“The tribal groups of the Andamans, including the Sentinelese are unlikely to fit this description,” Thangaraj said. In exogamy, these mutations are unable to express themselves due to presence of dominant alleles for the same character. Because they are endogamous, there is an accumulation of recessive mutations in them,” says K Thangaraj, Chief Scientist, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad. They can be wiped out in two circumstances. “The Sentinelese are a highly endogamous group. That is not to say that the Sentinelese and other tribes face no threats. There still is genetic potential among them,” says V R Rao, ICMR emeritus medical scientist at the genetics department at Hyderabad’s Osmania University. “The genetic diversity among the populations of the Great Andamanese, Jarawas and Sentinelese has not gone down to the extent that they can become extinct. Even if they were confined just to the forest, it would be 30-40 people,” Pandit had said.ĭemographers and geneticists echo Pandit’s views. As per demographic standards, 20 sq miles of forest surrounded by sea can sustain a population of 100. North Sentinel is small - about 20 sq miles. There is another way of deducting numbers. In the 1970s-80s, I saw around 30 to 40 people myself. A camp of 18 huts indicates a population of at least 50 to 60 people. “There was plenty of food material including wild fruits and fish being smoked on the fire. There were 18 small huts, with little fires burning in front of each, fenced off with sticks. After some time, we came upon a large area of forest cleared for a camp. They did not come face to face with us, but rather hid in the forest, watching us. We went about a kilometre inside the forest. But there was no reaction or resentment from them. The tribespeople were on the beach, watching the boat come to the island. He recalled the 1967 visit: “I was a member of a party of scientists being escorted by armed policemen and unarmed naval men. ![]() My own estimate, which is also a guess, has been, and remains 80 to 100. Pandit’s reply had been clear: “I do not agree with Census figures, as they are arbitrary, often wrong and without any basis. ![]() ![]() In September this year, Trilokinath Pandit, who was the only anthropologist in an Indian government expedition in 1967 to North Sentinel Island and who has written the book “The Sentinelese”, had been interviewed by Down To Earth. We had questioned him about the Census figures among other queries. Given their numbers, can the Sentinelese reproduce so that their tribe, culture and lineage last? Or will they go extinct? But Census officials observed the tribe only from a distance, without actually going to them. According to the 2011 Census of India, there were only 15 Sentinelese individuals. The country's academic circles have long debated whether to leave members of the tribe alone or open them up to the so-called “civilised world”.Īmong the motivations behind this is the fact that the population of the Sentinelese as well as other indigenous groups in the archipelago is minuscule. The tribe has been left alone since Independence so that they can be shielded from diseases against which they have not developed any immunity. Among the top concerns now is the question of their survival. The Sentinelese of the Andamans are in the spotlight for allegedly killing young American missionary John Allen Chau after he went to their island to spread the Gospel.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |