{"id":630,"date":"2020-11-18T09:56:10","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T09:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/?p=630"},"modified":"2020-11-18T09:56:10","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T09:56:10","slug":"north-sentinel-island-tribe-integration-or-isolation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/2020\/11\/18\/north-sentinel-island-tribe-integration-or-isolation\/","title":{"rendered":"NORTH SENTINEL ISLAND TRIBE : INTEGRATION OR ISOLATION"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Prof.\nV.P. Gupta<\/strong>,Director,<\/em> Rau\u2019s IAS Study\nCircle, New Delhi \u2013 Jaipur \u2013 Bengaluru<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This article caters to the Indian Society and Social Justice section of General Studies-Paper I & II and Essay
Paper in UPSC Main Examination<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The death of an\nAmerican tourist who illegally visited the isolated North Sentinel Island has\ndrawn the world\u2019s attention to the small island\u2019s reclusive inhabitants.\nSentinelese are one of the few mostly \u201cuncontacted\u201d groups left in the world.\nThe reason for their isolation is twofold\u2014first is geography\u2014North Sentinel is\na small island, off the main shipping routes, surrounded by a shallow reef with\nno natural harbours\u2014second is partly due to protective laws enforced by the\nIndian Government, and partly due to their own hostility. In addition to\nSentinelese, the islands of Andaman and Nicobar are home to 5 other aboriginal\nor primitive indigenous tribe namely Onges, Jarawa, Andamaneses, Shompen and\nNicobarese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History\nof the Sentinelese<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

North\nSentinel Island lies west of Port Blair, part of the archipelago made up of\nabout 200 islands. According to the 2011 Census effort, and based on\nanthropologists\u2019 estimates, there are probably somewhere between 80 and 150\npeople on North Sentinel Island. After the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, many\nfeared for the population on the island, but an aerial survey showed that the\nislanders had survived, maybe owing to their ancient knowledge of sea and\nwinds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On\nthe basis of genetic pointers, research scholars suggest that the earliest\npeople in the Andamans came about 35,000 years ago, though it could have been\nmuch earlier as well. They are thus believed to be descendants of the earliest\nhumans to migrate out of the African continent i.e. of the Negrito descent.\nScholars theorise that during the ice ages, when sea levels were considerably\nlower, it was possible to cross shallow waters in primitive canoes from the\nSumatra, Malay and Burma coasts which are not far from the present-day islands.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Policy\ntowards tribals <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nfate of the primitive societies has always been a matter of debate. While some\nanthropologists suggest integration into the current system, others may push\nfor a complete isolation. The stereotyping of tribes as primitive, backward,\nsavage, less advanced is a colonial construct. Pre-Independence, the society\nhad dealt with them by incorporating them in the social structure, in the\nJati-Varna model. Some of them were even \u201cpeasantised\u201d. But in general, their\nrights, customs, way of living were accepted, or at least not interfered with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nBritish rule marked a watershed in the tribal issue. The relative isolation of\nthe tribes was ended and they were brought into the mainstream administrative\nset-up. Almost all tribal areas came under the direct rule of the British. In\nsome tribal areas, the tribal chiefs became the tax-collectors or the agents of\nthe British Raj. The British had also tried to tame the \u2018uncivilised\u2019. The\nBritish policies had led to the breakdown of the tribal mode of production.\nIntroduction of taxes, alien land, forest laws and system of justice had\ndisrupted the tribe\u2019s relation with the forest. Even in areas of\n\u2018non-interference\u2019, some areas were open to moneylenders, traders and\nland-hungry peasants. In 1874, they brought in the Scheduled Area District Act\nof 1874 which kept the tribes outside the application of general laws. The\nGovernment of India Act of 1919 had given the tribal backwardness a formal\nrecognition and a basis for special treatment. In the 1930s, there was a debate\non the continuation of this policy. The nationalists argued that this was\nanother divide and rule policy. Gandhi had also opposed the isolation policy.\nThe nationalists in the Constituent Assembly had also pressed for more radical\nassimilation policies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jawaharlal\nNehru\u2019s Tribal Panchsheel strategy<\/strong> was seen as a balance between the two\nextremes\u2014integration and isolation. Five principles spelt out in 1952 have been\nguiding the administration of tribal affairs. They are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.   <\/strong>Tribals should be\nallowed to develop according to their own genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.  <\/strong>Tribals\u2019 rights in\nland and forest should be respected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.  <\/strong>Tribal teams should\nbe trained to undertake administration and development without too many\noutsiders being inducted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.  <\/strong>Tribal development\nshould be undertaken without disturbing tribal social and cultural\ninstitutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.  <\/strong>The index of tribal\ndevelopment should be the quality of their life and not the money spent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Constitutional\nprovisions <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scheduled\nTribes are those which are notified as such by the President of India under\nArticle 342 of the Constitution. The President considers characteristics like\nthe tribes\u2019 primitive traits, distinctive culture, shyness with the public at\nlarge, geographical isolation and social and economic backwardness before\nnotifying them as a Scheduled Tribe. Seventy-five of the total 698 Scheduled\nTribes in India are identified as Primitive Tribal Groups considering they are\nmore backward than Scheduled Tribes. They continue to live in a\npre-agricultural stage of economy and have very low literacy rates. Their\npopulations are stagnant or even declining. The Andaman tribes are amongst\nthem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some\nof the provisions related to the Scheduled Tribes are – <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ea  In Article 15(1)<\/strong>, there is a\nprohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, place\nof birth. However, there is an exception in Articles 15(4), 16(4) for the\nempowerment of the Scheduled Tribes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ea  Article 15(4)<\/strong> empowers the state to\nmake special provision and to reserve seats for STs in educational\ninstitutions. Article 16<\/strong> provides special provision regarding\nopportunity in matters of public employment for STs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ea  Article 275(1)<\/strong> speaks of grant-in-aid\nfrom the Consolidated Fund of India every year for promoting the welfare of STs\nand administration of scheduled areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ea  Article 335<\/strong> provides the claims of the\nmembers of STs in the appointments of services and posts consistent with the\nmaintenance of efficiency of administration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ea  Article 338 (A)<\/strong> provides for the\nNational Commission for STs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ea  Article 342<\/strong> has provision for the list\nof STs, which Parliament may by law include in or exclude from the list of STs\nspecified in a notification issued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ea  Articles 330 and 332,<\/strong> speaks about\nrights of Scheduled Tribes of India, acts, commissions and recommendations,\nreservation of seats for STs in Parliament and State Assemblies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andaman\ntribes\u2014to be integrated or kept isolated ? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\naddition to these provisions, the tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are\nalso covered by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal\nTribes) Regulation (ANPATR), 1956. This Regulation protected the tribals from\noutside interference, specified the limits of reserved areas and said that no\nland in a reserved area shall be allotted for agricultural purposes or sold or\nmortgaged to outsiders. Those violating the land rights of the tribals were to\nbe imprisoned and fined. But despite this, there continued to be constant\ninteractions between the tribals and settlers\/ outsiders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further,\nan expert committee recommended a policy on non-intervention in 2003. The\ncommittee was set up by the SC after a petition was filed in 1999 proposing to\nbring the Jarawas in mainstream. The committee recommended protecting the\nJarawas from harmful contact with outsiders, preserving their cultural and\nsocial identity, conserving their land and advocated sensitising settlers about\nthe Jarawas. Despite this all, the Andaman Trunk Road was constructed cutting\nright through the settlings of Jarawas. For the Jarawas, this led to the spread\nof diseases, sexual exploitation, and begging. Despite the laws, videos of commercial\nexploitation of the Jarawas in the name of \u201chuman safaris\u201d were widely reported\nin the media. Following this, ANPATR was amended in 2012, creating a buffer\nzone contiguous to the Jarawa tribal reserve where commercial establishments\nwere prohibited, and regulating tourist operators. Despite all these amendments\nand provisions, there continue to be numerous reports of civilian intrusion\ninto the Jarawa tribal reserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ngovernment in August relaxed the Restricted Area permit for 29 islands in the\nAndaman and Nicobar, including North Sentinel Island. As per the permit, prior\npass\/permission of authorities was needed to visit these areas. The decision of\nthe government sadly points to its intention to eventually ease these\nrestriction and if this happens, it could have an adverse impact on indigenous\npopulation in the long run. Commercialisation of tribal spaces could lead to\nencroachment of land, as we see in other parts of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due\nto the government-sponsored migration during the colonial period and\npost-Independence, the tribes have suffered immensely. Attempts to interaction\nhave meant epidemic outbursts. Flourishing tourism in the recent years has also\nmeant and will mean more hardships for them to survive. The people who were\nonce scattered across the island have now been confined to a small area. Not\nonly have they been displaced, but they have also been equated with monuments.\nThe privacy of these tribes should not be sold for profit or tourism.\n\nThe previous experience of these tribes with the outsiders has made them\nmore apprehensive of the government\u2019s intentions and they have time and again\nconveyed their wish to remain isolated. Though integration of tribal\ncommunities into mainstream society is essential from many perspectives, yet\nthe fact that these aboriginal tribes might be the last remnants of an ancient\ndescent warrants the need to
\nfurther protect their culture and leave them in isolation. Respecting their\nwish to remain isolated which invariably is also their need, is the right way\nto go about it. Integrating or assimilating them would certainly strip them of\ntheir culture, if it does not strip them of their lives first.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prof. V.P. Gupta,Director, Rau\u2019s IAS Study Circle, New Delhi \u2013 Jaipur \u2013 Bengaluru This article caters to the Indian Society and Social Justice section of General Studies-Paper I & II and Essay Paper in UPSC Main Examination The death of an American tourist who illegally visited the isolated North Sentinel Island has drawn the world\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=630"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":631,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630\/revisions\/631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}