North Sentinel Island
North Sentinel Island is situated in the Indian Ocean. It is one of the islands of the Andaman Islands group. The island is home to the indigenous community of people also called Sentinelese. They are uncontacted and unaware of the modern world. It is the only tribe throughout the planet that is still untouched by the modern civilization and the islanders attempt to kill anyone trying to land on their island. The island encompasses the area of around 60 sq km.
| Name | North Sentinel Island |
| Other names | Sentinel, Chia daaKwokweyeh |
| Origin | Initially seen by Britishers in 1771 |
| Country / Location | Andaman Islands, India |
| Famous for | indigenous people, Sentinelese, uncivilized tribe |
Facts about North Sentinel Island
- The island is first discovered by the British surveyor named John Ritchie in 1771 during a survey voyage.
- In 1991, government of India made a peaceful attempt to establish friendship by offering coconuts and gifts to islanders but officials stated that the islanders were not happy to see them and picked up their bows.
- The tribal people on the island choose to be isolated from the outsiders or the outside world. They repeatedly attacked people and vessels coming to their island which resulted in multiple deaths. Due to their desire to remain isolated, an act made in 1956 that allow the protection to the island and its native. The act also prohibits the travel to the island or any activity to contact with the Sentinelese.
- In early 2006, two fishermen were killed by the sentinel people. They were fishing in the illegal area surrounding the island.
- A report in 2012 states, the population of the island approximated between 50 to 400 people.
- The population of the island has latent threats from transferable diseases as they have no immunity and also violent behavior towards outsiders. Due to those factors, the Indian government declared the entire island including 5 nautical miles water area surrounding the island as an exclusion zone.
- A National Geographic team went to the island in 1974 for making a documentary film on Sentinelese. When the crew was about to approach the shore the islanders come out of the jungle and shot arrows at them. An eight feet long arrow hit the thigh of the director and the man whose arrow injured the director went back to the jungle with proudly laugh. The whole team including two policemen rushed out the shore.
- The people on the island are supposedly living in the Stone Age. They are still unknown to agriculture and metalworking. But in recent years, they have upgraded their wooden arrows to metal-tipped arrows by paring a ship that aground in 1981.
- In 2018, a 26 years old American Christian named John Chau illegally traveled to the isolated island and killed by the natives of the island. John wanted to preach Christianity to Sentinelese.
- The island is not legally under the AA division of India. The people of the island considered effectively autonomous and the island is totally independent.
