Life Fishermen Killed by Stone Age Tribe

Otter · 07-28-2012, 04:50 PM

Sometimes reality is better than fiction...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...to-island.html

Stone Age tribe kills fishermen who strayed on to island

One of the world's last Stone Age tribes has murdered two fishermen whose boat drifted on to a desert island in the Indian Ocean.

The Sentinelese, thought to number between 50 and 200, have rebuffed all contact with the modern world, firing a shower of arrows at anyone who comes within range.

They are believed to be the last pre-Neolithic tribe in the world to remain isolated and appear to have survived the 2004 Asian tsunami.

The two men killed, Sunder Raj, 48, and Pandit Tiwari, 52, were fishing illegally for mud crabs off North Sentinel Island, a speck of land in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands archipelago.
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Fellow fishermen said they dropped anchor for the night on Jan 25 but fell into a deep sleep, probably helped by large amounts of alcohol.

During the night their anchor, a rock tied to a rope, failed to hold their open-topped boat against the currents and they drifted towards the island.

"As day broke, fellow fishermen say they tried to shout at the men and warn them they were in danger," said Samir Acharya, the head of the Society for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology, an environmental organisation.

"However they did not respond - they were probably drunk - and the boat drifted into the shallows where they were attacked and killed."

After the fishermen's families raised the alarm, the Indian coastguard tried to recover the bodies using a helicopter but was met by the customary hail of arrows.

Photographs shot from the helicopter show the near-naked tribesmen rushing to fire. But the downdraught from its rotors exposed the two fisherman buried in shallow graves and not roasted and eaten, as local rumour suggested.

Mr Acharya said the erroneous belief in the tribe's cannibalism grew from the practice of another tribe, the Onge, who would cut up and burn their dead to avoid them returning as evil spirits.

"People saw the flesh cooking on the fire and thought they must be cannibals but this incident clearly contradicts that belief," he said.

Attempts to recover the bodies of the two men have been suspended, although the Andaman Islands police chief, Dharmendra Kumar, said an operation might be mounted later.

"Right now, there will be casualties on both sides," he said from Port Blair. "The tribesmen are out in large numbers. We shall let things cool down and once these tribals move to the island's other end we will sneak in and bring back the bodies."

Environmental groups urged the authorities to leave the bodies and respect the three-mile exclusion zone thrown around the island.

In the 1980s and early 1990s many Sentinelese were killed in skirmishes with armed salvage operators who visited the island after a shipwreck. Since then the tribesmen have remained virtually undisturbed.

DNA analysis of another tribe, the Jarawa, whose members made first contact with the outside world in 1997, suggest that the tribesmen migrated from Africa around 60,000 years ago.

However, the experience of the Jarawa since their emergence - sexual exploitation, alcoholism and a measles epidemic - has encouraged efforts to protect the Sentinelese from a similar fate.

**Bwana** · 07-28-2012, 04:59 PM

Damn, that would be a BAD DAY!

**Rain Man** · 07-28-2012, 05:00 PM

This happened in 2006, but time means nothing to those people so it's still an interesting story.

I had no idea there were primitive tribes in that part of the world. It seems like you only hear about them in places like New Guinea and the Philippines. But I guess this is a similar situation with an isolated island. (Actually, I guess we hear about them in the Amazon, too.)

griZZly64 · 07-28-2012, 05:03 PM

This article is dated Feb 8 2006

Otter · 07-28-2012, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

This happened in 2006, but time means nothing to those people so it's still an interesting story.

I had no idea there were primitive tribes in that part of the world. It seems like you only hear about them in places like New Guinea and the Philippines. But I guess this is a similar situation with an isolated island. (Actually, I guess we hear about them in the Amazon, too.)

I didn't even notice the current date was different from the article date. Still pretty crazy and damn good story. Too bad there wasn't some Indiana Jones like escape for the fishermen.

**Rain Man** · 07-28-2012, 05:15 PM

They probably have all sorts of legends about these interactions. The fight with the salvage operators is probably their version of World War II.

Hog's Gone Fishin · 07-28-2012, 05:29 PM

Those tribesmen need some pigs to occupy their time.

ThaVirus · 07-28-2012, 05:59 PM

So no one has ever been allowed safety inside the village? That's interesting.

On a side note, I've always thought about selling all of my belongings and venturing out into the wilderness to see how long I'd last. Get away from this life of 50 hour work weeks and media-driven consumerism. Get back to the basics.

Then I realize I'd die within a week so that's not the best idea.

Otter · 07-28-2012, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

So no one has ever been allowed safety inside the village? That's interesting.

On a side note, I've always thought about selling all of my belongings and venturing out into the wilderness to see how long I'd last. Get away from this life of 50 hour work weeks and media-driven consumerism. Get back to the basics.

Then I realize I'd die within a week so that's not the best idea.

What's interesting about that, if you read the last sentence of the article...where they getting the booze from?

MIAdragon · 07-28-2012, 06:08 PM

Well I guess I can mark that place off my "must see" vacation list.

MIAdragon · 07-28-2012, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Otter

What's interesting about that, if you read the last sentence of the article...where they getting the booze from?

Did you read the words before it?

Otter · 07-28-2012, 06:10 PM

Or you can become their deity...

Otter · 07-28-2012, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIAdragon

Did you read the words before it?

Yeah, just seems weird that they would stick a couple of passed out fisherman full of holes but allow trade with outsiders. Fascinating. Unless they learned a recipe for cooking coconuts or whatever fruit grows there into alcohol. That's certainly a possibility.

**Dave Lane** · 07-28-2012, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Otter

Yeah, just seems weird that they would stick a couple of passed out fisherman full of holes but allow trade with outsiders. Fascinating. Unless they learned a recipe for cooking coconuts or whatever fruit grows there into alcohol. That's certainly a possibility.

You might want to re-read the last paragraph

MIAdragon · 07-28-2012, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Otter

Yeah, just seems weird that they would stick a couple of passed out fisherman full of holes but allow trade with outsiders. Fascinating. Unless they learned a recipe for cooking coconuts or whatever fruit grows there into alcohol. That's certainly a possibility.

Im thinking they were talking about another tribe in regards to the alcohol.

07-28-2012, 04:50 PM
Otter Live free or die hard Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Durango, CO Casino cash: $-921618	Fishermen Killed by Stone Age Tribe Sometimes reality is better than fiction... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...to-island.html Stone Age tribe kills fishermen who strayed on to island One of the world's last Stone Age tribes has murdered two fishermen whose boat drifted on to a desert island in the Indian Ocean. The Sentinelese, thought to number between 50 and 200, have rebuffed all contact with the modern world, firing a shower of arrows at anyone who comes within range. They are believed to be the last pre-Neolithic tribe in the world to remain isolated and appear to have survived the 2004 Asian tsunami. The two men killed, Sunder Raj, 48, and Pandit Tiwari, 52, were fishing illegally for mud crabs off North Sentinel Island, a speck of land in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands archipelago. Related Articles Fellow fishermen said they dropped anchor for the night on Jan 25 but fell into a deep sleep, probably helped by large amounts of alcohol. During the night their anchor, a rock tied to a rope, failed to hold their open-topped boat against the currents and they drifted towards the island. "As day broke, fellow fishermen say they tried to shout at the men and warn them they were in danger," said Samir Acharya, the head of the Society for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology, an environmental organisation. "However they did not respond - they were probably drunk - and the boat drifted into the shallows where they were attacked and killed." After the fishermen's families raised the alarm, the Indian coastguard tried to recover the bodies using a helicopter but was met by the customary hail of arrows. Photographs shot from the helicopter show the near-naked tribesmen rushing to fire. But the downdraught from its rotors exposed the two fisherman buried in shallow graves and not roasted and eaten, as local rumour suggested. Mr Acharya said the erroneous belief in the tribe's cannibalism grew from the practice of another tribe, the Onge, who would cut up and burn their dead to avoid them returning as evil spirits. "People saw the flesh cooking on the fire and thought they must be cannibals but this incident clearly contradicts that belief," he said. Attempts to recover the bodies of the two men have been suspended, although the Andaman Islands police chief, Dharmendra Kumar, said an operation might be mounted later. "Right now, there will be casualties on both sides," he said from Port Blair. "The tribesmen are out in large numbers. We shall let things cool down and once these tribals move to the island's other end we will sneak in and bring back the bodies." Environmental groups urged the authorities to leave the bodies and respect the three-mile exclusion zone thrown around the island. In the 1980s and early 1990s many Sentinelese were killed in skirmishes with armed salvage operators who visited the island after a shipwreck. Since then the tribesmen have remained virtually undisturbed. DNA analysis of another tribe, the Jarawa, whose members made first contact with the outside world in 1997, suggest that the tribesmen migrated from Africa around 60,000 years ago. However, the experience of the Jarawa since their emergence - sexual exploitation, alcoholism and a measles epidemic - has encouraged efforts to protect the Sentinelese from a similar fate.
Posts: 28,367

07-28-2012, 04:59 PM	#2
Bwana It's Five O'Clock Somewhere Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Billings, Montana Casino cash: $2135820532	Damn, that would be a BAD DAY! __________________ Adventure is dangerous....but monotony can kill you.
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07-28-2012, 05:00 PM	#3
Rain Man Seize life. Be an ermine. Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $-692449 VARSITY	This happened in 2006, but time means nothing to those people so it's still an interesting story. I had no idea there were primitive tribes in that part of the world. It seems like you only hear about them in places like New Guinea and the Philippines. But I guess this is a similar situation with an isolated island. (Actually, I guess we hear about them in the Amazon, too.) __________________ Active fan of the greatest team in NFL history.
Posts: 145,525

07-28-2012, 05:03 PM	#4
griZZly64 Starter Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Camarillo, CA Casino cash: $10008150	This article is dated Feb 8 2006
Posts: 387

07-28-2012, 05:15 PM	#6
Rain Man Seize life. Be an ermine. Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $-692449 VARSITY	They probably have all sorts of legends about these interactions. The fight with the salvage operators is probably their version of World War II. __________________ Active fan of the greatest team in NFL history.
Posts: 145,525

07-28-2012, 05:29 PM	#7
Hog's Gone Fishin Fish are scared of me Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $-1539523	Those tribesmen need some pigs to occupy their time.
Posts: 40,649

07-28-2012, 05:59 PM	#8
ThaVirus Searching.. Join Date: Sep 2007 Casino cash: $-1837631	So no one has ever been allowed safety inside the village? That's interesting. On a side note, I've always thought about selling all of my belongings and venturing out into the wilderness to see how long I'd last. Get away from this life of 50 hour work weeks and media-driven consumerism. Get back to the basics. Then I realize I'd die within a week so that's not the best idea.
Posts: 47,041

07-28-2012, 06:08 PM	#10
MIAdragon Someone pass the antifreeze Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Miami (North Cuba) Casino cash: $-2222181	Well I guess I can mark that place off my "must see" vacation list.
Posts: 15,944