The British brought ‘progress’ to the Great Andamanese by putting them in a ‘home’ to give them a better way of life. Of 150 babies born, all died before their third birthday. Overall, 99% of the tribe died, leaving just 52 people today. They survive on handouts, many have tuberculosis, and most men are alcoholics.
Their neighbours on the Andaman Islands, the Jarawa, have been on their land for around 60,000 years – five times longer than the ancestors of the British have been in Britain. The Jarawa have remained isolated and self-sufficient, and are still very healthy.
Their survival is now threatened by a road which cuts through their land, bringing poachers and new diseases such as measles. The Indian supreme court has ordered the road to be closed, but the local administration has refused to comply, and it remains open.
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