North Sentinel Island: The Last Uncontacted Tribe on Earth

[kmMango]

This is one of the most fascinating things I have ever seen.

http://northsentinelisland.com

North Sentinel Island is home to one of the last uncontacted tribes on the planet. The Sentinelese (or Sentinels, as I call them,) kill anyone who lands on their island. It is estimated they have been living there for over 60,000 years.

We know almost nothing about them. We have no understanding of their language, culture or society. They are a complete enigma, and, based on their hostility to outsiders, seem keen to keep it that way. If civilization were to collapse tomorrow  these people would go on living as they have for millennia, not knowing it ever existed.

 

Edited January 1, 2016 by kmMango

[Vanamonde]

How bizarre. When I started reading this article, I was sure it was a prank. Seems to be a real thing, though. 

[Elthy]

Could be a good training ground for testing theorys about a first contact with aliens...

[Elrond Cupboard]

13 minutes ago, Elthy said:

Could be a good training ground for testing theorys about a first contact with aliens...

Well, apart from the getting killed to death bit.

[Elthy]

Who says Aliens wouldnt try that?

[Elrond Cupboard]

They might, but it's not going to make the ethnologist's job any easier, and I don't think I'd be volunteering.

[Scotius]

32 minutes ago, Elthy said:

Could be a good training ground for testing theorys about a first contact with aliens...

For these people, we are the Aliens. Beyond their horizon there is our incredibly advanced (by their standards) civilisation. Our radio transmissions go through them all the time. Our satellites and spaceships go over their heads. All they can see of us is strange flying things roaring near their island. Or just as weird moving islands cruising past their bit of land - leaving trails of smoke or lights they are unable to explain. Even if they see us - they see beings covered with more strange things, carrying obiects they even can't name, speaking in gibberish they don't understand. We are their UFO. And yes, Indian government put a strict ban on travel to Sentinel Islands and anthropologists watch only from afar. So all they are able to see of our XXI century global civilisation is strange obiects in the sky. Or lights at night moving in strange patterns. Sounds familiar?

[Mitchz95]

I'm picturing a band of explorers from that island voyaging out in a home-made boat and stumbling across India or something. I can't even imagine how mind-blowing that would be.

[kmMango]

A cargo ship wrecked on their island in 1989. Imagine seeing giant ships bigger than anything you could imagine gliding over the deep water, without an oar in sight. Imagine one of those titans suddenly appearing on your beach, covered in a strange material stronger than anything you know, with a crew of creatures that wear strange clothes, speak an unintelligible language, and look extremely different from any person you have seen.  Basically, like meeting aliens.

If they had never encountered anyone from beyond the island, I can see why their first thought would probably be "kill it with fire!"

Also, should we call them Sentinels? I know North Sentinelese is the proper term, but consider the definition of sentinel: someone who watches and guards something, i.e. what they do with their island. Plus, it sounds a lot cooler.

[Findthepin1]

I find it hard to believe that over sixty thousand years nobody bothered to look for new islands. It's quite likely peaceful contact has been made before. 

[YNM]

I think what's fascinating about them is surviving the 2004 earthquake and tsunami. I mean, with their island really flat, wouldn't a lot of their forest and whatever places they have be destroyed ? Also, uncontacted (in terms of peaceful contact) tribes exists more in New Guinea and Amazon forest.

 

[kmMango]

The reefs around the island make it difficult for boats to enter, but also provide the islanders with a source of fish. The nearest island is something like 30 miles away, and the inhabitants there didn't even have oars, using sticks to push their boats along the seabed. 

The inhabitants had no reason to leave, and outsiders had no reason or means to go there.

[RainDreamer]

I wonder how much we can observe using satellite and air vehicles. Maybe we can also test spy drones to go for a closer look without disturbing them.

[Findthepin1]

17 minutes ago, YNM said:

I think what's fascinating about them is surviving the 2004 earthquake and tsunami. I mean, with their island really flat, wouldn't a lot of their forest and whatever places they have be destroyed ? Also, uncontacted (in terms of peaceful contact) tribes exists more in New Guinea and Amazon forest.

 

The whole island lifted up a metre or two during the 2004 quake. They actually gained lots of land.  And they apparently knew about the tsunami and got to high ground before it hit. 

[kmMango]

I'd imagine they've had a few tsunamis in the past.

[Nibb31]

10 hours ago, Elthy said:

Could be a good training ground for testing theorys about a first contact with aliens...

What about using it as a training ground for testing not *effing* interfering ?

[Mitchz95]

Any such "training" would be pointless anyway. They may be primitive, but they're still fundamentally human. If there are aliens out there, they're probably so different from us we couldn't begin to understand their motivations.

[Shpaget]

What if they had all the tech we consider modern and advanced and decided to "go back to roots" long before "western" civilization?

[Mitchz95]

I doubt an island that small could support an industrial civilization. And if they emigrated there from the mainland we probably would have found evidence by now.

[GDJ]

Leave them be. They obviously have done reasonably well without our interference. Introducing a primitive society to modern amenities suddenly has historically proven to be disastrous.

[Elthy]

Arent they living in a continuos desaster? No school, no human rights, no science...

We know nothing about their politics or how religios freedom is there. Isnt it possible some want to flee, but are not allowed? The should have the choice to live on that island or in society.

[cantab]

15 hours ago, Findthepin1 said:

I find it hard to believe that over sixty thousand years nobody bothered to look for new islands. It's quite likely peaceful contact has been made before. 

Quite probably some of the Sentinels did strike out for new lands. But what are the possibilities: 

They found at sea. Well that's the end of that boat crew.

They found new land and never returned. They'll have formed a new society or integrated into an existing one. Either way, we can't trace them back to the Sentinels now.

They found new land then went back home. Well how would we know about it? The Sentinels sure aren't saying!

[GDJ]

Just now, Elthy said:

Arent they living in a continuos desaster? No school, no human rights, no science...

We know nothing about their politics or how religios freedom is there. Isnt it possible some want to flee, but are not allowed? The should have the choice to live on that island or in society.

Possible, but given that they possess watercraft of some kind, it would be possible to travel the 30 km to another island if so desired. Difficult, but possible. As far as I can quickly research, the only Sentinel people that have left the island was by force from the British in the 1800's. Two died, and the four that survived were returned.

Considering a great majority of the contact attempts have been met with hostility from the Sentinel people, it would be hazardous or deadly to even try to question their form of rule, even if one understood their language to the point of intelligent conversation. From our observations, they want nothing to do with us, and will defend their territory and repel visitors vigorously and without hesitation.

Since their lifestyle seems to be Palaeolithic in nature, the kind of personal rights we have would not exist as we see them, but they may have their own version. It would be fascinating to learn more about them because they are literally a window to the "Stone Age" past. But given the response from them, that's not going to happen.

Leave them alone. If contact is possible, it will be on their terms, in their way.

[magnemoe]

18 hours ago, Findthepin1 said:

I find it hard to believe that over sixty thousand years nobody bothered to look for new islands. It's quite likely peaceful contact has been made before. 

They should have had plenty of contact with other locals nearby. 
The tribes visited first time at New Guinea back in the 1950 era had metal tools bought by others who was again bought by other who bought them at the coast. 
No they had not seen someone unlike them but they had tools as they are valuable trade goods.  

[magnemoe]

2 hours ago, GDJ said:

Possible, but given that they possess watercraft of some kind, it would be possible to travel the 30 km to another island if so desired. Difficult, but possible. As far as I can quickly research, the only Sentinel people that have left the island was by force from the British in the 1800's. Two died, and the four that survived were returned.

Considering a great majority of the contact attempts have been met with hostility from the Sentinel people, it would be hazardous or deadly to even try to question their form of rule, even if one understood their language to the point of intelligent conversation. From our observations, they want nothing to do with us, and will defend their territory and repel visitors vigorously and without hesitation.

Since their lifestyle seems to be Palaeolithic in nature, the kind of personal rights we have would not exist as we see them, but they may have their own version. It would be fascinating to learn more about them because they are literally a window to the "Stone Age" past. But given the response from them, that's not going to happen.

Leave them alone. If contact is possible, it will be on their terms, in their way.

Yes, if they are eiter very xenophobic or the nearby people are hostile, more probably an combination, it would also making contact trough neighbors hard.