The Jarawa tribals of the Andaman
were in the news this week. A news video put out by The Guardian showing
Jarawa women and children dancing in front of the camera for the benefit of
tourists caused uproar in the country. Local media picked up the story and
the Government has now ordered an enquiry.
The Jarawa are one of the four
Negrito aboriginal tribes inhabiting the Andaman Islands .
Their total population is said to be just around 250 or so. These tribes are
said to be among the direct descendants of man’s earliest ancestors who
migrated from Africa around 65,000 – 70,000 years ago. As
late as till the 1990s, the Jarawa were said to be living in their forests in
complete isolation and had resisted all contact with outsiders. But in the last
fifteen years, the Jarawa have gradually shed their isolation.
I first heard of the Jarawa
during my recent visit to the Andaman Islands . On our
way to the Limestone Caves forest .
On a couple of occasions during our journey, the Jarawa came close to the
passing vehicles, providing a glimpse to the shocked tourists. Their faces were
painted yellow and they wore nothing.
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| This notice pasted in our bus said it all. Though unscrupulous tour operators need to be dealt with severely, there is no reason to deny Jarawa the benefits of modern development |
The construction of the 300-odd kilometer long Great Andaman Trunk Road that runs north – south through the length of
Andaman and through the heart of the Jarawa inhabited forest has opened up an opportunity to integrate the Jarawa into the national
mainstream. In fact, the Jarawa have now started to venture out of their forests,
initiating contact with human civilization. Though extremely hostile initially,
the Jarawa are reported to have turned friendly in recent years, asking for
food or even medical aid with villagers and farmers living on the fringes of
the forests.
But it is unfortunate that some
NGOs and environmental groups have been fighting for the closure of the Road,
demanding the Jarawa not be ‘disturbed’ or ‘their territory’ not encroached
upon. Terms such as ‘human safaris’ used liberally in the media have
unnecessarily sensationalized the issue. The Jarawa deserve the benefits of
progress and development as much as any other people. Keeping them backward and
in isolation in the name of ‘preserving their culture’ is clearly not the way
to go.
