On the Nicobar Islands, the Mongoloid Nicobarese claiming
descent from a Burmese prince have integrated with recent
settlers and while they continue to live in small communities
of grass huts raised on stilts, have adopted modern agricultural
methods, raising pigs rather than hunting. Less than 200
of the still unaccustomed Shompen of Great Nicobar live
on the coast and barter in honey, cane and nuts with the
Nicobarese in isolated pockets further inland.
Most of Great Andamanese died of diseases contracted from
western settlers and the trickle that remain are settled
today on Strait Island, north of South Andaman.
The Jarawas who were originally located on the present site
of Port Blair, now live on the western coasts of Middle
and South Andaman, hemmed in by the Andaman Trunk Road,
which since the 1970s has cut them off from hunting grounds
and fresh water supplies. Nevertheless, possessive about
their land, they remain unwilling to mix and contact with
settlers is limited to gift-exchange at each full moon,
a time of celebration.
The Onges were once used by the Chinese and Japanese to
dive for valuable shells in exchange for alcohol and opium.
Today the largest tribe on the Andaman Islands they live
on Little Andaman and Rutland Island in communal shelters
(bera) and construct temporary thatched huts (korale). Unlike
other tribes, the Onges do not practice tattooing, but they
paint their bodies with white clay and ochre, and the women
smear themselves with yellow dye from orchids.
The most evasive tribe of all, the Sentinelese, live on
North Sentinel Island west of South Andaman. In 1991, the
local administration established some contact with them
by way of gifts left on the beaches every month on Strait
Island, north of South Andaman.
The typical household seems to have been the monogamous
nuclear family. Partners were frequently found in other
groups or tribes and post marital residence patterns were
flexible. Divorce was rare, especially after the birth of
the first child. Adoption was a common feature of Andaman
society. Both males and females underwent puberty rites.
Shamans were thought to have special powers for curing,
sorcery and dream interpretation and were achievable by
either males or females, but such achievement depended on
the acceptance by the group of the individual's claim to
special powers. The cosmology of the Andaman Islanders contained
a variety of animistic spirits and spirits of the dead.
Daily ritual dances central to communal life were held
on land enclosed by huts. Intergroup contacts were generally
peaceful; their dwellers getting together at times of abundance.
The present day settlers comprise people of all faiths -
Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs who speak languages
like Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Punjabi.
They live together in complete harmony. Inter-religion and
inter-regional marriages are common. The amazing racial
and cultural mix correctly describes the Andamans as mini
India.
