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Tribes of Island Region

đź“Ť Region: Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar Islands
🧭 Geographically isolated, these tribes represent distinct racial stocks (Negrito, Mongoloid) and offer living evidence of Paleolithic-era societies.

🛑 Sentinelese – The World’s Last Isolated Tribe

  • đź“Ť Location: North Sentinel Island, Andamans
  • đź“š Category: PVTG
  • 🧬 Origin: Negrito racial stock (likely), descended from first human migrations out of Africa (~60,000 years ago)
  • đźš« Contact Status: Uncontacted tribe, hostile to outsiders
  • ⚰️ Notable: Killed American missionary John Allen Chau in 2018
  • ⚖️ Protection:
    • 1956: North Sentinel Island declared Tribal Reserve by GoI
    • Entry within 3 nautical miles prohibited
  • ⚠️ 2023 Alert: Anthropological Survey of India warns of threats from illegal/commercial activities

🧠 UPSC Analytical Note: Sentinelese are a symbol of cultural autonomy and raise debates around ethics of contact vs. conservation.

đź“‹ Other Tribes of the A&N Islands Region

TribeIslandRacial StockFeatures
OngesLittle AndamanNegritoPVTG; once nomadic, now settled; vulnerable to diseases & displacement
Great AndamaneseStrait IslandNegritoPVTG; drastically reduced population; now speak Andamanese-Hindi creole
JarawasMiddle & South AndamanNegritoPVTG; nomadic hunter-gatherers; opposed Andaman Trunk Road
ShompensGreat NicobarMongoloidPVTG; mostly non-hostile but extremely isolated
NicobareseNicobar IslandsMongoloidNon-PVTG; only tribe in A&N to be part of Scheduled Tribe but not PVTG; more integrated and settled

🧠 Key UPSC Themes & Case Studies

ThemeTribal ExamplesNotes
Isolation vs IntegrationSentinelese vs NicobareseSentinelese = protection from contact; Nicobarese = modern integration
Tribal Reserve LawsSentinelese, JarawasScheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act doesn’t apply to Sentinelese
Environmental Rights vs DevelopmentJarawas & Andaman Trunk RoadOngoing case of development-induced exposure and cultural erosion
Bio-Cultural SurvivalOnges, ShompensPopulation decimation due to disease, modern contact
Disaster & ResilienceNicobarese post-Tsunami 2004Traditional knowledge helped survival, but rehabilitation had integration challenges
✅ Summary: Island Tribes – Why They Matter for UPSC
  • đź“Ś India’s only living Paleolithic society (Sentinelese)
  • đź“Ś Ongoing debates over development vs isolation in policy and law
  • đź“Ś Rich in anthropological significance for both society and biodiversity
  • đź“Ś Fragile cultures requiring careful protection against tourism, diseases, and displacement

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