The world is a big place and as difficult as this might be to believe, there are some places where civilization has yet to reach. The perfect example of this is the Sentinelese Island where aboriginal tribes still strive. These tribes don’t take kindly to visitors, but everything changed when a clever woman figured out a way to make the first contact.
Photo: Courtesy of Ampersandtravel
The Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands are located between India and Myanmar and they are home to one of the world's most stunning beaches.
While these islands might make for a perfect exotic vacation spot, there is one island that no one is allowed to access because there are people living there.
A Hidden Gem
The Sentineles Island is hidden in the Andaman Isles and the Indian government forbids everyone from stepping foot on it.
Even though some say that the Indian government is a bit too drastic, there is actually a pretty good reason why no one is allowed to visit the Sentineles Island.
Unknown Population
The Santinel Island is inhabited by aboriginal tribes which have never had contact with the civilized world.
The tribesman are not that friendly and they will shoot arrows at whoever tries to get close to the island, even at planes.
Indigenous Tribes
The tribes are not only dangerous, but they also have great historical value and the Indian government doesn’t want anyone to disturb them.
There have been a couple of people who tried to visit the island, but they never came back to tell their story.
What Happened To Them?
Everyone who has ever tried to visit the island hasn't come back to tell the tale. Doesn't that give you the chills?
Those who attempted visiting the island, however, haven't said a word about their trip. Officials believe that they might have been too scared to do so, or maybe they simply refused to tell what they witnessed.
Interesting Place
Even though this is not a safe place for visitors, the story of this tribe intrigues many people.
In fact, many anthropologists have tried to investigate the history and culture of this tribe, and of on them is Doctor Madhumala Chattopadhyay.
Doctor Madhumala Chattopadhyay
Doctor Madhumala Chattopadhyay has studied everything there is to know about the Sentineles Island since she was back in high school.
She always wanted to visit this location, but she didn't want to risk meeting the tribe that still inhabits the island.
Special Method
The Doctor knew that many had already tried to make first contact with the aboriginal tribes and failed, so she needed to come up with a different way of approaching them.
She knew that visiting the Sentineles Island was a big risk, but she was nonetheless willing to take it.
Different Culture
The unique culture of the aboriginal tribes intrigued Doctor Madhumala Chattopadhyay so much that she would spend days and nights coming up with different ways of approaching the tribesmen.
It didn't take long for her to finally muster up the courage to hire a boat that would take her there…
Peace Offering
Knowing that she would take a big risk approaching the tribesmen, the Doctor purchased lots of coconuts. But why?
Coconuts was one of the fruits that the island didn’t have, so her plan was to hand them as a peace offering.
Coconuts
So as soon as she arrived, Doctor Madhumala Chattopadhyay started handing out coconuts to the tribesmen from her boat.
It didn’t take long for the tribesmen to taste the coconuts and they invited her on shore. The woman was in awe.
Rare Experience
Doctor Madhumala Chattopadhyay couldn’t believe that she was being invited to step foot on the Sentineles Island, but she was happy that this was happening.
To make things even better, the tribeswomen started taking a liking to her. Even though they didn't speak Hindi or English, they were trying their best to make themselves understood.
Happy Dance
The aboriginal women were doing a special dance as a way of celebrating the coconuts that the doctor had brought them.
Moments later, they invited her to dance with them as well. This is when a special friendship started.
Mutual Trust
Once she won over their confidence, Doctor Madhumala Chattopadhyay visited the island a couple more times.
The tribesmen started trusting her so much that they even let her hold their babies. Isn't this amazing?
Incredible Woman
Doctor Madhumala Chattopadhyay is an incredibly courageous woman and there is no doubt about that.
She managed to achieve what others failed and she did it simply by only using her wits. Bravo!
A Tense Moment
The doctor admits that she was a little bit scared when she first arrived on the island. Although, who can blame her for this?
This is especially logical if we take into account that these tribesmen (and women!) are not the friendliest bunch.
One Of Their Own
A couple of months passed and the tribe eventually started considering the Doctor as one of their own.
This was the first time that this happened ever since the aboriginal tribes from the Sentineles Island were discovered.
Leaving Them Alone
Even though Doctor Madhumala Chattopadhyay managed to earn the trust of the tribesmen, she hopes that others will not try to follow in her footsteps.
The truth is that she only approached them to learn about their culture, but at the same time she feels that their desire of being isolated should be respected. She would like for the tribes to be left in peace.
Sweet Bananas
As we can see in this picture, the people who live on the island love sweet things more than anything!
Doctor Madhumala Chattopadhyay definitely made the right choice when she purchased coconuts and brought them to the island.
Studying The Culture
The most important thing about this story is that Doctor Madhumala Chattopadhyay got a chance to study the amazing culture of these people who live their lives freely.
The Doctor's books about her experience on the island are now mandatory lectures in college. And they should be!
No comments:
Post a Comment