The Jarawa Tribes greatest threats

Leonie Radtke

January 13, 2021

Who are they?

The Jarawa tribe is one of four tribes located in the Andaman Islands, in the Indian Ocean. It is believed that these tribes have found their way from Africa to the Islands about 60,000 years ago. There are approximately 400 members of the Jarawa tribe today and live in groups of 40–50 people in so-called caddies, these are their homes. (URGENT: 2013).

The Jarawa Tribes' biggest threat is the great Andaman truck Road. This is because it brings in outsiders that have diseases, abuse the tribe, drugged the tribe, make the tribe a tourist attraction, and cut down trees that are part of their habitat (Jarawas: India, 2013).

The Jarawa tribe lives in protected reserve forests in the middle of the Andaman Islands where a railway line is proposed to go through. In February in 2017, the Indian Express reported that an old request to build a railway line was approved from the union territories, the capital of Port Blair to Diglipur, which is located on the North Island. A few experts are expecting that the railway line will bring outsiders into the Jarawa tribe territory, meaning it will expose them to unfamiliar diseases and other dangers just like the truck road is (Chamberlain, 2014).

The girls say the outside boys press them lots. They press them using hands and nails, when the girls get angry. They chase them under the influence of alcohol. They [sexually abuse] the girls. They drink alcohol in the house of girls. They also sleep in Jarawa's house. They chase the girls after smoking marijuana. - Jarawa tribe man

A Jarawa man has opened up that a couple of poachers have been visiting the tribe's habitat multiple times and sexually and physically harass the women in his tribe. He has also mentioned that the poachers have tried to lure out tribal members with alcohol, tobacco, nutrition, and other groceries (Bera, 2015). This isn't the only issue with tourists or unwanted visitors. Multiple Jarawa tribal members have been admitted to hospitals due to diseases that have been brought to the tribe through outsiders, they are only healable through modern diseases which the tribal doctors do not have access to most of the time. One of the biggest cases was in 1999, where 108 tribal members were diagnosed with measles. Measles and pink eyes are both brought to the tribe through outsiders (Isolated Andaman, 2006).

The Jarawa tribe has been carrying a lot of weight on their shoulder due to multiple different disease outbreaks, sexual and physical harassment and other things that have happened due to outsiders that have been brought to their habitats through the great Andaman truck road. If this road wouldn't exist, destroyed, or rebuilt, then the tribe wouldn't face any of these issues. This matters because this tribe has been around for approximately 55,000 years and are slowly going extinct, their culture will vanish and so will the people if we don't do anything to stop these threats (Chamberlain, 2014).

There are a couple of different ways to stop this issue. They could completely remove the road so that outsiders wouldn't have access to the tribe but that would be an issue for people who have to use it daily for work, shopping, or if they live somewhere only accessible with the road. If they are able to rebuild the bridge to go around the tribe or so there wouldn't be any access to known tribal areas, then the tribe could live in peace and the people who need the road to access different places can still do this.

Image citations

The Hindu. (n.d.). A tourist attraction?: Jarawa children on the Andaman Islands [Photograph]. https://kwekudee-tripdownmemorylane.blogspot.com/2012/10/ andamanese-tribe-one-of-earliest.html
Great Andaman Trunk Rd [Photograph]. (n.d.). Google maps. https://www.google.com/ maps/place/Great+Andaman+Trunk+Rd,+India/@12.173968,92.178369,9z/
Salomé. (n.d.). A Jarawa woman and boy by the side of the Andaman Trunk Road [Photograph]. https://assets.survivalinternational.org/pictures/80/jarawa39_screen.jpg
Survival. (n.d.). The Jarawa thatch their shelters with leaves from the forest. [Photograph]. https://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/jarawa

Cover image citation

Blaise, O. (2011, February 1). The last Jarawa 042 [Photograph]. https://www.flickr.com/photos/olivierblaise/5465090441/in/album-72157625978223819/

Citations

Andaman islands

Jarawa man speaks out against sexual abuse of young women

Chamberlain, G. (2014, February 1). Jarawa tribe now face sexual abuse by outsiders on Andaman Islands. Retrieved December 2, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/01/andaman-islands-jarawa-sex-abuse-outsiders

Chandran, R. (2017, March 7). How the proposed rail line in Andamans can threaten the Jarawas. Retrieved November 26, 2020, from https://www.livemint.com/Politics/xolULeUhfDwzLuhtClEReO/How-the-proposed-rail-line-in-Andamans-can-threaten-the-Jara.html

Giles, D. (2012, February 22). Andaman Trunk Road: The greatest sin. Retrieved November 26, 2020, from http://www.andamanchronicle.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=127:community-newspaper-hamara-nicobar-second-edition122&catid=21&Itemid=145

Indian Supreme Court 'reverses order' to ban 'human safaris'. (2013, March 5). Retrieved December 2, 2020, from https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/9008

Isolated Andaman tribe hit by measles epidemic. (2006, May 8). Retrieved December 2, 2020, from https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/1590

Jarawas: India to reopen road through Andaman tribe's are. (2013, March 6). Retrieved December 2, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-21681120

Ross, M. (2006, May 19). Doctors confirm Jarawa have measles. Retrieved November 26, 2020, from https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/1614

Stock, J. T., & Migliano, A. B. (2017, May 24). Reports. Retrieved December 2, 2020, from https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1338711/1/Migliano_605429.pdf

Top officials fly to Andamans as disease strikes Jarawa tribe. (2006, May 15). Retrieved December 2, 2020, from https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/1595

URGENT: please e-mail the Indian government asking it to stop the 'human safaris' now. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2020, from https://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/jarawa

Vice. (2013, September 24). Human Safari: Observing the Jarawa [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgDqrPAZcE&feature=emb_logo

What threatens the Jarawa? (n.d.). Esri. https://www.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.htmlappid=9511861547774b45a9dc97585d361bf5