| Submit your comments on this article |
| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Islands in the Universe |
| 2005-01-06 |
| The Andaman and Nicobar Islands of the Indian Ocean are among the most isolated places on Earth, and their inhabitants include several aboriginal tribes that have varying degrees of interaction with the outside world. In the aftermath of the tsunami, which swept across and even reshaped the islands, there was pressing concern about the fate of these tribes. It was an odd bit of good news, therefore, when an Indian coast guard helicopter that was delivering aid in the islands recently came under attack. The attackers were of the Sentinelese tribe, the most isolated of the aboriginal groups, who used bows and arrows to ward off the helicopter. The reason this is good news is that it showed that the Sentinelese, who number only in the dozens, had survived. Moreover, they evidently were well enough to maintain their usual practice of rejecting approaches by outsiders. In general, the primitive tribes of the islands seem to have weathered the tsunami better than expected. There are reports that they moved to higher ground before the wave hit. This has even led to some speculation that the tribes possess a paranormal "remote viewing" capability, such that they could see the wave approaching beyond human eyesight. A more prosaic, but still intriguing, explanation is that they followed the movements of birds and wildlife that fled in response to tremors or other environmental cues. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #9 Happy Birthday Sherlock! |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-01-06 3:23:14 PM |
| #8 This only goes to show that Primitive != Dumb. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-01-06 2:14:46 PM |
| #7 Check out "The Sign of Four" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Barbara. |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-01-06 2:00:18 PM |
| #6 Here's one: http://www.andamanindia.com/people.htm From the site: "The Sentinelese make and use outrigger parallel canoes driven with long poles. They also possess bows and arrows." No shit, Sherlock. :-D Also a picture at the site; seems these natives are African pygmies (or possibly Aussie Aboriginals). Assuming they came by sea, that's one hell of a journey from either place. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-01-06 1:54:58 PM |
| #5 LOL |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-01-06 1:50:17 PM |
| #4 Links Frank, Links! I'll be back at 9:00. Mike |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-01-06 1:45:36 PM |
| #3 When I get some time, I'm going to google the tribe; I'd love to know more about them several have blogs - interesting stuff ;-) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-01-06 1:43:29 PM |
#2 the Sentinelese tribe, the most isolated of the aboriginal groups, who used bows and arrowsAm I the only one who thought of "The Sentinel" (semi-scifi syndicated TV show a few years back) when reading this? When I get some time, I'm going to google the tribe; I'd love to know more about them. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-01-06 1:28:39 PM |
| #1 Leave it to the tribe to give a lesson to the world: self-reliance over victimhood. The Dummycrats wouldn't like that, no. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2005-01-06 10:41:34 AM |