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Situated in the Andaman Islands chain between India and Myanmar, this small island has a fearsome reputation, made so by its inhabitants, who have proven more than willing to take up arms against any intruder.Owing to the inhospitable nature of the locals, not much is known of North Sentinel Island, yet some brave souls have ventured there and survived to tell the tale.Location and GeographyLocation of North Sentinel Island. Source: Google Earth edited in Paint3DNorth Sentinel Island is part of the Andaman Island chain, which borders the Bay of Bengal to the west and the Andaman Sea to the east. It is a small island that covers a total of around 23 square miles (60 square kilometers) and is situated in the tropical zone just south of the Tropic of Cancer.The island is a rounded square shape and is covered in trees with a narrow beach running around the coast. It is surrounded by reefs that extend between half a mile and a mile out into the waters.The highest point on the island is 400 feet (122 meters) above sea level and exists at the apex of gentle slopes all around.The specifics of what species can be found on the island in terms of trees and wildlife have not been confirmed due to the inhospitable locals, but it is believed that the island is home to boar and coconut crabs.Discovery and ContactNorth Sentinel Island. Source: Google EarthThe first European to see the local Sentinelese people was Jeremiah Homfray, who sailed close to the island in 1867 on a voyage in pursuit of escaped convicts. He observed islanders fishing on the beaches, but as soon as they saw Homfrays boat drawing near, the Sentinelese hid.Homfray did not attempt to land and establish contact with these people.Later that year, an Indian merchant ship, Nineveh, ran aground on the reef by North Sentinel Island, and 106 survivors made their way ashore but were attacked by the islanders. The stricken crew managed to fend off a succession of attacks and were later rescued by the Royal Navy.Maurice PortmanMaurice Vidal Portman. Source: news.com.auMaurice Vidal Portman, officer in Charge of the Andamanese, was likely the first European to set foot on North Sentinel Island. He did so specifically to explore the island and search for natives.Portman and his group made up of Burmese, British, and Indian convicts made first contact, discovering a village and capturing a woman and four children. He released the woman and one of the children. A few days later, the intruders stumbled across a man, a woman, and a child. The Sentinelese man drew his bow but before he could take further action, he was set upon by one of Portmans crew.The three islanders were taken captive, and, along with the three other children captured earlier, they were sent to Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.Portman wrote, They sickened rapidly, and the old man and his wife died, so the four children were sent back to their home with quantities of presents. It is unknown what happened upon the return of the children, but they likely took diseases back with them.Portman suggested that the island be turned into a coconut plantation, but nothing came of this.Subsequent ContactA rare image of North Sentinelese people. Source: Survival InternationalIn 1896, the corpse of an Indian convict was discovered on the island. He had been shot with arrows, and his throat had been cut. He was one of a group of three escapees who had been at sea on a raft. Two of the escapees drowned, while the third was fortunate enough to find land. Unfortunately for him, that land was North Sentinel Island.Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Lloyd Ferrar, Commissioner of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, took a trip to North Sentinel Island in 1926. He explored the island for several hours and managed to catch a glimpse of three of its inhabitants. Ferrar found several artifacts, including arrows, a paddle, and a skeleton, which he took for research and left gifts in their place.According to Ferrar, the island was not likely to have supported more than 60 people, while modern estimates claim it can support up to 100 people. Some estimates, however, claim the Sentinelese population could be as high as 400 individuals.The Late 20th CenturyThe wreck of the MV Primrose. Source: Google EarthIn 1981, the MV Primrose, a cargo ship, ran aground on the reef. Realizing the danger they were in, the crew radioed for an airdrop of guns so they could defend themselves, but a storm picked up and prevented rescuers from being able to deliver any help. Fortunately, the storm also kept the islanders away from the vessel, and in the end, the ships crew were rescued without any incident with the locals.The first peaceful contact with the North Sentinelese was made in 1991. Triloknath Pandit, a director of the Anthropological Survey of India, led an expedition to find out more about the Sentinelese people.Pandit had been to the island several times before. He first landed there in 1967 as part of an exploratory group of around 20 people. Contact was unfriendly in nature, but nobody was killed. He spent 24 years visiting the island and bringing gifts and offerings in the hope of gaining some semblance of trust from the locals, and in January 1991, his hard work paid off.Triloknath Pandit. Source: The Economic TimesWhen a Sentinelese islander swam up to the side of the boat and accepted a gift directly, this was a breakthrough moment. In the following months, several islanders came aboard the boat and took bags of coconuts that were given to them.Despite this positive contact, Pandit and his team never managed to progress beyond the point of handing out coconuts. Little was learned about the North Sentinelese culture and language. This was in part because the islanders made repeated warnings to the team about overstaying their welcome.Given the precedent for encounters to turn violent, Pandit and his team did not push the issue further.One of the few peaceful encounters with the North Sentinelese. Source: Times of IndiaThe Sentinelese reaction to contact varied from trip to trip. On one occasion, they waved as if happy to see the visitors, and on another, they turned their backs and squatted as if defecating. There were even occasions when the Sentinelese rushed out of the jungle to take the gifts that were offered and then followed up by firing arrows at the expedition team.Later expeditions were not as successful, especially the ones in which Pandit himself was not present. The Sentinelese refused to even meet with these teams. Ultimately, the visits ended in 1994.These contact missions also drew criticism from observers who claimed repeated contact with the outside world would destroy the Sentinelese way of life. The Indian government tended to agree with these notions and maintained a policy of non-intervention in Sentinelese affairs. Of great concern was the imagery that had been collected.The government felt that displaying images of the Sentinelese as friendly would encourage people to try to visit the island. Photographs and film footage were taken off public display, and the government restricted access to the imagery.Contact With the North Sentinelese in the 21st CenturySentinelese islanders firing arrows at a helicopter. Source: Indian Coast Guard via ndtv.comConcern over the well-being of the North Sentinelese in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami led to aerial expeditions over North Sentinel Island. The sea floor had risen five feet and exposed some of the coral reefs around the island, but the islanders seemed not to need any help.They made violent gestures towards those investigating them, which was taken as a sign that the Sentinelese did not require any assistance. It seems the Sentinelese had been well aware that the tsunami was on its way and probably took refuge on the islands highest point long before the wave hit.In January 2006, Sunder Raj and Pandit Tiwari were out fishing (illegally) near the island when their makeshift anchor failed, and they drifted towards the shore of North Sentinel Island. They did not respond to warnings from the Sentinelese to leave and were subsequently hacked to death by ax-wielding Sentinelese.The Indian Coast Guard tried to retrieve the bodies, but their helicopters became a target for islanders with bows and arrows. It was decided to leave the bodies where the Sentinelese had buried them.John ChauJohn Allen Chau who was killed trying to bring Christianity to the North Sentinelese. Source: johnachau via bellanaija.comThe most recent event involving North Sentinel Island, which recently brought the island to the attention of the Western media, was the efforts of an American missionary, John Allen Chau, who wished to introduce the Sentinelese to Christianity.Despite the fact that the Indian government had forbidden travel to North Sentinel Island, Chau was determined to make contact and bring the word of the Lord to what he described as being possibly Satans last stronghold on Earth.In November 2018, after paying two fishermen to take him to the island, he made his way to the shore in a canoe. Several islanders were on the shore and displayed signs of open hostility. Chau retreated, only to return later. He made contact with the locals and tried to speak with them. A boy then shot an arrow at Chaus chest, and it pierced the Bible he was holding in front of him.Chau returned to the fishing boat and instructed the fishermen to leave after making a third attempt at successful contact.Chau landed on the beach and went to see the locals. The fishermen described seeing his body being dragged and buried along the shore.His body was never recovered. When police went to retrieve it, they observed the Sentinelese guarding the area. Police determined the best course of action was to leave.A Sentinel Islander threatening a helicopter in the wake of the 2004 tsunami. Source: Survival InternationalThe North Sentinelese islanders are one of the last uncontacted tribes in the world. The Indian government has tried to preserve this status quo, but with the knowledge of this island in public memory, this task has become more difficult. The future of the island and its people remains uncertain, and it seems unlikely well ever know the situation from their perspective.What we do know is that the island will continue to be inhospitable to outsiders as long as the North Sentinelese people retain their way of life.

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