I learned that a tribe on Sentinel Island, part of “the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands” apparently, fired their arrows at an Indian Coast Gaurd helicopter dropping food and water … The Indians took it as sign the lived and wrote it off, somewhat condescendingly (IMO), to the Tribe’s knowledge of woodlore to their
Why did they do that? What is the back story here?
According to an NBC News report of the same incident, the government believed no one would be found alive on the island. That the government helicopter was attacked by the locals changed that perspective and the Indian government apparently felt that if the locals are alive and healthy enough to defend the island, they don’t need any help.
Bear: in the article the Indian Officials say FTR
*
"they believe they survived the devastation by using age-old early warning systems.
They might have run to high ground for safety after noticing changes in the behavior of birds and marine wildlife*. "
Apparently with no evidence that these people did any such thing ; Which seemed to me kind of subtly racist: like code words about primitive people & voodoo, or juju. I know YMMV: I simply felt funny & self conscious posting it without taking a roll of the old eyes. So now you know I am an overly sensitive a$$.
Doubly stupid of me if it unfocused the question which Bosda possibly answered & which Duckster kind of re-enforced my feelings of what on earth is going on here :
Are these people cartoonish “hostile Islanders”(why)? Are they “at war” with India (why)? Are they angry that they were given ‘handouts’? Are they pissed that the aid arrived so late? Do they blame mainlanders for the destruction? Have they never seen a helicopter before? That is the question(s) I don’t understand the Island response or the Indian “it was expected/what can you expect” reaction response.
The reason they shot arrows at the helicopter is because they are hostile to all outsiders, and the Indian government generally forbids anyone from landing on the islands in order to protect the tribes. They made an exception to deliver aid in the wake of the disaster.
These guys have not been modernized at all; a lot of them are basically stuck in the stone age. They generally shoot arrows at anyone who approaches the islands, whether by helicopter or boat. The fact that they did so is a signal to the Indian government that they’re basically getting along fine and doing what they always do.
One can only hope, (dimly, in all probability) that they are still there, 70000 years from now still shooting arrows at whatever strange aircraft that may appear in the sky. Of course I say that from my nice comfortable living room talking to people all over the globe, but as long as they are happy its nice to know places like that still exist in the world.