Who
are they?
The
Sentinelese, a negrito tribe who live on the North Sentinel Island of the
Andamans, have not faced incursions and remain hostile to outsiders. The
inhabitants are connected to the Jarawa on the basis of physical, as well as
linguistic similarities, researchers say. Based on carbon dating of kitchen
middens by the Anthropological Survey of India, Sentinelese presence was
confirmed in the islands to 2,000 years ago. Genome studies indicate that the
Andaman tribes could have been on the islands even 30,000 years ago.
How
are they protected?
The
Govt. of India issued the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal
Tribes) Regulation, 1956 to declare the traditional areas occupied by the
tribes as reserves, and prohibited entry of all persons except those with
authorisation. Photographing or filming the tribe members is also an offence.
The rules were amended later to enhance penalties. But restricted area permits
were relaxed for some islands recently.
Have
they made contact?
The
Sentinelese have been fiercely hostile to outside contact. But in 1991 they
accepted some coconuts from a team of Indian anthropologists and
administrators.
Some
researchers argue that the Sentinelese have been mostly left alone even from
colonial times, unlike other tribes such as the Onges, Jarawas and Great
Andamanese, because the land they occupy has little commercial attraction.
How
many are there?
From
1901 to 1921 they were estimated to be 117 people. In 1931, the number dropped
to 50, a figure used for the 1961 Census too. In 1991 their head count was put
at 23. Census 2001 counted 39 inhabitants.
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