| India or Bharat, the fifth largest and the | | | | the increasing interactions between the |
| second most populated country in the world, | | | | Jarawas and the district authorities, their |
| is one of the few countries which can boast | | | | classification also changed from "hostile" to |
| of an ancient, deep-rooted and diverse | | | | "friendly". The interactions have been so |
| culture, which stretches back to 5000 years. | | | | much intensified that some Jarawas have even |
| There is an endless diversity in India | | | | managed to pick up a few Hindi words and |
| starting from its physical features to | | | | memorize popular Hindi songs. This remarkable |
| Geologic structure, fauna and flora, | | | | incident has been termed as the "Enmay |
| demographic structure, races, languages, | | | | Revolution". |
| religions, arts and crafts and customs and | | | | |
| traditions. India has been variously | | | | The nearest tribal area from Port Blair is |
| described as "the Mini World", the "epitome | | | | the Jarawa Reserve, about 150 km away on the |
| of the world" and an "ethnological museum". | | | | Andaman Trunk Road that connects Port Blair |
| One such diversity pertains to the existence | | | | with Mayabunder. The area of the Jarawa |
| of people from different anthropological | | | | reserve has some of the best and largest |
| stocks in India. | | | | sources of timber that still survive in the |
| | | | islands. In order to go to the main Jarawa |
| The people of India belong to different | | | | Reserve one has to take a ferry to the Uttara |
| anthropological stocks and are divided into | | | | Jetty on another island and drive down for |
| six main ethnic groups: (1) The Negritos or | | | | about 75 km in the Reserve Forest. A smaller |
| the brachycephalic (broad headed) people from | | | | Jarawa settlement is also found in the |
| Africa were the earliest people to inhabit | | | | Kadamtala area, about 60 km from Port Blair. |
| India. They are survived in their original | | | | The entire Jarawa Reserve is spread over an |
| habitat in the Andaman Islands. The Jarawas, | | | | area of 765 square kilometers on the western |
| Onges, Sentelenese and Great Andamanis tribes | | | | coast of the Middle and South Andaman |
| are the main Negritoid tribes of India. (2) | | | | Islands. The entry into the Jarawa area |
| The Pro-Australoids or Austrics was the next | | | | requires a written permission from the |
| group to come to India after the Negritos, | | | | Superintendent of Police, Andaman District |
| which soon spread over the whole of India, | | | | and a vehicle entry permit from the police |
| Myanmar and the islands of South East Asia. | | | | outpost at Jirkatang, about 50 kms from Port |
| They are said to "form the bedrock of the | | | | Blair. |
| people", as they were the main builders of | | | | |
| the Indus Valley Civilisation. (3) The | | | | We ventured out to see the Jarawas along with |
| Mongoloids have features that are common to | | | | Dr Pronob K. Sircar, an eminent sociologist |
| those of the people of Mongolia, China and | | | | and an authority on the Jarawas, and some |
| Tibet. These tribal groups are located in | | | | officials of the Directorate of Tribal |
| the Northeastern part of India in states like | | | | Welfare, Port Blair. We carried with us lot |
| Assam, Nagaland, Meghalya and Sikkim and also | | | | of bananas, biscuits and other eatables with |
| in the Ladakh region of Jammu & Kashmir as | | | | the intention of offering them to the |
| well as the Nicobar Islands. (4) The | | | | Jarawas. We were fortunate to encounter a |
| Mediterranean or Dravidian group came to | | | | small hutment of the Jarawas at Kadamtala |
| India from the Southwest Asia and appear to | | | | itself. The group, comprising of about half |
| be people of the same stock as the peoples of | | | | a dozen members, thronged to our jeep to take |
| Asia Minor and Crete and the pre-Hellenic | | | | the bananas. Some of them started asking us |
| Aegeans of Greece. (5) The Western | | | | questions in the Jarawa language: ni Atiba? |
| Brachycephals include the Alpinoids, Dinaries | | | | Li Dimo? Dr Sircar translated these as: What |
| and Armenois. The Coorgis and Parsis fall | | | | is your name? How are you? We could see a |
| into this category. (6) The Nordics or | | | | distinct expression of joy on their faces at |
| Indo-Aryans are the last immigrants into | | | | the sight of so many bananas. Incidentally, |
| India, who must have come into India between | | | | banana is the most favourite food of the |
| 2000 and 1500 B.C. The Nordic Aryans were a | | | | Jarawas, which is cherished equally by the |
| branch of Indo-Iranians, who had originally | | | | young and the old. The Jarawas are good at |
| left their homes in Central Asia, some 5000 | | | | hunting and fishing. They, however, do not |
| years ago, and had settled in Mesopotamia for | | | | kill deer and the birds. The deer, which are |
| some centuries. These tribes are now mainly | | | | referred as 'potiyal' in the Jarawa language, |
| found in the Northwest and the Northwest | | | | are considered as "evil spirits" and are left |
| Frontier Province (NWFP). | | | | alone! |
| | | | |
| When I was in India in August this year for | | | | We even had an opportunity to go inside a |
| my annual leave, I decided to take a holiday | | | | Jarawa hut. The huts are fairly small, made |
| to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, popularly | | | | up of bamboo and dried coconut leaves, tied |
| known as the Emerald Islands, which are rated | | | | together by means of ropes. Inside the |
| as one of the most beautiful, virgin and | | | | hut, a traditional earthen stove or "chulha" |
| eco-friendly islands in the world. One thing | | | | is placed in the centre, which is used by the |
| that fascinated me most about the Andaman & | | | | Jarawas to cook raw meat and fish. One can |
| Nicobar Islands was the existence of several | | | | find huge bunches of raw bananas hanging from |
| primitive tribes, many of them represent the | | | | the ceiling, apparently preserved for |
| earliest inhabitants into India. | | | | consuming them at leisure. Another |
| | | | interesting feature that we noticed inside |
| The Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India are | | | | the Jarawa huts was the presence of several |
| the treasure houses of several primitive | | | | skulls of wild boars hung from the ceilings. |
| tribes, many of which are facing extinction. | | | | It was explained to us that the superiority |
| The tribes are primarily of two stocks: | | | | among the various Jarawas tribal groups is |
| Mongoloid and the Negroid. The Great | | | | judged by the number of wild boars killed by |
| Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas and Sentinelese | | | | them. The larger the number of wild boars |
| are dominant among the Negroid tribes and are | | | | killed by a tribal group, the higher becomes |
| concentrated in the Andaman District. Their | | | | its hierarchy in their tribal social strata. |
| background and origin is unclear and | | | | |
| continues to be a subject of speculation | | | | The Jarawas affix great importance to trees |
| among scholars and anthropologists. Studies | | | | in their territory, and each male marks a |
| have indicated that the Onges tribes have | | | | tree as his own. Like other Andaman tribes, |
| been living in the Andamans for the last | | | | the Jarawas acknowledge an anthropomorphic |
| 60,000 years. The Andaman communities, | | | | deity, Phalgun, who is feared for his wrath |
| divided into eramtaga (jungle-dwellers), and | | | | in the form of storms, but do not worship |
| ar-yuato (coast dwellers), subsist on fish, | | | | him. They attach great significance to dreams |
| turtles, turtle eggs, pigs, fruits, honey and | | | | and believe that the ancestors are said to be |
| roots. The Nicobarese and Shompens are the | | | | able to influence events in their lives or |
| Mongoloid tribes that are concentrated in the | | | | cause disasters like earthquakes when angry. |
| Nicobar District. The Nicobarese, who claim | | | | The Jarawas sing and dance at each full moon. |
| descent from a Burmese prince, were | | | | The daily ritual dances are also central to |
| identified as lokenje (naked people) by the | | | | communal life and are held on the land |
| renowned Chinese traveler I-Tsing. | | | | enclosed by huts. |
| | | | |
| The forest-dwelling Jarawas are perhaps the | | | | The Jarawas believe in the institution of |
| most easily accessible among the Negritoid | | | | marriage, but marriages are seldom performed |
| tribes of Andaman. The Jarawas have remained | | | | outside the tribal group. The Darwin's |
| in isolation for aeons, living in the rain | | | | concepts of 'Struggle for Existence' and |
| forests at peace with nature for centuries | | | | 'Survival of the Fittest' seem to be deeply |
| The Jarawas have traditionally greeted | | | | ingrained in the psyche of the Jarawas. The |
| outsiders aggressively, firing arrows at | | | | young ones are forced to lead an independent |
| settlers whose cattle and fields encroach | | | | life from a very young age. Thus, one could |
| upon the vital resources and occasionally | | | | find many hutments consisting only of young |
| robbing the passengers of their food. No | | | | ones living on their own. |
| wonder these tribes were classified as | | | | |
| "hostile" by the District Administration. | | | | The Andaman Administration, through its |
| | | | Department of Tribal Welfare, has been taking |
| One incident that took place in October 1997 | | | | care to ensure the proper wellbeing and |
| completely changed the Jarawa vision about | | | | survival of these tribals. The Jarawas are |
| the outside world. A boy named Enmay, who | | | | only a little over 330 in numbers. Their |
| had fractured his leg after getting caught in | | | | number had gone to a critical low of 70 in |
| an animal trap, was rescued by the district | | | | 1931, when a large number of tribals had died |
| authorities and admitted into a hospital in | | | | in internecine wars with the rival Great |
| Port Blair. This was for the first time ever | | | | Andamanis, when the Andaman Islands were |
| that any member from the extremely hostile | | | | ruled by the British. Over the years their |
| Jarawas came out from the forests to interact | | | | numbers began to increase and in 1961over 500 |
| with the settler populations. When the boy | | | | Jarawas existed. The contact with the outside |
| was left back into the forests after his | | | | world also had its adverse impact on the |
| recovery, he carried with him good memories | | | | tribals, who had to encounter hitherto |
| of his interaction with the mainlanders, | | | | unknown diseases like measles, to which they |
| which opened the door for interaction with | | | | have no immunity. It is indeed the duty of |
| the Jarawas. Later, facing an acute shortage | | | | humanity to preserve these beautiful people |
| of food in their territory, many Jarawas came | | | | and their unique culture from the onslaught |
| out of deep forests to more open areas. With | | | | of "civilization"! |