And yet, European conquerors failed to colonize all the islands of the Indian Ocean. Sentinel Island is the only refuge of an ancient civilization where modern humans have never set foot. Or rather, there were attempts, but no one returned alive.
Sentinel Island is located in the Bay of Bengal and administratively belongs to India. The first mention of this mysterious refuge of an ancient civilization appeared in 1771. British colonizers mentioned an island where they saw indigenous people. However, since British authority did not extend to the Andaman Islands, this inhabited piece of land in the ocean was not colonized.
Sentinel Island – Home of an Ancient Civilization
In the age of high technology and democracy, the island’s inhabitants have a chance to survive. Research conducted by Indian authorities near the island established the absence of gas and oil in the small region. This means that global powers have no desire to oppress this ancient civilization.
Considering that the population of Sentinel Island does not wish to communicate with visitors, the chances for the natives increase significantly. India, on its part, acts as a guarantor for the islanders. Coast guard patrols on military boats patrol the perimeter and block access to researchers.
Throughout history, dozens of cases are known where scientists and members of religious communities attempted to get onto Sentinel Island. For all researchers, encounters with the residents ended in failure. Islanders shoot arrows at helicopters, and people disembarking from boats are simply killed on the spot. According to eyewitnesses, fishermen who engaged in illegal fishing near the island and, due to a storm, stranded on the shore also perished. Missionaries who tried to bring Christianity to the islanders also disappeared.
Even after a powerful tsunami in 2004, the indigenous people rejected aid from the Indian government, shooting down a helicopter with a hail of arrows. After this event, India announced that it no longer plans to interfere in the affairs of the ancient civilization. However, periodically, authorities drop gifts on the island – fish, sweets, plant-based and meat products. The residents accept the gifts but do not forget to send hundreds of arrows shot from bows after the helicopter.
But researchers do not lose hope of visiting Sentinel Island. Year after year, scientists share information about life on the island. It has been established that the number of people, including children, on the island is 300-400. There is no agriculture; residents gather plant foods, hunt, and fish. Based on arrow tips, it is believed that the ancient civilization mastered iron extraction and possessed fire.
