Who Are the Jarawa?
The Jarawa are an indigenous Andamanese people inhabiting the western coasts of South and Middle Andaman Islands, India, numbering approximately 400-500 people. They speak Jarawa, an Andamanese language distinct from other Andamanese languages. The Jarawa maintained isolation and hostility toward outsiders until around 1998-2000, when they began initiating peaceful contact with neighboring settlements after over a century of resisting all approaches. Their recent emergence from isolation makes them one of the world's most recently contacted indigenous peoples, raising urgent ethical questions about their protection, health, and right to determine their own future.
Century of Hostility
From British colonization through the 1990s, the Jarawa violently resisted all contact attempts, attacking outsiders who approached their territory with bows and arrows. This hostility protected them from the devastating diseases and cultural destruction that eliminated other Andamanese groups. Government "contact expeditions" through the 1970s-90s left gifts (coconuts, bananas, metal) at forest edges, gradually reducing hostility. In 1998, a group of Jarawa spontaneously visited a settlement. By 2000, friendly contact became common. This shift from hostility to curiosity occurred on Jarawa terms, unlike forcible contact experienced by other indigenous groups.
Threats and Protection
Post-contact, the Jarawa face serious threats. The Andaman Trunk Road cuts through their reserve, creating problematic tourist encounters—"human safaris" where tourists photograph Jarawa like zoo animals, sometimes offering food or alcohol. Disease outbreaks, including measles, have occurred. Poachers enter their territory. Sexual exploitation of Jarawa women by outsiders has been reported. Indian law prohibits entering the Jarawa reserve, but enforcement is inconsistent. The Supreme Court has ordered road closure, though implementation lags. International and Indian advocacy groups campaign for Jarawa protection. Their future depends on whether India can effectively shield them from exploitation while respecting their emerging choices about engagement with the outside world.
Contemporary Jarawa
Modern Jarawa navigate an unprecedented transition. Some Jarawa, especially youth, show curiosity about outside goods and interactions; others maintain traditional forest life. They continue hunting, gathering, and fishing in their reserve. Some have learned Hindi words; a few have sought medical treatment. The tension between their apparent interest in outside contact and the clear dangers that contact poses creates ethical dilemmas. Indigenous rights advocates argue Jarawa should have time to make informed decisions about their future without pressure or exploitation. How India protects them while respecting their emerging agency will determine whether the Jarawa can avoid the fate of other Andamanese groups.
References
- Pandya, V. (2009). In the Forest: Visual and Material Worlds of Andamanese History
- Survival International (ongoing). "The Jarawa"
- Sekhsaria, P. (2017). The Last Wave: An Island Novel