Posted on 01/03/2005 11:04:53 PM PST by LibWhacker
An Indian helicopter dropping food and water over the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been attacked by tribesmen using bows and arrows.
There were fears that the endangered tribal groups had been wiped out when massive waves struck their islands.
But the authorities say the attack is a sign that they have survived.
More than 6,000 people there are confirmed as either dead or missing, but thousands of others are still unaccounted for.
The Indian coastguard helicopter was flying low over Sentinel Island to drop aid when it came under attack.
Dozens of tribesmen fired bows and arrows at the helicopter, a traditional warning that outsiders aren't welcome.
A senior police officer said the crew weren't hurt and the authorities are taking it as a sign that the tribes haven't been wiped out by the earthquake and sea surges as many had feared.
The Andaman and Nicobar archipelago is home to several primitive tribes, some so isolated that they are still stuck in the stone age.
Officials 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 behaviour of birds and marine wildlife.
Scientists are examining the possibility to see whether it can be used to predict earth tremors in future.
Fine. Then we'll just drop the relief somewhere else if they're going to shoot at the choppers...IOW - the heck with 'em.
Maybe they thought it was a UN chopper.
Hardcore Luddites.
lol that is hilarious. It's like something out of a movie.
LOL
Little is known about the Andaman’s Sentilnelese - thought to number around 100 - who live on the North Sentinel Island, 64 km south-west of Port Blair. They are thought to be Burmese nomads, who were swept away to the Andamans by the sea, and started living there. They have their own language, which has no script, and is unintelligible even to other tribes in the islands. Hunting and fishing for wild boars, sea turtle and a variety of fish and molluscs are their primary occupations and they use bows and iron-tipped arrows. The men wear a waist belt of bark, and other than that both men and women wear nothing except some leaf ornaments around the head, neck and arms. Among the most isolated communities in the world, they have no interaction with other tribes except receiving occasional gifts, and they defend their island from outsiders using bows and arrows.
"But the authorities say the attack is a sign that they have survived"
Boy, nothing gets past "the authorities."
Cargo cult gone wrong
Sounds like an excellent location for the new UN building.
They can help the locals and get cleaned up by a Tsunami every 50 years or so.
And if Kofi and crew are caught dipping in the cookie jar...... the locals will demonstrate their head hunting/shrinking skills.
It's bad enough when they shoot arrows at you. When they fire bows, you're really in trouble!
Agree. They won't be any loss.
Oh, oh. A Brady bill is coming soon to this tribe.
First of all,the Indian CoastGuard helo was not on an aid mission.It was flying over the more remote & smaller islands in the Andaman chain to look for signs of the rare tribal groups living there.There were grave fears in India that many have been wiped out.But the firing of arrows & subsequent sightings of other groups has been taken with a big sigh of relief-infact the Coast Guard was gleefully annoucing that arrows were fired at them(usual tribal way to know that things are A-OK)!!!!.Moreover it is unlikely that these tribals need much aid ,if any,since their interaction with the outside world is very limited & the Indian goverment doesn't really want to change that for both socio-cultural,ecological & most importantly strategic reasons.
I know, that is so silly. I guess if they had all died, they'd be accepting help more graciously!
Is there anyplace on Earth where shooting at visitors is considered a traditional sign of welcome?
"Is there anyplace on Earth where shooting at visitors is considered a traditional sign of welcome?"
East L.A.?
We need these guys along our border with Mexico.
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