On a secluded island in the Indian Ocean, there is an indigenous tribe that attacks anyone who tries to visit. The island has been named the most difficult to see and dangerous on Earth.
India has banned its citizens from visiting North Sentinel Island or attempting to make contact with people living there. It’s illegal to go within three miles of an outlying island.
The Sentinelese are known for their violence and unwillingness to communicate with any outsiders. Little is known about the square island they lived on, mainly because it is covered in forest.
In 2006, two fishermen who washed ashore were soon attacked and murdered by tribe members. When Indian Coast Guard helicopters flew overhead – whether on reconnaissance missions or dropping food parcels to people – they were struck with arrows and stones.
The Sentinelese, a unique tribe whose exact population remains a mystery, are believed to number between 50 to 100. Anthropologists estimate that they have maintained their secluded existence on the island for over 60,000 years, preserving a cultural heritage unlike any other.
But, according to a tribal rights group, the Sentinelese are in danger of extinction. Survival International has named the tribe the most vulnerable in the world because they have not built up immunity to common diseases such as influenza.
With illegal fishermen and adventurers encroaching on the islands, the Sentinelese tribe’s health is at risk, warns the group. The potential consequences of the burgeoning tourism industry on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which could inadvertently draw people closer to North Sentinel, are a cause for serious concern.
“When the British colonized the Andaman Islands in India in the 19th century, the Great Andaman tribes on the Andaman Islands were decimated by disease,” Survival International director Stephen Corry said. “The only way for the Andaman authorities to prevent the extinction of another tribe is to ensure that North Sentinel Island is protected from outsiders.”
