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