On August 29, 2020, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs reported 10 members of a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG), known as the ‘Great Andamanese’ have been tested positive for the coronavirus, setting off alarm bells in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration. The Great Andamanese now number only 59. Apart from Nicobarese, the five others are listed as particularly vulnerable tribal groups — Jarawa, Shompen, and Onge.
The Great Andamanese, a small number are in touch with the general population. While no one is allowed to visit Strait Island, they are allowed to come and stay in Port Blair. So the risk of them getting Covid is high. The Great Andamanese is the first among its vulnerable tribes to be hit by the coronavirus. All the 59 Great Andamanese members —34 in Strait Island and 24 in Port Blair been tested, and 10 of them living in Port Blair had tested positive. Concern is mounting as new cases are reported in the remote Strait Island where the tribe is based. Steps are being taken to keep a close watch on the tribe, as well as other PVTGs.
The Andamans is home to five PVTGs, the Sentinelese, Jarawa, Great Andamanese, Onge and Shompen. This is besides the Nicobarese, who are Scheduled Tribes. The Sentinelese are the most recluse of them, resisting outside contact. In the 1850s, the Great Andamanese numbered between 5,000 and 8,000. Then a penal colony was set up and diseases like syphilis, gonorrhoea, flu and others spread. By 1901, their population had dropped to 625, and by the 1931 Census, only 90 Great Andamanese were left. By the 1960s, they were down to a mere 19, and were settled on Strait Island. As observed, the vulnerability of diseases reduces the number of Great Andamanese and COVID-19, if not managed properly might diminish this tribal group. The danger is even higher for other tribes. The Great Andamanese have been in contact with outsiders for the last 50 years. But a disease like this could wipe out the entire population of the Jarawas and Sentinelese. It is also necessary to keep the tribes isolated as the Jarawas and Shompens are vulnerable to Covid-19 because they engage with settlers in barter to get rice and other items. Even recently settlers were arrested inside the Jarawa reserve.
Majors Taken No one is allowed into the areas where the tribal groups are located. All government and health officials who go there are tested for Covid prior to their visits. Only vehicles with essential commodities are moving on the Andaman Trunk Road which cuts through the Jarawa Reserve, and the drivers and others in vehicles are also tested before allowed in. Officials are posted near the forest where the tribe lives, keeping a watch while maintaining distance. All of them are housed in an isolation facility and regularly tested.
For more information, anthropologists classify the Great Andamanese as part of the Negrito tribes that inhabit isolated parts of Southeast Asia and the Andaman Islands.
Originally, the Great Andamanese were ten distinct tribes, including the Jeru, Bea, Bo, Khora, and Pockiwar, each with its own separate language. In 1788, when the British first tried to colonise the islands, the Great Andamanese numbered between 5,000 and 8,000. However, several members of the tribe were killed in encounters with the British to protect their territories. Later, many were wiped out in epidemics brought in by the colonizers.
After the 1857 mutiny, the British government sent thousands of mutineers for life imprisonment in the Andamans. A penal colony was established for the purpose. The new phase of settlement caused the death of many Great Andamanese as they succumbed to diseases and imperialist policies.
The language of the Great Andamanese, Sare, has largely been lost and the tribe now speaks mostly Hindi. Major factors contributing to the diminishing population of the Great Andamanese include environmental disturbances, contagious diseases as a result of contact with city dwellers, and a high mortality rate assisted by addictions to alcohol, tobacco and opium.
Courtesy: The Indian Express