with cultured habits maybe they’d throw bunch of coconuts at the boat and chased visitors away but the rift between them and the rest is kind of too abyssymal to cross now,
even for a missionary ..
for somehow they’re “allowed to kill” in order to protect themselves alone,
stuck in cannibalistic faith in “our own survival”.

Love People. Is not the 27 year old boy with head full of dreams also “People”?
Sure he’s.

It’s bad of the civilisation not to make intelligent contact or not being able to make intelligent contact. It’s late to keep people on isolated islands or in human ZOOs.

The time is overdue ..for not being able to make intelligent contact .

What does anthropology want to learn there ? Of cannibalism and other pervert practices then post it all in their Ultra right magazines or Playboy?


No, thanks.


They live under legal system that should be the same good for God as for the Office.


Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

[Bill Ryan]

The time is overdue ..for not being able to make intelligent contact .

I know what you mean. (I'll translate! "The time is overdue ... for making intelligent contact.")

But I strongly disagree. Why not let them be?

They don't bother us — unless we try to convert them to Christianity, which is arrogant, manipulative, we're-better-than-you interference. And there's no reason for us at all to bother them. (Unless we want the island as a military base, or discover rare earth minerals there to be open-cast mined.)

Who lives a better, healthier, more spiritual life? Us with our TV game shows and iPhones and 5G and chemtrails and fluoride in the water and compulsory vaccinations for newborn babies?

Or them, close to nature (part of nature!), totally independent in their spiritual and tribal traditions, and living with integrity as defined by themselves... not anyone else?

How arrogant we are to even think that we should decide that we know better what they need.

[Trisher]

We already contact them on a daily basis. They look up at a chemtrailed sky. Their coconuts are tainted with heavy metals and their fish toxic with pollution. Their rain water likewise. The air they breathe has less oxygen and is full of nano particulates. They are constantly bombarded with frequencies from satellites and more and their weather is manipulated. They have less sunlight and the sun they get is through a chemtrail haze.

I think we have contacted them enough..its time we left them completely without contact in all ways.

Trisher

[Akasha]

Concurring with Dennis, Mike and Bill and in addition, the sick and twisted irony of this fanatical, proselytizing aspect of xstianity which, rather than being the eternal salvation of these very special folk, could well have wiped them out entirely through the introduction of modern viruses into their community.

All in all, divine justice was served imo.

[greybeard]

Their world--their rules.
Chris

[starlight]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/05/world/asia/anthropologist-india-andaman-island-tribes.html

Above you'll find the link to an interview with the Indian Anthropologist who first made contact with the Sentinelese and Jarawa tribes, and late in life, came to regret it.


It took Mr. Pandit and his colleagues more than two decades to persuade the tribes known as the Jarawa and Sentinelese to lay down their bows and arrows and mingle peacefully with the Indian settlers who surrounded them. The process was grindingly slow, involving trips into remote jungle areas to leave gifts for people who would not show themselves. In each case, though, there was an exhilarating breakthrough.

Notice how it took a professional TWENTY YEARS to do what that missionary attempted in just 3 days.

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/04/19/world/anthropologist2/anthropologist2-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&auto=webp

Pictured above in 1991, is Pandit, far left, presenting coconuts as gifts to the Sentinelese

Although Pandit had most contact with the Jarawa tribe, he soon came to regret it.


“The negative impact of close contact is inescapable, but it is sad,” he said. “What an amazing community, but it has been diluted in its outlook, its self-confidence, its sense of purpose, its sense of survival. Now they take it easy. They beg for things.”

I think we should take Dr. Pandit's experience and learn from it. Integrating with uncontacted tribes has lasting effects on their people. Once you introduce them to our modern society of easily accessible food and advanced technology, you are stripping away a valued culture and it's preserved way of life. Its almost like eating candy for the first time as a kid: your tastebuds sing, and your eyes widen; you are now introduced to something new that you will likely never choose to live without.

I hope we as a species learn to respect and value differing cultures other than our own. :heart:

[DeDukshyn]

What a funny irony ... he went there to help the tribe find God, but in the end, the tribe helped him find God ...

[Agape]

The time is overdue ..for not being able to make intelligent contact .

I know what you mean. (I'll translate! "The time is overdue ... for making intelligent contact.")

But I strongly disagree. Why not let them be?

They don't bother us — unless we try to convert them to Christianity, which is arrogant, manipulative, we're-better-than-you interference. And there's no reason for us at all to bother them. (Unless we want the island as a military base, or discover rare earth minerals there to be open-cast mined.)

Who lives a better, healthier, more spiritual life? Us with our TV game shows and iPhones and 5G and chemtrails and fluoride in the water and compulsory vaccinations for newborn babies?

Or them, close to nature (part of nature!), totally independent in their spiritual and tribal traditions, and living with integrity as defined by themselves... not anyone else?

How arrogant we are to even think that we should decide that we know better what they need.



Thank you for better perspective Bill, of course I can agree on that, 99,99% .

These islands look like paradise from times long gone even from the
aerial photos so do the people.

Their mentality is so far away from people of today’s rushed modern world with all its self imposed rules( someone like me does not confirm with anyway but it’s more about the pace, the control mechanisms and mentality, than the laws) that they can’t be blamed for protecting their territory.

At the same time ..their island may be flushed by the next tsunami wave and they’ll have little chance to be rescued.

They’ve probably eaten number of foreign missionaries in the course of their remote history( having some funny thoughts here, sorry) and did not get infected by their advanced microbioms.
They don’t seem to have problem with vaccinations then and little concerns about MK Ultra.

Most importantly .. they can’t read our messages about them on Internet:)

And if they can read our Minds ...

they most certainly agree with your opinion rather than mine.



But no doubt they lit couple of ceremonial fires last night ( their version of forum) and discussing it loudly quite like we do and perhaps they’re also trying to make sense of the world “out there” and imagine what’s going on ..


I mean, maybe.


Let them Live, yes.


:bowing:

[Bill Ryan]

At the same time ..their island may be flushed by the next tsunami wave and they’ll have little chance to be rescued.



Actually, that's NOT what happened in December 2004. What did happen is instructive.

Indian authorities were very concerned that the tribespeople on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands — which contain Sentinel Island as one of the same group — would have suffered great losses from the devastating Banda Aceh tsunami. But when military helicopters arrived there, they found there were NO CASUALTIES.

The islanders, highly attuned to natural rhythms and signals, had clearly sensed that the tsunami was coming — and had all retreated to safe, high ground before it hit.

[Agape]

At the same time ..their island may be flushed by the next tsunami wave and they’ll have little chance to be rescued.



Actually, that's NOT what happened in December 2004. What did happen is instructive.

Indian authorities were very concerned that the tribespeople on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands — which contain Sentinel Island as one of the same group — would have suffered great losses from the devastating Banda Aceh tsunami. But when military helicopters arrived there, they found there were NO CASUALTIES.

The islanders, highly attuned to natural rhythms and signals, had clearly sensed that the tsunami was coming — and had all retreated to safe, high ground before it hit.


That’s excellent news, thanks again Bill. It’s exactly what I was wondering about and what happened to them in that particular tsunami wave that splashed many coasts and islands.

Some other islands and their less lucky inhabitants were probably smashed but that’s a fate not an argument.

I’m running some ironic ideas about the “first contact scenarios” on this planet and culture crashes( since I experienced good few of them already) especially in “close contact” scenarios, the risks are high for either party( aborigines vs misionairs, hosts and guests, terrestrials and the rest..)for which the case above stands as repeated metaphor.
No sarcasm from my side though, my thoughts are contemplative. It’s a wonder to live here and a challenge,
everyday.


:star:

[sunwings]

In 2007 a British TV show brought a similar tribe to the UK for a documentary. When they returned to their island they were able to settle back into life, but what they saw in the UK shocked the tribesmen.

One member of the tribe asked the producer "Why do the people here treat dogs better than their own people who are living in the street?"

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/strange-island-pacific-tribesmen-come-to-study-britain-5329192.html

[Bill Ryan]

In 2007 a British TV show brought a similar tribe to the UK for a documentary. When they returned to their island they were able to settle back into life, but what they saw in the UK shocked the tribesmen.

One member of the tribe asked the producer "Why do the people here treat dogs better than their own people who are living in the street?"

https://independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/strange-island-pacific-tribesmen-come-to-study-britain-5329192.html (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/strange-island-pacific-tribesmen-come-to-study-britain-5329192.html)

That's interesting. The series is on YouTube, in multiple 10-minute parts, on this channel:


https://youtube.com/user/caleb3000/videos

For sure, this was less of an anthropological study than a TV gimmick. (And, maybe an unkind and exploitative one.) But it still offers quite a lot of food for thought.

I'd like to find the reference, but in a similar 'experiment', as best as I an recall from reading about this many years ago, an Amazon tribesman was flown in to either England or the US. He was silent for much of his experience, and when returned to his tiny village, which he had never before left, he was asked what he felt and thought.

Again from memory, I believe he said something to the effect of:[I] "I just feel extremely sorry for all those people."

If anyone can dig up this story, I'd much appreciate it. I'll also try to find it again myself.

[DNA]

I think it funny anyone who thinks these folks need to be brought into the open arms of the modern world. These folks will be doing better than 99.9 percent of us when the proverbial **** hits the fan.

[DNA]

An article by the SUN listed on The Drudge Report as giving pause to the fact that the missionary is dead. The article hints that the man may still be alive. A great twist indeed if he is found after several months with the natives of the island all converted to Christianity. I'm not a fan of this proposed possible outcome but it would most certainly get made into a Hollywood production of some type. He might even make it into the cannons of sainthood of what ever particular branch of Christianity he practices. :amen:





https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7835035/john-chau-missionary-killed-tribe-may-still-be-alive/


WHERE'S HIS BODY? US missionary John Chau who was shot dead with arrows by tribe on remote island may still be ALIVE, friends and family believe

A close friend of John Chau's told The Sun Online authorities should not rule out the possibility that the 26-year-old had survived the attack
By Emma Parry, Digital US Correspondent
27th November 2018, 1:24 pm
Updated: 28th November 2018, 5:02 pm



A CHRISTIAN missionary who was shot dead with bows and arrows on a remote Indian island may have survived the attack, his friends and family believe.
American John Allen Chau, 26, was reportedly killed by the protected Sentinelese tribe during his="lazyautosizes lazyloaded" data-credit="John Middleton Ramsey" data-sizes="auto" data-img="https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uplo (https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7835035/john-chau-missionary-killed-tribe-may-still-be-alive/#)quest to convert North Sentinel islanders to Christianity. (https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7802219/who-was-john-allen-chau-and-how-did-he-die-on-indias-andaman-and-nicobar-islands/)

[lunaflare]

If the missionary, John Chao, survived he would more likely be converted to the ways of the Sentinelese.

Their closeness to the Earth and the laws of Nature would give these humans high psychic and intuitive abilities. Their senses are heightened. Sentience...Sentinelese. Surely someone saw the link in the naming! They probably very clearly foresee the outcome of associating with humans from "outside' their world.
And guess what, they don't wish for it...

Why can't they be left alone?

Humankind is curious and thus it seems highly improbable that this could ever be the case. We like to classify, discover, name, claim, convert...

We all have choices.

[hermit]

If there's oil on that island, things would not be as they are

[shaberon]

This also happened to Michael Rockefeller in the 1970s.

That was Indonesia I believe. New Guinea is still quite like this. They have some 800 languages and some of them cannot communicate to each other. Some of them did not know there was such a thing as human beings besides their tribe. By now many of these are contacted and do not have what I would call a particularly appealing way of life. Much different from other so-called primitive islanders like Polynesians who probably do.

New Guinean lifespan is not much more than forty, the degree of disease, violence, and cannibalism is staggering. With the Sentinelese, it's hard to say, but I'm pretty sure if I was them I'd be throwing spears at invaders too.

[Bill Ryan]

Here's a good mini-documentary (19 mins):

SENTINELESE : The World's Most Isolated Tribe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7BNwmVvk6g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7BNwmVvk6g

[Kryztian]

A history of Sentinel Island, and attempts to contact it. (20 minutes)

oWarOTnOIeI