The North Sentinel Island is an obsolete, tiny piece of land in the Bay of Bengal. It is part of a group of small unknown islands – the Andaman and Nicobar island group. Surrounded by a coral reef ocean zone it is a homeland to one of the last tribes untouched by modern civilization.
This is undoubtedly one of the last unknown islands in the world inhabited by hostile tribes which have rejected all form of communication with the outside world. There are many legends about this dangerous island and its inhabitants in particular. Many years the Sentinelese have been protective of their lands and have not let anyone come close.
They especially call the island the best secret island because there is very little we know about it. The exact number of indigenous people living here is unknown. Scientist estimate that they have been around for 60.000 years. Nobody has been allowed to study their history, language and culture. What we surely know is that the people on North Sentinel are mostly hunters and gatherers, and their culture is like in the Stone Age.
Armed with bows and arrows, they have used them to murder all who had tried to reach their lands. Many adventurers, missionaries and scientists have made attempts to uncover the secret of the best-hidden islands but with little success.
One of the victims was John Allen Chau. A Christian Missionary who made an illegal trip to the island to convert the people to his faith. Ambitious, adventurous and full of wanderlust, when finally setting foot on the island, they killed him.
The North Sentinel Island is protected by the Indian authorities who respect the tribes’ wishes, especially be left alone and to stay isolated from the world.
After the tsunami of 2004, which devastated a huge part of the region, a helicopter was sent to help the tribes. However, the Sentinelese warriors met it with hostility and an arrow attack.
North Sentinel Island does not offer island tours or exotic beach hotels. It is one of those extremely dangerous places where both islanders and outsiders are at huge risk. The tribes are probably not immune to many of the pathogens frequent in today’s life. For now this island and its inhabitants will definitely remain one of the biggest secrets in the world.
