(#3) The Sentinelese People Briefly Trusted One Anthropologist
The Sentinelese people do not attack all visitors. When anthropologist T. N. Pandit and his team approached the natives in the early 1990s, tribe members dropped their weapons. Pandit had tried to make contact without success on previous occasions, but this time, the Sentinelese were welcoming.
The anthropologist brought coconuts and other offerings. He noted:
They must have come to a decision that the time had come. It could not have happened on the spur of the moment. There was this feeling of sadness also - I did feel it. And there was the feeling that at a larger scale of human history, these people who were holding back, holding on, ultimately had to yield. It’s like an era in history gone. The islands have gone. Until the other day, the Sentinelese were holding the flag, unknown to themselves. They were being heroes. But they have also given up.
After that visit, though, the natives never welcomed another outsider.
(#11) The Sentinelese Way Of Life Hasn't Changed Much
While not much is known about the Sentinelese people, experts do know they hunt and gather. Reportedly, the natives eat raw meat and fish - they have yet to learn how to make fire. Instead, the tribe waits for lightning to strike, keeping the flame alight for as long as possible.
The people know nothing of agriculture, nor do they write. Reports claim the Sentinelese can count items of two or less, but they describe anything above that as "many." There are only a few kinds of shelter on the island - large huts for several families and temporary beach dwellings that hold one nuclear family.
While this tribe lives as it did several thousand years ago, there have been some advancements. They use metal that has washed up on shore to sharpen and accompany their weaponry.
(#1) A Christian Missionary Trespassing On The Island Was Killed In 2018
On November 17, 2018, Christian missionary John Allen Chau made his way to the Sentinelese island - even though outsiders are explicitly banned from the area. When Chau approached the island in an attempt to convert the endangered tribe, it is believed that they killed him with bows and arrows. Six fishermen around the island claimed they saw the Sentinelese drag a body and bury it on the beach.
Authorities do not believe they will be able to retrieve Chau's body without risking their lives or the lives of the Sentinelese; the tribal people do not have immunity to modern day illness, and something as simple as a cold virus could wipe out the 50 - 150 remaining Sentinelese.
"Mr. Chau's body should be left alone, as should the Sentinelese," said Stephen Corry, director of Survival International.
(#6) The Sentinelese People Have Been Around A Long Time
The Sentinelese inhabit one of the most remote places on Earth. Their home, North Sentinel Island, is part of an Indian archipelago in the Bay of Bengal. Many of these islands are beautifully idyllic, but indigenous people call them home. Anthropologists believe the Sentinelese people have lived on the island for more than 60,000 years with virtually no contact from the outside world.
Reportedly, their lives haven't changed much in all that time.
(#9) Tribe Members Attacked Imposing Fishermen In 2006
The Indian government forbids people from venturing close to North Sentinel Island, but poachers and fishers still explore the area. In 2006, two fishermen got drunk while piloting their boat near the island. The vessel drifted ashore, and the men were killed for trespassing. Allegedly, tribe members buried the bodies in shallow graves.
A helicopter came to retrieve the men, but locals greeted it with a hail of handmade weapons. Unsurprisingly, the fishermen's remains were left behind.
(#5) They Were Hostile Toward Emergency Rescue Missions After The 2004 Tsunami
When the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami hit the region, some worried the Sentinelese got wiped out. The earthquake raised the whole island almost 7 feet out of the water, exposing coral reefs and destroying local forests. It seemed unlikely the tribe would survive the natural disaster.
A helicopter flew over the area to assess the damage, but a Sentinelese tribesman fired arrows at the flying object. Apparently, the islanders survived.
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Currently, there are about 100 tribes in the world that have not been in contact with the outside world. The exact number is unclear, most of these tribes live in the Amazon rainforest. The Santineers are indigenous people on the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. So far, people know very little about the social structure, customs, and language of the Santineers, and the Santineers hold a hostile attitude towards all foreign visitors.
They are the only tribe in the Andaman Islands that has never been in contact with the outside world, and one of the few untouched tribes left in the world. The random tool introduced 12 important things we know about the most isolated tribe.
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