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© Salomé/Survival |
One of the four 'Negrito' tribes of the Andaman Islands have been moved
to the Islands' capital, Port Blair, by the local authorities.
The 43 Great Andamanese, already the most decimated of all the Andaman
tribes, were living in a government settlement on Strait Island, but
their village suffered serious damage in the tsunami.
The Great Andamanese population was estimated at 5,000 in 1848, but
plummeted following settlement by the British, who cut down their
forest, stole their land and killed their game. The British colonial
authorities established a 'home' in Port Blair where they kept captured
Great Andamanese. Of 150 Great Andamanese children born in the home,
none survived beyond the age of two.
In 1970 the Indian government moved the 30 surviving Great Andamanese
to a settlement on Strait Island – they have been totally dependent on
the authorities for food, clothing and shelter ever since. Their
population, however, has started to increase once again.
The Jarawa and Sentinelese tribes, in contrast, have continued to live
self-sufficiently on their own land. The Sentinelese resist all contact
with outsiders, and the Jarawa did so until very recently.
A Survival spokeswoman, Miriam Ross, said today, 'We hope that the
Great Andamanese will be able to return soon to Strait Island. In the
long term, they need to be able to regain some measure of
self-sufficiency. Their fate serves as a warning of what could happen
to the other tribes of the Islands if their territories are not
properly protected.'
Speaking to Survival in 2004, a Great Andamanese woman named Lichu
voiced her fears for the fate of one of the most isolated of the
Andaman tribes, the Jarawa. 'I think what happened to us is going to
happen to the Jarawa too… lots of settlers are hunting in the Jarawa
area. There is not enough game left for the Jarawa.'
Survival campaigner Miriam Ross, who visited the islands in 2004 and is
in close touch with contacts there, is available for interview. Tel
(+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email mr@survival-international.org
Photos and footage available.
