An island with a poetic, wild, and mysterious beauty. However, anyone is strictly prohibited from setting foot on it, and the consequences do not stop at legal penalties.
As travel enthusiasts and adventure seekers, we always long to explore paradisiacal lands that remain pristine and untouched by modern society.
Such places are not many, but they are not too rare, as long as you have the ability to seek them out.
Location of North Sentinel Island.
However, in the middle of the Indian Ocean lies a beautiful, untouched island owned by the Indian government.
Access to this island is strictly prohibited, and the government does not allow anyone to linger more than 3 miles around it. The consequences of violating this ban go beyond legal repercussions.
This is North Sentinel Island – a very pristine island covered in dense jungle. The reason that ordinary people cannot land here is due to the indigenous people living there. It is not to protect them, but to protect careless tourists, as the locals are known to attack outsiders without warning.
They have little contact with the outside world and reject the influence of any modern civilization that attempts to encroach upon their island. These indigenous people display a strong hostility towards outsiders and have attacked those who tried to approach the island with bows and arrows and stones. It is said that no one who has ever set foot on this island has been able to return.
The islanders do not welcome anyone.
In 2006, two fishermen who were shipwrecked drifted to this island and were subsequently killed by the locals. The islanders do not welcome anyone, and in fact, we know very little about them. Thanks to the extremely dense jungle, their whereabouts are almost hidden, and no one can observe them. Coupled with their “hospitality” to the extent of being ready to “massacre” outsiders, science knows almost nothing about this tribe.
The Origins of the Sentinelese People on North Sentinel Island
Having been isolated for a long time from the outside world, the Sentinelese (the indigenous people living on this island) have preserved a very primitive culture and genetics. Although they are located in South Asia, their appearance resembles that of African people.
Some scientists speculate that these people may be a branch left by early Homo sapiens when they migrated from Africa to Asia and Australia. At that time, sea levels were low, and the coastline extended, allowing early Homo sapiens to walk all the way to Asia along the coast, and a group among them settled on this island.
However, over time, due to rising sea levels, this group became isolated on the island and has lived on this deserted island for at least 60,000 years. If it were not for a chance discovery, modern humans would never have imagined that a place like this existed on Earth.
Rare images of the North Sentinel islanders.
A Chance Discovery
In the mid-19th century, the Industrial Revolution led to tremendous economic growth that made Britain a maritime superpower. By opening new shipping routes, they expanded their reach, ruling nearly half the world and even including India under their colonial system. They established an organization known as the East India Company, transporting wealth back to Britain via maritime routes.
In 1867, an East India Company cargo ship arrived in the Bay of Bengal when suddenly a strong wind hit, and before the crew could react, the ship capsized in the storm. More than 100 people on board jumped into the sea to seek survival. After some struggle, they inadvertently swam to North Sentinel Island.
The island’s beauty made them forget the misfortune of the shipwreck, and according to British custom, any small island they discovered would become a British colony.
Moreover, this small island appeared to be inhabited, with plenty of fruit trees. Armed with modern weapons, they believed that the islanders would soon become their slaves, like the indigenous people on other islands they had encountered before.
However, their plans soon fell apart. Wooden arrows rained down from the sky like raindrops, and a group of naked black people stared at them with fierce eyes.
Despite most of the crew being armed with pistols, it was still difficult to resist the attack of these people. They fought and retreated, but within just 3 days, the number of surviving British crew members dwindled, and everyone’s spirits were tense, nearly collapsing.
On the fourth morning, a cargo plane from the United States passing by heard gunfire and rescued the remaining British crew members. This incident later sparked curiosity about the mysterious island.
The tribe’s language is completely uncommunicative with the outside world.
Exploring the Island
The most famous incident occurred on November 15, 2018, when an American missionary, John Joe Chau, ventured to North Sentinel Island in an effort to spread Christianity to the Sentinelese.
First, he hired some local fishermen to take him to a fishing boat not far from the shore, then approached the island by kayak. Upon nearing the island for the first time, he was warned by the indigenous people, who shot arrows at him.
John Joe Chau was then forced to return to the fishing boat, and the next day, he paddled his kayak to the island again, this time, he did not return. The fishermen witnessed him being shot by the Sentinelese and his body being dragged onto the beach.
They panicked and fled the scene, reporting the incident to local police. Indian authorities later launched an investigation and arrested 7 fishermen suspected of assisting Joe in illegally landing on the island.
However, because they could not communicate with the Sentinelese or enter the island, the police were unable to retrieve Joe’s body, and his death sparked significant interest and discussion in the international community. All major media outlets reported on the incident, and only then did many people learn that such a place existed in the world.
A 26-year-old American missionary John Allen Chau attempted to land on the island multiple times despite warnings.
Some felt sorry for Joe’s death, while many others argued for India to punish the Sentinelese, leading the Indian government to take early action.
However, this approach was very different from what people imagined. At the end of November that year, the Indian government announced the results to the world, arguing that Joe’s killing was his own fault, as he had violated Indian law by entering North Sentinel Island without permission.
Historically, foreigners have attempted to land on the island multiple times but have mostly failed. The Indian government believes that this island does not need interference from foreign civilizations and has declared a ban, prohibiting anyone from approaching the island within 5 km.
The Indian government believes that the Sentinelese are one of the most primitive peoples on Earth, and they have the right to maintain their own way of life and beliefs without being changed or forcibly intervened.
However, there are also those who have a different view of the Sentinelese. They believe that as human beings, the Sentinelese should benefit from the advancements and benefits brought by modern civilization, rather than continue to live in backwardness and poverty. They believe that the Indian government should take some measures to gradually establish communication and trust with the Sentinelese, allowing them to receive basic services such as education and healthcare, while improving their quality of life and happiness.
They believe that doing so not only shows concern and support for the Sentinelese people but also contributes to and promotes the advancement of human civilization. These two viewpoints have their own reasons and foundations, as well as their own shortcomings and risks. We cannot assess which perspective is right or wrong, nor can we predict what changes or outcomes may occur in the future.
