Andamanese-The Uncontacted Tribe
The union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is located in Southeast Asia's Bay of Bengal. Due to their dark coloring and small size, the Andamanese peoples are one of the many ethnic groups deemed Negrito.
Because of their ferocious response to visitors—which included killing any shipwrecked foreigners—and the isolation of the islands, the Andamanese culture, language and genetics were protected from outside influences until the late 18th century. The diverse tribes are incomprehensible to one another.
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The Andaman Islands were initially inhabited by individuals who were not the first Europeans to leave Africa fewer than 26,000 years ago, according to Chaubey and Endicott.
Andamanese Language-
The Andamanese people of the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean speak a pair of language groups known as the Andamanese languages. The Sentinelese language is spoken by uncontacted people and is currently unclassifiable. The two language families are Great Andamanese and Ongan.
The main reason the Ongan languages are still spoken today is the greater isolation of the Ongan peoples. The severe unwillingness of South Andamanese tribes, particularly the Sentinelese and Jarawa, to engage in contact with outsiders and their blatant hatred towards them have served to further this isolation. Because the Sentinelese have shown such resiliency, outsiders still have no idea what their language is.
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Andamanese Culture-
Before contact, the Andamanese were solely hunters and gatherers. They lived off of collecting, fishing, and hunting native pigs; they did not engage in agriculture. Their only weapons were a bow, adzes, and wooden harpoons. The Andamanese had no idea how to kindle a fire in the nineteenth century. Instead, they carefully stored the embers from lightning-started fires in trees that had been hollowed out.
When they went hunting, the men carried tools and weapons in girdles woven of hibiscus fiber. The woman, on the other hand, wore a belted tribal outfit with leaves in it. Most of them also had painted bodies. They typically lived among the tribes either permanently or temporarily, sleeping on mats or leaves. All human-made structures are homes.
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Some tribe members were said to possess supernatural abilities. They were referred to as "dreamers" or oko-pai-ad. The islanders employed a variety of medicinal plants. 132 medicinal herbs were employed, and a total of 77 traditional knowledge experts were found.
Andamanese Religion-
Animism is a sort of religion and belief practiced by the native Andamanese people. In the religious practices of the Andaman islands, ancestor worship is a significant component. According to Andamanese mythology, men were created from clay and women from split bamboo. According to one story discovered by Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown, the first man died and entered a happy place called heaven, but this joyful time was short-lived since he broke a food taboo by eating the Puluga's garden's forbidding vegetables.
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Andamanese Genetics-
Nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA genetic study can shed light on the Andamanese's ancestry. The Malaysian Negrito tribes and modern East Asians share the most genetic similarity with the Andamanese.
There is an allele that has been detected among the Jarawas that is unique to them. 116 Jarawas blood samples were taken, which were then examined for the Duffy blood group and the presence of the malarial parasite. The findings revealed that both Fya and Fyb antigens were completely absent in two regions and had a low prevalence in two other regions. Although the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum infection was found in 27–59% of patients, Plasmodium vivax infection was absent.
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Until next time, stay safe and stay happy.