Andaman
and Nicobar Islands, aesthetically called 'Emerald Islands'
is one of the 7 Union Territories of the Indian Union. They
lie in the Bay of Bengal as a string of 572 Islands in the
North South direction. Port Blair is its Capital. Administratively
the Territory has been divided into two Revenue Districts
- Andamans and Nicobars. The forest coverage of 90% of its
total area is a noteworthy feature of this Territory.
Barring
the civil population from the main land India and the then
Burma, the original inhabitants of the Islands arIt
is believed that the Negrito race had reached the Islands
as early as 670 AD. Since they show considerable affinity
to the Semangs of Malaysia and the Aetas of Philippines, the
belief is that they must have migrated from South East Asia. e grouped
into two major tribal stocks namely, the Negrito and the
Mongoloid. The Negrito stock comprises four groups namely,
the Onge, the Great Andamanese, the Jarawa and the Sentinelese.
Each of these has a distinctive ecological nische in different
parts of the Islands. The Mongoloid stock comprises two
groups namely, the Nicobarese and the Shompen. These communities
are scattered mostly in the Nicobar group of Islands. The
languages spoken by all these six tribal groups are known
by their respective ethnic names.
It
is believed that the Negrito race had reached the Islands
as early as 670 AD. Since they show considerable affinity
to the Semangs of Malaysia and the Aetas of Philippines,
the belief is that they must have migrated from South East
Asia. It is believed that the Mongoloid race must have been
migrated from the land now occupied by the Myanmarese sometimes
before the Christian era.
Karens
are the other tribal community who are the descendants of
a Burmese tribe brought by the British during the year 1925.
They live in parts of the coast of North Andaman Islands around
Mayabunder.
Onge
Onge
is one of the four Negrito tribal communities presently
distributed in the South Bay and Dugong Creek. Their traditional
profession is hunting and gathering food materials from
the forest and sea. They use traditional canoes for their
sea based economic activity. Their language is called Onge.
Their population is 95.
Great
Andamanese
Great
Andamanese, before settled down in the Strait Island in 1969
were scattered in the Eastern part of the entire Great Andaman
Island. Also, once upon a time, they were the predominant
Negrito tribes of the Andaman Islands. They live on hunting,
food gathering and fishing. Their population is just 44 and
their language is called Andamanese.
Jarawa
Jarawas
are a Negrito tribal group occupying the Western part of the
Great Andaman Island. Their profession is also hunting and
gathering food. Though exact number of the Jarawa is not known,
it is believed that the total number of Jarawas will be approximately
300. The language they speak is called Jarawa.
Sentinelese
Sentinelese
are the another Negrito tribal community living in the North
Sentinel Island of the Andaman group of Island. They are the
only tribal community so far not exposed to civil society.
Their language is called Sentinelese and their population
is estimated at 100.
Nicobarese
Nicobarese
are one among the two Mongoloid stocks of the Territory
occupying all the inhabited Islands of the Nicobar group.
They are the only tribal group which benefited much from
the Christian missionary activities. Their language is called
Nicobarese and population is 26,261 as per the 1991 census
of India. Their economic activities are horticulture, coconut
plantation, pig-rearing, fishing and hunting.
Shompen
They
are the other group of the Mongoloid stock that inhabit
the interior forest of the Great Nicobar Island. They generally
have the tendency to shy away from the civil society. Their
population is estimated to be 300. The language they speak
is called Shompen. Their economic activities include fishing,
hunting, and apiculture.
inhabitants of the Islands are grouped
into two major tribal stocks namely, the Negrito and the
Mongoloid. The Negrito stock comprises four groups namely,
the Onge, the Great Andamanese, the Jarawa and the Sentinelese.
Each of these has a distinctive ecological nische in different
parts of the Islands. The Mongoloid stock comprises two
groups namely, the Nicobarese and the Shompen. These communities
are scattered mostly in the Nicobar group of Islands. The
languages spoken by all these six tribal groups are known
by their respective ethnic names. 
Barring
the civil population from the main land India and the then
Burma, the original inhabitants of the Islands arIt
is believed that the Negrito race had reached the Islands
as early as 670 AD. Since they show considerable affinity
to the Semangs of Malaysia and the Aetas of Philippines, the
belief is that they must have migrated from South East Asia. e grouped
into two major tribal stocks namely, the Negrito and the
Mongoloid. The Negrito stock comprises four groups namely,
the Onge, the Great Andamanese, the Jarawa and the Sentinelese.
Each of these has a distinctive ecological nische in different
parts of the Islands. The Mongoloid stock comprises two
groups namely, the Nicobarese and the Shompen. These communities
are scattered mostly in the Nicobar group of Islands. The
languages spoken by all these six tribal groups are known
by their respective ethnic names. 
