The Andamanese, Ancient Islanders of the Bay of Bengal

On the remote forested islands of the Andaman archipelago in the Bay of Bengal live the Andamanese, among the most ancient and isolated peoples on earth. Comprising the Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawa, and the uncontacted Sentinelese, these Negrito hunter-gatherers dwelt for tens of thousands of years in near-total separation from the rest of humanity, a living link to the deep prehistory of our species.

Speakers of languages unrelated to any others on earth and keepers of one of the oldest surviving ways of life, the Andamanese have suffered, since contact with the outside world, a history of catastrophic decline, even as the Sentinelese remain uncontacted to this day. This article traces their origins, languages, homeland, society, religion, and traditions, and the poignant story of the ancient islanders of the Andamans.