You often hear of people travelling to Thailand and India but little did you know that just off the coast of them both is a banned island that nobody can explore.
From up above the island is a beautiful tranquil paradise – but try to set foot on North Sentinel Island and you’ll either be killed or seriously injured.
North Sentinel Island is situated directly in the middle of the Indian Ocean providing picturesque views to all around but no tourists will ever be able to see them because of a murderous tribe.
The Sentinelese tribe have called the island home for over 60,000 years and it is thought to behold sun, sand, and delicious exotic fruit.
However every time people have tried to go to the island they’ve been chased away by spear wielding men – and those that got away are the lucky ones.
Back in 2006 a pair of fisherman who ventured too close to the island were reportedly captured by the tribe and butchered.
Apparently, the pair were illegally fishing for mud crabs in Sentinelese waters, and when they slept onboard their vessel overnight, their anchor failed and they were swept into shallow waters just off the island itself where they were reportedly killed.
An attempt to bring their bodies home was abandoned after ‘warriors’ with bows fired a volley of arrows at an Indian Coast Guard helicopter which was part of the mission.
Even humanitarian efforts to help the indigenous people after the 2004 tsunami nearby were met with conflict – with awestruck tribesmen shooting arrows at helicopters attempting to drop food and aid packages onto the island.
Amazingly, most of the tribe managed to survive the tsunami.
The tribe, who have reportedly not yet discovered fire nor have they developed any agricultural practices, will kill anybody who comes even close to their shore using weapons made out of metal that gets washed onto their land from nearby shipwrecks.
The Sentinelese tribe are one of the last remaining stone age tribes on the planet making them some of the last people on the face of the Earth who remain untouched by modern civilisation.
As you can probably imagine, due to this and their bloody past, very little is known about the Sentinelese people whatsoever.
The tribe exist in a hunter gatherer society. They hunt, fish, and gather wild plants which they survive solely from.
Even the Sentinelese language is completely unknown. Not even their neighbours, who speak the Jarawa language, can interact with them on a verbal level.
A 2001 census conducted by India was able to record a population of 39 (21 males and 18 females). A later census found there to be only 15 on the island however as this study was carried out a ‘safe distance’, it is thought to be massively inaccurate.
Some believe there to be 500 living on the island – while others claim there are only 40.
The Indian Government advises all to avoid the island for reasons you can probably imagine.
Though the tribe have a murderous history, their continued existence and survival is truly fascinating.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via stories@unilad.co.uk
