Who are the aborigines of Andaman and Nicobar?

Andaman and Nicobar, the little islands south of India, are not only a famous tourist spot, home to vast marine and terrestrial life but are most importantly, home to the last remaining tribal groups- ‘Negrito’ of Andaman Islands and ‘Mongoloid’ of Nicobar[1]. Negrito aborigines are one among the original 12 tribes of the region. With time, the total number of Andaman’s tribes were reduced to 4, namely – the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jawara and Sentinelese. In Nicobar, the Mongoloids consisted of – the Shompen and the Nicobarese[2]. The islands are still developing and there has been a marked increase in urban population over the years. The tribal groups however, have seen a marked dip in their numbers. From 29,469 in 2001, the numbers fell to 28,530 in 2011, which is a gross 3.19% decline[3].

Seeing statistics such as these, various questions come to one’s mind- why is there a steep decline? What can be done to protect these tribes? Do they need such protection, and if so, why? To answer these questions, we must first (briefly) look into the history and origins of these tribal groups.

Many historians and anthropologists believe that the Negrito tribes represent the primitive forms of Homo Sapiens that traveled to the islands during prehistory[4]. What is all the more interesting is that, these antique stocks only exist on these islands. The Mongoloid aborigines’ roots trace back to the Burmese and Malay people[5]. However, it is unknown when and how these tribes reached the island. Nevertheless, the ‘Out of Africa’ theory- which explains the evolution of Homo Sapiens, tracing the roots back to sub-Saharan Africa- has been redefined by the papers written by Thangaraj and Macaulay[6]. According to most recent scholarship, dispersal from Africa around 60,000 to 75,000 years ago, to the coasts of the Indian Ocean to South East Asia and Australasia represents the most accurate account of migration.

Evidence shows that the Nicobarese historically kept contact with the outside world through trade, having created trade-links with the Chinese, Arabs and Dravidian-cholas[8]. Their descriptions have been identified dating back to the the 2nd century (AD)[9]. On the other hand, the Negrito aborigines are the exact opposite, they have resisted every opportunity to “civilize” themselves, which traces back to the 1790 when the British first settled in Port Blair[10]. Their hostile attitude could be attributed to the constant harassment by the Malay Pirates who are know to take away their men, women and children as slaves to their country[11]. When the British came, they would capture these tribals, keep them as slaves, feed them and teach them farming. This exposed them to contagious diseases such as syphilis and measles which was contracted from their captors[12].

Researchers have written that “The physical attributes of the Negritos are of short stature, dark skin, peppercorn hair, with scant body hair (like) those of the African pygmies and other Asian Negritos[13].” The Mongoloid have physical attributes similar to the Chinese, Malays and Burmese; their dialect relates to Mon-Khmer and languages of Vietnam, Malaysia, and parts of northeast India[14]. Interestingly enough, the forest dwelling tribe- the Shompens (of Nicobar) have come from the same group as the Nicobarese. Moreover, they show a mix of the Malay, Negrito and Dravidian races[15]. However, the relation between the two groups are still unclear. It has been brought to light, through the writings of Ptolemy (the Roman Geographer) that they have always been isolated from each other[16]. While there are stark differences between the tribes, they share quite a few similarities. Both tribes use boats as their transport and are known to make them as well, except for the Jawaras who use primitive rafts[17].

As mentioned before, the population of the tribes have been on a steady decline. Instances of their killings and the spread of diseases during colonial British era greatly affected their population. The disastrous tsunami of 2004 (which was foresighted by the Andamanese, Onge and Jarawa tribes) further precipitated the decline in the numbers of the Nicobarese tribes, due to the proximity of their settlements to the ocean[18]. The Sentinelese were not particularly affected by the tsunami, but the status of their population cannot exactly be determined due to their aggressive and uncooperative attitude towards any outsiders.[19] The other major cause that is leading to the slow extinction of these tribes is the loss of their homes due to rapid deforestation for economic development. Moreover, Chatham, the largest government run saw mill in Asia, which has been a massive source of income for the island, has largely caused the Onge Tribe to lose their original habitat[20], which has forced them to disperse into smaller tribal reserves into the deeper parts of the forests, where they are left to fend for themselves. The excessive killing of wild pigs, which happens to be their main source of food has deteriorated their living conditions[21]. Another important point to be noted is the lack of respect that tourists give to these aborigines. Reports also suggest that increasing contact with tourists would likely increase the tribe’s chances of contracting dangerous diseases[22].

So how are these tribes protected? The Andaman and Nicobar Island (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation 1956 was enacted to preserve and protect the aboriginals and their original habitats[23]. While the Onges and Shompen tribes have accepted help from the government administration for their wellbeing, the Jawaras and Sentinelese continue to be hostile, especially the Jawaras[24]. ‘Jawaras’ in the Andamanese language mean ‘other people’ and the tribe is known for its rather hostile nature[25].

Aborigines have a deep connection with the environment. it is their source of livelihood, and it should be the duty of the citizens, tourists and government to ensure that they are protected. Even if they do not seek the help of the government, such wishes should be respected by everyone. Prying and intruding into their lives, has not done any good before. If we do want to help them, we should work towards restoring the biodiversity of the region. Small changes make the biggest differences!

[1] Agoramoorthy, Govindasamy, and Chandrakasan Sivaperuman. “Tourism, Tribes and Tribulations in Andaman Islands.” Current Science, vol. 106, no. 2, 2014, pp. 141–141., http://www.jstor.org/stable/24099784. Accessed 15 July 2020.

[2] Daniels, R. J. Ranjit. “The Vanishing Aborigines of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.” Current Science, vol. 70, no. 9, 1996, pp. 775–776. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24099923. Accessed 15 July 2020.

[3] Supra Note 1

[4] Supra Note 2

[5] Ibid.

[6] Bhattacharya, Dyuti. “Unearthing the Origin of the Vanishing Tribes.” Current Science, vol. 89, no. 3, 2005, pp. 437–438. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24110785. Accessed 15 July 2020.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Supra note 3

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Daniels, R. J. Ranjit. “The Vanishing Aborigines of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.” Current Science, vol. 70, no. 9, 1996, pp. 775–776. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24099923. Accessed 15 July 2020.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Bhattacharya, Dyuti. “Unearthing the Origin of the Vanishing Tribes.” Current Science, vol. 89, no. 3, 2005, pp. 437–438. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24110785. Accessed 15 July 2020.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Supra Note 11

[16] Ibid.

[17] Ibid.

[18] Supra note 13

[19] Ibid.

[20] Pankaj Sekhsaria. “Deforestation in Andaman and Nicobar: Its Impact on Onge.” Economic and Political Weekly, vol. 36, no. 38, 2001, pp. 3643–3648. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4411144. Accessed 15 July 2020.

[21] Ibid.

[22] Agoramoorthy, Govindasamy, and Chandrakasan Sivaperuman. “Tourism, Tribes and Tribulations in Andaman Islands.” Current Science, vol. 106, no. 2, 2014, pp. 141–141., http://www.jstor.org/stable/24099784. Accessed 15 July 2020.

[23] Vasishta, D. S. “ADMINISTRATION IN ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS.” Journal of the Indian Law Institute, vol. 7, no. 1/2, 1965, pp. 123–131. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43949885. Accessed 15 July 2020.

[24] Supra Note 15

[25] Ibid.