How to Survive the North Sentinel Island

4 min read

In November 2018, John Chau, a U.S. missionary, landed on North Sentinel Island. It’s home to one of the few Indigenous groups that have remained almost completely isolated from the rest of the world. They’ve achieved that level of seclusion by attacking anyone who dares to step foot on their island. Chau was chased away with bows and arrows two times. He recklessly tried a third attempt to enter the forbidden territory.

Others have barely survived these attacks, but did Chau’s luck finally run out this time around? North Sentinel Island is located in the Bay of Bengal. It’s one of the Andaman Islands, and despite its tropical beaches, much of the region remains a mystery. Much of this has to do with it being under India’s jurisdiction and laws making it a restricted area off-limits to the general public.

More than a century ago, the British colonized some of the Andaman Islands. The takeover was extremely violent and even introduced diseases such as syphilis. The fear of having the same catastrophic fate as their neighbors might be one of the reasons for the Sentinelese people’s hostility toward outsiders.

Few people have successfully made contact with the Sentinelese and walked away safe and sound to tell the tale. We’re about to show you some of the most notorious stories. How could coconuts save your life? Which items shouldn’t you touch on the island? And what words helped a woman survive?

Number 3: A Coconut Goes a Long Way

In 1991, anthropologist Madhumala Chattopadhyay and a small group of her colleagues succeeded interacting with some of the island’s residents. When they spotted their small boat, four Sentinelese men armed with bows and arrows came out to the shoreline. The anthropologists floated some coconuts over from a distance for the men to collect. The exchange went on for a few hours until a younger man raised his bow but stopped after Chattopadhyay spoke using tribal words she had learned on other islands.

With this level of trust established, the group came back shortly after for a second visit. On this trip, some of the Sentinelese even climbed on board, helping themselves to an entire bag of coconuts. But things went south when a researcher tried to take an ornament that one of the men was wearing. The disrespectful act was met with anger and the man brought out his knife, making it clear it was time for the team to leave. Luckily, no one was hurt.

Number 2: Hospitality Ran Out

TN Pandit served as a regional head of India’s Ministry of Tribal Affairs starting in the 1960s. Over several decades, he visited North Sentinel several times as part of expeditions without incident. Until one situation when he encountered two dozen islanders at the beach. One aimed his bow at the anthropologist, but a woman prevented him from firing at Pandit. The Sentinelese people were usually friendly to him, but they made it clear when his team members were venturing too far.

Like on another trip, when a man signaled toward Pandit in a hostile manner. He drew his knife out and made a cutting gesture. Let’s see what we’ve learned so far. Don’t grab their belongings. You’re giving them presents, not making trades. And if you are approaching the island, do it slowly and with respect. Otherwise, you could be dead in seconds.

Number 1: Pushing the Limits

Let’s go back to John Chau’s story. After he bribed local fishermen to bring him to the region, he spent two days trying to teach passages from the Bible to the Sentinelese. His efforts were not well received. Chau was forced off the island twice. On his third attempt, he was killed and buried on the beach. His actions were done without permission from Indian authorities. He also hadn’t been tested for any transmissible diseases.

Chau died because he failed to understand that the islanders just wanted to be left alone. Unfortunately, the Sentinelese people aren’t the only ones suffering from the fallout of foreign intruders right now. Ukrainian civilians keep demonstrating their strength in fighting off the Russian invasion.