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Indian Society: The Andamanese GS Paper 1: Society – Salient aspects of diversity of and Indian society.

THE JARAWAS

Introduction The Andamanese are the various indigenous peoples of the , part of India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the south-eastern part of the . The Andamanese peoples are among the groups considered Negrito owing to their dark skin and diminutive stature. All Andamanese traditionally lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and appear to have lived in substantial isolation for thousands of years. The Andamanese settled the Andaman Islands around the latest glacial maximum, around 26,000 years ago.

Andamanese in news recently: On 17 November 2018, when the of the Andaman archipelago killed an unwelcome intruder on their island—26-year-old John Allen Chau, an American missionary—it set off debates on discussions on the isolated tribes.

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SENTINELESE

The early descendants All non-African populations in the world came from a single Out of Africa (OoA) migration around 70,000 years ago. Back then, a small subsection of the African population crossed over to Asia through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait that connects present-day Eritrea/Djibouti to Yemen, and then followed the coastline into India, before crossing over to Myanmar and then South-East Asia, East Asia, and ultimately, Australia. Archaeological evidence shows that these migrants had reached Australia by at least 59,000 years ago, and South-East Asia by 63,000 years ago. So they would have been in India by at least 65,000 years ago.

The five major groups of Andamanese are: , traditionally of the archipelago but now living on Strait Island. Their population was 52 as of 2010. Jarawa, traditionally of the southern part of in the Great Andaman archipelago. Their population was 380 as of 2011. Jangil or Rutland Jarawa of , extinct by 1921. of , at 101 individuals as of 2011. Sentinelese of , estimated to be 100 to 200 individuals.

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World’s isolated tribes The Andamanese hunter-gatherers are not unique in their desire to keep themselves away from those who pursue a different way of life. There are many small communities like theirs spread around South-East Asia with similar physical features—short-statured, dark, with curly hair. Many of them live in isolated regions of countries like Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, away from the main farming populations, and pursue their hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Archaeologists, anthropologists and other social scientists have often hypothesized from this that these communities were the original inhabitants of South-East Asia, and that they were displaced or replaced by later, farming migrants from the Chinese heartland.

The fall of the Andamanese The Andamanese's protective isolation changed with the first British colonial presence and subsequent settlements, which proved disastrous for them. Lacking immunity against common infectious diseases of the Eurasian mainland, the large Jarawa habitats on the south-eastern regions of South Andaman Island likely were depopulated by disease within four years (1789–1793) of the initial British colonial settlement in 1789. Epidemics of pneumonia, measles and influenza spread rapidly and exacted heavy tolls, as did alcoholism. In the 19th century, the measles killed 50% of the Andamanese population.

Questions 1. Describe the distinctive features of tribal communities in India. Discuss the factors affecting tribal identity.

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