![]() ![]() There is no practical evidence to support the fact that they have been living in the exact same way from thousands of years that they have spent on the island. The Sentinelese have been described as the people from the ‘Stone Age’ in the media, which doesn’t really seem to be true. They wear the same kind of strings but with a thicker waist belt to support the weapons. The men, since they hunt and are responsible for protection, carry spears, bows, arrows and other primitive weapons. The women wear some sort of strings made out of fiber around their waist, neck, and head. It is a small hut which has space for only one nuclear family. Then there is the second type which consists of more temporary shelters, without any sides and which can be seen alongside the beach. The first is the large shared huts for a number of families that share several hearths. What has been observed is that the islanders live in three small groups. They can be moved and given a direction with a pole or a log of wood. The boats that they make are only fit for the shallow waters. This is something that differs from the neighboring Jarawa tribe. They make boats which, however, are very narrow and have been described as ‘too narrow to fit two feet in’. They also use coastal water as a means for sea-food. They still hunt and gather food in the forest. The lifestyle of the tribesmen is very unique. The islanders have been known to be hostile, however, there have been few brief instances where the Sentinelese were convinced enough to allow the authorities to get closer in exchange for some coconuts. The most amount of knowledge that has been gathered until now is by observing them from boats placed at a distance from the island. ![]() ![]() However, this changed when in 2004, a tsunami altered the island’s topography by elevating the island by one to two meters, resulting in an increase in its boundaries on the west and south sides by about one kilometer and furthermore, uniting the main island with an islet named “Constance”, located around 600 meters from the island’s coastline. Changes in the Island The North Sentinel Island measures up to roughly the same size as the New York’s Manhattan Island i.e. In its first census on the island, taken in 1991, it estimated 117 people were living there. It's counted its residents on the census based on photos taken from afar. The Indian government doesn't include the Sentinelese in its census - in fact, it doesn't venture on to the island at all. It even passed a law in 2017 that made it illegal to post photos or videos of the Sentinelese, as well as other Andamanese groups, on social media. Since then, it has controlled access to the island and kept it under watch with its coast guard. India proclaimed North Sentinel Island as part of the Republic of India in 1970. How does government approach Sentinelese? It is said they have made little to no advancement in the over 60,000 years and still live very primitive lives, surviving mainly on fish and coconuts. Pandit made many more attempts over the years, all of them futile, and ultimately ceased his efforts to make contact in 1991. However, the Sentinelese did not accept the gifts. In 1967, TN Pandit, in a partnership with the Indian government, left gifts on the beaches of North Sentinel Island in hopes that friendly contact could be established with them. US national who was killed by tribals in Andaman was sports enthusiast, not preacher: MHA The government's responsibility should be to keep a watch over them in the sense, no unauthorised people reach them and exploit them. Unlike the Jarawa, who have much more resources to be able to withstand the pressures of civilisation, the Sentinelese are a highly vulnerable population and would disappear in an epidemic. Their island does not have any strategic use. T N Pandit said, " There is no gold, silver, oil and gas beneath their land. ![]()
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