The North Sentinel Island
Publicado em 09-10-2023
Indeed,
it is one of the last inhabited places, completely secluded from the rest of
the world, and deemed impossible to visit without potentially paying with one's
life. Consequently, India, the custodian of this remote jewel known as North
Sentinel Island in the Andaman Islands within the Bay of Bengal and the Indian
Ocean, has firmly prohibited any form of visitation or disturbance. While its
geographical proximity suggests it could belong to Indonesia, Thailand, or
Burma, it came under the jurisdiction of India after transitioning from British
colonial rule. Meanwhile, its sister island, South Sentinel, in the same
Andaman archipelago, remains open to visitors. However, the paradisiacal and
tropical allure of North Sentinel is best explored.
This
island spans 59.67 square kilometres, forming an almost perfect square with a
maximum length of 7.8 kilometres and a width of 7 kilometres. Its perimeter
extends to 31.6 kilometres, and its highest peak rises to 98 meters. Lacking
archaeological evidence and on-site studies, it is speculated that this island
may have been inhabited for up to 60,000 years, although certainties remain
elusive. Its inhabitants, the Sentinelese, likely share ancestral ties with
other indigenous groups in the Andaman archipelago. However, virtually nothing about
their religion, language, social organisation, or interpersonal dynamics is
known. Due to the inherent risks of visiting the island, despite some past
attempts, often resulting in no return or insufficient data, even the Indian
administration has classified it as a strict "no visit" zone.
In
terms of historical records, there are claims by history enthusiasts and
self-taught individuals that Marco Polo may have passed through the Andaman
Islands, possibly even the North Sentinel, in 1292 during his return journey to
Venice from China. However, historical evidence suggests he did not set foot on
this island and might have referred to another archipelago further south, the
Nicobar Archipelago. Even though he labelled these islands in his memoirs as
the "land of headhunters," it remains uncertain whether he ever
visited North Sentinel. The origin of the island's name, resembling the word
"sentinel," remains shrouded in mystery, consistent with the
enigmatic nature of its inhabitants.
North
Sentinel casts a shadow over the history of the Andaman Islands. Nonetheless,
until the 18th century, there is no concrete historical evidence of significant
interest, visits by explorers, or maritime expeditions. In 1607, a French traveller
named Peyraud ventured through the Andamans, and later, the islands became part
of "Danish India" in 1754, eventually passing into British hands in
1789 as they sought a remote destination for political and ordinary criminal
prisoners. During the Second World War, the archipelago was occupied by
Japanese forces, making it one of the few areas in British India under Japanese
control. After the war, the islands reverted to British authority and became
part of the newly independent India in 1947. Presently, the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands hold significant geostrategic importance, guarding the Strait of
Malacca and serving as a critical nexus for the Asia-Pacific region, among
other geopolitical factors.
In
the 19th century, the English made tentative efforts to dominate the island,
but their success remains dubious, as they never set foot on it. They attempted
to relocate some Onge, another indigenous community in the Andamans, who had
references to North Sentinel Island in their culture, referred to as "Chia
daaKwokweyeh." The Onge community may share significant cultural
similarities with the Sentinelese. However, the Onge brought to North Sentinel
by the British in the 19th century vanished from historical records, their fate
remaining unknown.
English
records indicate intentions to visit in 1771 by British surveyor John Ritchie,
who reported observing "many lights" from the East India Company's
hydrographic research ship, the "Diligent," although he did not make
landfall. In March 1867, Jeremiah Homfray, an English administrator, attempted
a voyage to the island but only noted seeing naked islanders fishing with bows
and arrows, possibly the "Jarawas" as informed by the Andamanese.
However, the most significant incident occurred in the same year when the
English merchant ship "Nineveh" sank near the island. The 106
survivors repelled an attack by the Sentinelese and were later rescued by a
Royal Navy team. Subsequently, an English colonial administrator, Maurice Vidal
Portman embarked on an expedition in January 1880 to research the native
population and their customs. His group encountered trails and abandoned huts,
eventually kidnapping six Sentinelese islanders, an elderly couple, and four
children. These individuals were taken to Port Blair, the largest city in the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Tragically, the entire group fell ill, and the
elderly couple perished, prompting the return of the four children to their
homeland with various gifts. Portman visited the island several times between
January 1885 and January 1887, although interactions with the island's
population appear minimal.
After
1967, the Indian government tried to establish friendly relations with the
Sentinelese, proving futile. Notably, Leopold III of Belgium visited the island's
waters at night during a trip to the Andamans. There were two shipwrecks, one
in 1977 involving the cargo ship MV Rusley and another in 1981 involving the MV
Primrose. Indigenous individuals seemingly attempted to salvage iron from the
wreckage, possibly for crafting spearheads and arrowheads, according to Indian
reports in 1991. In January 2006, Sunder Raj and Pandit Tiwari, two Indian
fishermen fishing illegally in restricted waters, met their demise at the hands
of the Sentinelese when their boat ventured too close to the island. No legal
action was taken in response. Finally, the most widely publicised incident
involved John Allen Chau, a 27-year-old American evangelical missionary, who
sought to disembark on the island but was surrounded and killed by the
Sentinelese on November 16, 2018, while attempting direct interaction with the
island's inhabitants. After a failed initial attempt two days earlier, Chau
bribed fishermen to transport him near North Sentinel Island. He continued his
journey alone using a canoe, only to be met with a hail of arrows upon landing.
Witnesses reported that he persisted in walking despite the attack, and the
islanders eventually tied a rope around his neck and dragged his lifeless body
into the jungle. The fishermen, who had taken him there and remained offshore,
returned the following day to find Chau's dead body abandoned on the beach.
Chau had reportedly aimed to evangelise the Sentinels.
In
summary, the Sentinelese population, believed to number no more than 500
individuals today, endured a significant loss in the 2004 tsunami, which caused
widespread devastation in the region. They may be descendants of ancient African
migrations and are thought to have limited immunity due to their prolonged
isolation. As hunter-gatherers, they are fiercely protective of their
territory, as demonstrated when an Indian helicopter was targeted with arrows
while flying over the island following the 2004 tsunami. Consequently, both
tourism and scientific exploration on the island are strictly prohibited due to
the inherent risks of death, as exemplified by the tragic case of missionary
Chau. While more details could be shared, this provides a concise and summarised
account of one of the world's most isolated populations in the 21st century.
Map: © CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED Creative Commons
Pictures: Sentinelese in “Colombo Telegraph” and © Photo Source: oxfordjournals.org (outdoor)
COMENTÁRIOS
Historiador, professor, investigador e autor, além de consultor e colaborador em publicações periódicas regulares.
