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Are the Sentinelese still alive? (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) by haloduder@thelemmy.club to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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It looks like the last verified contact with them has been in 2018. Recently a youtuber went there and tried to get their attention, but couldn't find them.

Is it possible they're not even still around? Maybe a disease found its way onto their island and took them out. It could have even been from the last visitor in 2018.

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[-] wetbeardhairs@lemmy.dbzer0.com 88 points 6 days ago

There are dozens of islands in that chain and it is protected water - no one is allowed to go there without explicit permission from the Indian government. The idea is they want to be left alone. They have wanted to be left alone but the fucking British couldn't take no for an answer and constantly raped, abducted and murdered them with guns and disease for decades. Their population cratered because of the disease and now they are a tiny fraction of what they were. Just let them be. Our world has too many problems and if they can be happy living in makeshift huts with no cellphones then that's the best humanity can get.

[-] Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 7 points 4 days ago

the fucking British couldn’t take no for an answer and constantly raped, abducted and murdered them with guns and disease for decades

In our defence, they might have had some new spices for us to discover and not use!

[-] WaffleWarrior@lemmy.zip 22 points 5 days ago

I watched a documentary on tribes in Papa New Guinea..... FYI it was NOT a garden of eden. They were constantly killing each other, fighting off famine, dealt with health problems raw.

Did not look as glamorized as our western brains imagine it to be.

[-] frezik 26 points 5 days ago

Irrelevant. The argument is to leave them alone. That argument does not hinge on a glamorized version of native peoples.

[-] wetbeardhairs@lemmy.dbzer0.com 22 points 5 days ago

What's your point? We don't have to manifest destiny every single plot of land and genocide every non-white people on the fucking planet. They can live how they want to.

[-] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago

It sucks. So does living off what you can hunt and fish in a tundra, but there are Alaskan people for whom that's a significant portion of their lifestyle. So does chasing the buffalo and warring with your neighbors in the great plains, yet the Lakota fought devastating wars for their right to live that way. So does living deep in the Amazon, yet some people there know our world exists and choose not to join it. And so did everything that happened to the people of the North American east coast after they whethered an apocalyptic epidemic then helped out some strange looking people who showed up clearly unprepared for the brutal weather awaiting them.

We, the people of the globalized world have a responsibility to respect uncontacted people's right to remain as such, just as we must respect the right of indigenous people to choose whether or not and to what degree they live their traditional lifestyles. We've failed at this too many times.

[-] SLVRDRGN@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago

Who mentioned that it was a garden of Eden?

[-] potato_wallrus@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Idk, lemme swing by and check rq

Update:

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 49 points 6 days ago

The Indian government monitors them, and seems to think they're doing alright.

IIRC the guy from 2018 was an enormous tool that harassed them for a couple months, so maybe they're just keeping their distance from this tool.

[-] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 16 points 5 days ago

Idk, let's assume they are and not check

[-] Darleys_Brew@lemmy.ml 11 points 5 days ago

They thought about that, then they wondered how they could introduce them to Christianity and exploit them for capitalism.

[-] midtsveen@lemmy.wtf 15 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Why can’t we just leave the Sentinelese alone? Stop disturbing them and let them live their lives? is that really so hard?

They’ve also made it clear they don’t want our help anyway.

[-] Allero@lemmy.today 8 points 4 days ago

If they're all gone, all the expensive protection measures are not necessary anymore, so it's a very pragmatic question.

[-] nickwitha_k@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I think that they would be necessary still to respect the memory of the fiercely independent people and prevent corporate exploitation of the land.

[-] midtsveen@lemmy.wtf 3 points 4 days ago

Yeah! ❤️

[-] frezik 18 points 5 days ago

They survived the 2004 tsunami just fine. They've probably been there for thousands of years. They are probably just fine, don't need our help, and made it clear they aren't interested in our help.

[-] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago

Everyone's been everywhere thousands of years. Disasters still happen.

But I agree, leave them alone because who cares.

[-] remon@ani.social 24 points 5 days ago

Maybe we should send someone to check. A Missionary or something.

[-] ScoffingLizard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 5 days ago

The missionary could introduce bacteria for which they have no immunity. Bad idea. They've been too isolated.

[-] callouscomic@lemmy.zip 14 points 5 days ago

woooosh

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 3 points 4 days ago

they dealt with the crazy missionairy already

[-] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 47 points 6 days ago

They pretty famously kill people who come ashore and try to make contact. They don't engage with people who are stranded other than to leave them food (according to one account of shipwrecked sailors, and I don't have the article).

These people had a rough go the first contact they had, they haven't been receptive since.

Just leave them the fuck alone.

[-] FenderStratocaster@lemmy.world 36 points 6 days ago

OP looks to be aware of the situation and isn't asking whether or not to bother them. He's asking if there is currently evidence of whether or not they are alive.

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 2 points 4 days ago

the last who was killed, tried to proselytze them to christianity. yea because the first contact involve kidnapping thier children and giving them diseases. so the INDIAN government will not pursue any charges if the adamans kill invaders.

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 6 days ago

Well, not immediately. Usually they have to be pissed off pretty well first.

[-] slazer2au@lemmy.world 17 points 6 days ago

Or maybe they are hiding.

[-] frenchfryenjoyer@lemmings.world 4 points 4 days ago

i hope they're okay too! but maybe it's best to check up on them in a way that doesn't bother them. they deserve to be at peace

[-] nickwitha_k@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 4 days ago

Maybe use satellite imaging or the like.

[-] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 8 points 6 days ago

I was really worried during covid. I hope they are doing okay

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 17 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

They're so isolated it wouldn't have reached them. There was no landings between 2018 and 2025, per the Wiki. Maybe they noticed less air traffic than usual.

this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2025

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