UN American instagrammer killed by uncontacted tribe in Andaman Islands - becomes pincushion for Stone Age arrows

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-46286215

An American man has been killed by an endangered tribe in India's Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Fishermen who took the man to North Sentinel island say tribespeople shot him with arrows and left his body on the beach.

He has been identified as John Allen Chau, a 27 year old from Alabama.

Contact with the endangered Andaman tribes living in isolation from the world is illegal because of the risks to them from outside disease.

Estimates say the Sentinelese, who are totally cut off from civilisation, number only between 50 and 150.

Local media have reported that Chau may have wanted to meet the tribe to preach Christianity to them.

But on social media the young man presented himself as a keen traveller and adventurer.

"Police said Chau had previously visited North Sentinel island about four or five times with the help of local fishermen," journalist Subir Bhaumik, who has been covering the islands for years, told BBC Hindi.

"The number of people belonging to the Sentinelese tribe is so low, they don't even understand how to use money. It's in fact illegal to have any sort of contact with them."

In 2017, the Indian government also said taking photographs or making videos of the aboriginal Andaman tribes would be punishable with imprisonment of up to three years.

The AFP news agency quoted a source as saying that Chau had tried and failed to reach the island on 14 November. But then he tried again two days later.

"He was attacked by arrows but he continued walking.

"The fishermen saw the tribals tying a rope around his neck and dragging his body. They were scared and fled," the report added.

Chau's body was spotted on 20 November. According to the Hindustan Times, his remains have yet to be recovered.

"It's a difficult case for the police," says Mr Bhaumik. "You can't even arrest the Sentinelese."

getting BTFO by Pajeet an-prims is pretty embarrassing way to go

 

[Kosher Dill]

What I want to know is, when are the Sentinelese going to send out some missionaries to teach us their ways?

 

[ZeCommissar]

Shit, is there any way to safely study these people without exposing them to extreme diseases?

Whats fucked up is that they were kinda calming down. They even started greeting people for a couple minutes, before making menacing gestures and firing at them without arrowheads. I mean it's still nasty, but it's far better than "KILL ON SIGHT!!!!!!"

I really hope they don't eat him, or touch him too much and all die out.

 

[Varg Did Nothing Wrong]

Good, fuck him and his smiley fucking face. Ain't laughing now are you, dipshit?

 

[Johnny Bravo]

The only sensible way to do this is to roll up in a full suit of crusader armor with a gold plated Bible.

 

[Francis E. Dec Esc.]

Considering that these tribesmen have a history of violence against any and all outsiders, the smartest way to go there would be with a bunch of trigger happy mercs behind you.

Never go into potentially hostile territory without some capacity for violence. That's just asking for trouble.

This needs to be in the next Jagged Alliance game.

 

[Brother Rabbit]

Hopefully they don't get some sort of disease from the guys corpse, I imagine that since they've been cut off from the rest of the world that they'd have an extremely weakened immune system to any "normal" diseases.

That being said, if they did catch something, wouldn't they all nearly immediately die? No one has been introduced to that island and lived, so the genetic diversity must be extremely limited at this point, and they'd be pretty inbred at this point. I can only imagine the reaction people would have if because of this guys stupidity that they all died from a standard, newly introduced disease that they've never encountered before.

Interesting video about them, 10 mins long.

 

[Cthulu]

@Rat Speaker how would you like an all expense paid vacation to sunny North Sentenial Island?

 

[HickoryDickory]

I guess Jesus doesn't really save.

Tbh, he's not the first instagrammer that was lost or killed during extreme tourism, but the title still made me laugh.

 

[Damocles_Sword]

The next instagrammer will just show up in full plate. Ask the Iroquois how effective that stuff is against bow and arrow.

 

[Commander X]

If you decide to go venturing into a primitive tribe's forbidden territory just for online clout, whatever happens is on you.

 

[Captain Ahab]

So they went full Sparta on some Jesus freak instagram manwhore. How do I send gifts?

 

[Ruin]

Notice how they're allowed to protect their borders.

 

[pelicannon]

I imagine before this story broke it was one hell of a phone call with this instagrammers family.

 

[not william stenchever]

God already has millions of Christians worshiping him if that's what he is into. I think that god would value juicy irony over 150 or so new converts so if any of the tribesman aim was off God was more likely to do them a favor than to save the dumbass instagrammer.

Divine intervention is a bitch if god has different goals than someone acting in his name.

 

[BrunoMattei]

Dude could have learned from watching Cannibal Holocaust.

 

[Dysnomia]

Why don't people leave uncontacted tribes alone? There are plenty of other cultures you can interact with all over the world. He was a dumbass for bothering these people. They live in an entirely different era.

 

[💗Freddie Freaker💗]

Hopefully they don't get some sort of disease from the guys corpse, I imagine that since they've been cut off from the rest of the world that they'd have an extremely weakened immune system to any "normal" diseases.

That being said, if they did catch something, wouldn't they all nearly immediately die? No one has been introduced to that island and lived, so the genetic diversity must be extremely limited at this point, and they'd be pretty inbred at this point. I can only imagine the reaction people would have if because of this guys stupidity that they all died from a standard, newly introduced disease that they've never encountered before.

Interesting video about them, 10 mins long.

Actually, lots of people have been to that island and lived. The Indian cops just don't give a shit. Following the law seems optional in that part of the world.

Your point about genetic diversity still stands, though. It's unlikely outsiders have bred with the tribespeople.

 

[Male Idiot]

What I want to know is, when are the Sentinelese going to send out some missionaries to teach us their ways?

Unga wunga bambooza uga uga! Come white devil, let me show you fine tradition of my people! This is rock! You bang it together! Ambagambabangla, how good, good! You will learn our ways and be enlightened! That is bush. Shit on it!

I can't see the reason to contact these people. I know science and anthropology is fun, but really, what do they offer to the world beside stone tipped arrows?

 

[not william stenchever]

but really, what do they offer to the world beside stone tipped arrows?

They are a society with the most expert archers per capita in the world if you're into that kind of thing. It takes a long time to make a good longbowman.

 

[Dysnomia]

Unga wunga bambooza uga uga! Come white devil, let me show you fine tradition of my people! This is rock! You bang it together! Ambagambabangla, how good, good! You will learn our ways and be enlightened! That is bush. Shit on it!

I can't see the reason to contact these people. I know science and anthropology is fun, but really, what do they offer to the world beside stone tipped arrows?

I had an Anthropology professor who was a Mayanist and lived with traditional tribal Mayans for several years. So there are people interested in this sort of thing. But then again, that's not an uncontacted tribe. The less contact a tribe has the more alien they are to modern humanity. Not all tribes are friendly. The Sentinelese are very isolated. So of course they are wary of outsiders and will act hostile. You can't just approach these people. Plus regardless law enforcement give a fucks here it's still illegal and you should respect the law. They have no immunity to outside diseases. They may very well carry some strange things themselves. Imagine some anti-vax fruitbat wandered in and gave them all smallpox or something?

Just leave them alone. They aren't bothering anyone who isn't trying to bother them. They likely see outsiders as invading tribes. In the past they have likely dealt with this issue. Even if it was many generations ago tribes like this keep oral tradition stories for ages. For all you know they think you are the people that tried to conquer them 100 years ago.

And watch out whitey, they might think you are a spirit. And yes this has happened. I can't remember the name of the tribe. But I saw a documentary on it. It was in Papua New Guinea probably 70+ years ago. Uncontacted people met by white explorers. Luckily they were not hostile. But they thought the white men were spirits of the dead. A woman became convinced that a white explorer was her dead son and kept trying to take him back home with her.