The Jarawa (also Järawa, Jarwa) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Andaman Islands, located in the Bay of Bengal approximately 200 km south of the nearest continental mainland, Cape Negrais in Myanmar. Their present numbers are estimated at between 250-350 individuals. Since they have shunned (and even repelled) most interactions with outsiders, many particulars of their society, culture and traditions are little understood. Indeed, the word jarawa is an exonym and not their own name (which remains unknown, but may be similar to önge, which is how their closest relatives call themselves); it means "enemy" or "hostile people" in Aka-Bea. South Andaman Island is the southernmost island of Great Andaman and is home to the majority of the Andaman Islands population. ... Middle Andaman Island is the central island of the Great Andaman archipelago, with a total area of 1,536 km². The island is home to many of the Jarawa people and was inundated by the tsunami resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. ... Ethnolinguistic map of the precolonial Andaman Islands (drawn 1902) The Andamanese languages form a language family spoken in the Andaman Islands, a India. ... Comparative map showing the distributions of the various Andamanese peoples in the Andaman Islands- early 1800s versus present-day (2004). ... The Onge (also Ongee) are one of the Andamanese indigenous peoples of the Andaman Islands, located in the Bay of Bengal. ... The term indigenous peoples has no universal, standard or fixed definition, but can be used about any ethnic group who inhabit the geographic region with which they have the earliest historical connection. ... This article or section may be confusing for some readers, and should be edited to be clearer or more simplified. ... A map showing the location of the Bay of Bengal. ... km redirects here. ... Cape Negrais is a cape in Myanmar (Burma), 93 kilometres from the Indian union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. ... Young people interacting within an ethnically diverse society. ... For other uses, see Culture (disambiguation). ... An exonym is a name for a place or people that is created by people outside of that place and is different from the name used in the native language. ... The Onge (also Ongee) are one of the Andamanese indigenous peoples of the Andaman Islands, located in the Bay of Bengal. ... Aka-Bea or Bea is an extinct Great Andamanese language, of the Central group. ...

Along with other indigenous Andamanese peoples they have inhabited the islands for at least several thousand years, and most likely a great deal longer. The Andaman Islands have been known to outsiders since antiquity; however, until quite recent times they were infrequently visited, and such contacts were predominantly sporadic and temporary. For the greater portion of their history their only significant contact has been with other Andamanese groups; the experience of such a lengthy period of isolation almost completely lacking in external cultural influences can at most be equalled by only very few other peoples in the world, if at all. Comparative map showing the distributions of the various Andamanese peoples in the Andaman Islands- early 1800s versus present-day (2004). ...

Before the 1800s their homelands most probably ranged over most of South Andaman Island and nearby islets; with the subsequent arrival of Indian and Karen (Burmese) settlers their territory has altered, and they are now concentrated along the western side of South Andaman and Middle Andaman Islands. They are noted for vigorously maintaining their independence and distance from external groups, actively discouraging most incursions and attempts at contact. Of the remaining Andamanese peoples, only the Sentinelese have been able to maintain a more isolate situation, and their society and traditions persist with little variance from their practices they observed before the first significant contacts were made. Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1805 - 1815). ... South Andaman Island is the southernmost island of Great Andaman and is home to the majority of the Andaman Islands population. ... ကရင္‌လူမ္ယုိး Total population 7,400,000 Regions with significant populations Myanmar: 7,000,000 Thailand:  400,000 Language Karen Religion Buddhism, Christianity, Animism Related ethnic groups Padaung The Karen (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ), also known in Thailand as the Kariang (Thai: ) or Yang, are an ethnic group in Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand. ... Middle Andaman Island is the central island of the Great Andaman archipelago, with a total area of 1,536 km². The island is home to many of the Jarawa people and was inundated by the tsunami resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. ... The Sentinelese (also Sentineli, Senteneli, Sentenelese, North Sentinel Islanders) are one of the Andamanese indigenous peoples of the Andaman Islands, located in the Bay of Bengal. ...

See also

• a French television programme, Jarawa, La Rencontre Interdite (Jarawa, The Forbidden Encounter)- a documentary on the Jarawa.

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External links

• "Jarawa" on survival-international.org

• 'Jarawa Tribes -- Confluence of the Present with the Past' an article by Dr Ausaf Sayeed, IFS