Indigenous people of A&N

• The Andaman Islands are home to four ‘Negrito’ tribes – the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and Sentinelese. 
• The Nicobar Islands are home to two ‘Mongoloid’ tribes – the Shompen and Nicobarese.
• The ‘Negrito’ tribes are believed to have arrived in the islands from Africa up to 60,000 years ago.
• All are nomadic hunter-gatherers, hunting wild pigs and monitor lizards, and catching fish with bows and arrows. 
• They also collect honey, roots and berries from the forest.
• The ‘Mongoloid’ tribes probably came to the islands from the Malay-Burma coast several thousand years ago.
• Great Andamanese, Jarwas, Onges, Shompens and North Sentinelese are classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
• The Great Andamanese speak Jeru dialect among themselves and their number stands at 51 as per the last study carried out by Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti in 2012.

Why in News?

• Five members of the Great Andamanese tribe, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, have tested positive for COVID-19. 
• Great Andamanese are one of five PVTGs that reside in Andamans archipelago and this is one of the first cases of COVID-19 infections among the endangered PVTGs of the region.

Reference:

1. https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/175#:~:text=The%20Andaman%20Islands%20are%20home,tribes%20%E2%80%93%20the%20Shompen%20and%20Nicobarese.
2. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/covid-19-reaches-remote-great-andamanese-tribe-five-members-test-positive/article32453913.ece