Andaman and Nicobar Islands comprise of overall 572 islands out of which only 32 are accessible to the tourists. It is home for a range of different ethnic groups and cultures. The prominent part is that of the tribal groups here, who have generally much limited contact with the world outside.
The Tribes
The Islands of Andaman and Nicobar are inhabited by four Negrito and two Mongoloid tribes. The tribals belonging to Negrito origin i.e the Great Andamanse, the Onge, the Jarawas and the Sentinelese are the hunters and thrive on the hunting-gathering of the economy. The Mongoloid tribes have however accepted the changes and challenges and prospered in their community. A few of the tribals from the Mongoloid tribes still shy away from the outsiders.
The Negrito tribes are said to be travelled to the Andamans from Africa about 60,000 years ago. This island remained in the hands of Negritos and Mongoloids for over centuries.
Great Andamanese:
The Great Andamanese tribes were the first tribes to come in contact with the Indian settlers who were then followed by the Onge and finally the Jarawa. Apart from Sentinelese, all the other tribes have contacted with the Indian settlers now.
In the middle of 19th century, when the British Raj established the penal settlement, there were about 5000 members in the Great Andamanese community. This count came down to 50 individuals in about a century and a half. This is because more than hundreds of the Great Andamanese were killed by the Britishers as the tribes were trying their best to protect their area from the British invasion.
By the 20th century, the Great Andamanese tribal divisions and linguistics ceased to exist. This is mainly because their survivors intermingled and intermarried the Burmese and Indian settlers. By the end of the 20th century the Great Andamanese were extinct from the island.
It is said that in the year 1970, all Great Andamanese re-settled in Strait Island, a short distance from Port Blair by the Indian government. Here they are now fully dependant on the Indian government for food, clothing and shelter.
Onge:
This class of tribes stayed in two separate reserves of Little India i.e Hut Bay and Dugong Creek. They have further moved in the interior forests after the recent Tsunami waves attacked the island. During the British invasion, the Onge tribes also lost considerable amount of members of their tribes. Their number came down from 1901 to 672. Scared of being extinct, the Onge tribes who considered re-marriage as a taboo later considered re-marriage. Their number of individuals has considerably reduced to 94 and thus it is hoped that remarriage will save the tribe from extinction.
Jarawa:
The history speaks very little about the Jawaras. They live in the interior thick forests of Middle Andaman and remain isolated from the outside world. The word Jarawa means ‘the other people’ which has been termed by the neighboring tribes as they do not mingle with outsiders.
Sentinelese:
This tribe is also isolated and lives in the Sentinel island. This tribe is one of the world’s last stone age tribes and rejects contact with the modern world. They are believed to be the last pre-Neolithic tribe in the world who remain isolated.
Nicobarese
The Nicobarese inhabit the Nicobar island. They live in joint families and are known as Tuhet. The Nicobarese suffered the most during the Tsunami in December 2004 and about 30000 members were killed during the event. The Nicobarese tribes follow horticulture and inhabit mainly close to the sea shore.
Shompen:
Shompen tribes are one of the isolated and poorly understood tribes in Andaman. As per the 2001 census, their population amounted to approximately 398 members. They live in houses made of bamboos and leaves. Their occupation is hunting, gathering, and they have limited contact with the outside world. Their decreasing number of members is putting the Indian government to question. Special plans are being developed by the Government to protect this special group.