The Bajau people live on small boats and never settle down in one place. Occasionally, they go ashore to sell their catch so that they can purchase secondary needs that they cannot make themselves. As they catch fish, they continue to sail. This tribe is from the Sulu Islands region in the southern Philippines. In addition, this tribe eventually spread into the waters of Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia as a consequence of their nomadic sea life. Many of these tribes have been seen in eastern Indonesia, including the seas of Maluku, the Raja Ampat, Sulawesi, and the northern part of Kalimantan. We can learn a lot from the sea nomad tribe. The Bajau people live on their boats instead of on land. That is why they live nomadic, moving from one place to another around the sea, making them known as the sea gypsies. They spend most of their time in boats. To make a living, they wander over the sea to catch fish and use the sea's wealth. Perhaps that is why they are renowned as excellent sailors. They can withstand the ferocious waves. All the items and equipment onboard are theirs. No citizen recognizes Bajau. However, the Philippine government does not want to recognize the Bajau as Filipino citizens since they are from the Sulu archipelago, still part of Philippine territory. This is also the case in Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. Locals usually drive them out as soon as they attempt to pull over to a mainland. They spend most of their lives on a boat and most of their routine consists of fishing. When they dive into the sea, Bajau people are known for their strength. People in general cannot hold their breath for as long as they can. Some of them dive, some do not. However, those who do take the skill to its limits. Over the course of a day, they'll dive for 5 hours, capturing fish and octopuses weighing between 2 and 18 pounds. An average dive lasts only 30 seconds, but the Bajau can hold their breath for up to three minutes. Swimming and diving are almost daily activities for the Bajau, hence their nickname, the water man. The majority of the Bajau are Muslim. Despite wandering the seas, their knowledge of art is undiminished. Indonesian society even recognizes their own art form. Bajau dance is usually performed during wedding ceremonies. Their traditional songs have been passed down through generations. Even though they live on boats, the Bajau like to play musical instruments. Their boats are their homes. Water is their life and death.
-Bhavya Gupta (SMSMB)

Many tribes dwell near the ocean shores but The Jarawa tribe are believed to be the first successful tribe to move out of Africa. They come from Andaman Islands in India and live in parts of South Andaman and Middle Andaman Islands, and their present numbers are estimated at between 250–400 individuals, which clarifies that Jarawa tribe isn’t extinct as some of the people believe so, but what’s true is that it is becoming extinct as the people of the tribe are choosing to withstand with all the people. This tribe isn’t very famous but has contacts between their group and the outsiders which makes them come in front of people. The lifestyle of the Jarawa has changed in these years like they have started to trade, send their children to schools and many more things like that. In short, they have become regular visitors of settlements. They also face some problems, they face many threats: The road that cuts through their territory brings thousands of outsiders, including tourists, into their land. The tourists treat the Jarawa like animals in a safari park. In 2002, the Indian Supreme Court ordered the closure of the road, yet it still remains open. Illegal hunting, fishing and gathering, from both local and foreign poachers, is still a serious threat to the Jarawa’s survival because of the lack of food. The robbery of the meals they depend upon dangers robbing them in their self-sufficiency and using the tribe to extinction. They remain endangered because of the outside diseases to which they have little or no immunity causing a decrease in the number of people in the tribe. They hunt for pig, turtle and fish with bows and arrows in the coral-fringed reefs for crabs and fish, which includes striped catfish-eel and the toothed pony fish. They also gather fruits, wild roots, tubers and honey. The bows are made from the chooi wood, which does not grow throughout the Jarawa territory. The main information about Jarawa is related to mainstreaming – (here it means, the freedom to live) and poaching issues. So here is a quote to end this article-

“The Jarawa of the Andaman Islands enjoy a time of opulence. Their forests give them more than they need.”-

Anvita Abbi, Professor of linguistics, Jawaharlal Nehru University

But still, we cannot forget about the issues they face so if you want to help them then you can by the following ways-

• E-mail the Indian government asking it to stop the ‘human safaris’

threatening the Jarawa

• Donate to Survival’s campaign for the Jarawa and other threatened tribal

people

• Write to the Indian government using Survival’s online letter-writing tool

• Write to your MP or MEP (UK) or Senators and members of Congress (US).

• Write to your local Indian high commission or embassy

• If you want to get more involved, contact Survival

-By Charvi Gupta (SMSMB)

It is difficult to consider that even in these modern times, there are humans dwelling untouched from the outside world. The Sentinelese Tribe is the remotest tribe living on their very own small forested island called as North Sentinel, one of the Andamanese Islands, located far into the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean for over 55,000 years.

The tribe has made it clear that they do want to come in contact with us, and it makes sense. Neighboring tribes have been worn out after the British colonized their islands, and also they lack immunity to sickness like flu or measles, which could be brought by the outsiders. This might result to decimate their population.

We don't have much information about them, but we assume that the Sentinelese stay in 3 small bands.

The ladies put on fibre strings and tie it around their waists, necks and heads. The men additionally put on necklaces and headbands, however with a thicker waist belt. The Sentinelese men carry spears, bows and arrows.

They are hunter-gatherers, just like the early people were.

They possibly use bows and arrows to seek terrestrial flora and fauna and more other rudimentary strategies to capture nearby seafood, like the mud crabs and the molluscan shells.

They have a population of 50-400 and are possibly related to the Jarawas or the Onges.

Although defined as ‘Stone Age Tribe’ on many media platforms, this certainly isn't true. There isn't any cause to consider the Sentinelese as Stone Age Tribals. They have modified and tailored their living various times. For instance, they know how to use metal which has been washed up or which they've recovered from shipwrecks at the island reefs. The iron is sharpened and used to tip their arrows.

The Indian Government respects their wish to remain disconnected and are included under India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands (safety of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation Act.

Marco Polo, a 13th century explorer wrote, "They are the most violent and cruel generation who seem to eat everybody they catch". But it isn't right to describe them in this manner. You can't call someone violent and cruel if all they are doing is protecting themselves. Cannibalism has also not been proven yet.

For the Sentinelese, Survival comes first. They stand hand in hand to protect each other from any possible outside threat.
-By Jahnwee Thapliyal (SMSMB)