Indigenous peoples of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Tribes)
Andaman Islands Tribes
The Andaman Islands are home to 13 tribes.The ten tribes which start with "Aka" are commonly
referred as one tribe,the Great Andamanese.
Territorial Distribution of Tribes of Andaman Islands
| Tribe Name | Occupied Land | Traditional names of Land |
|---|
| Aka-Cari | Landfall Island and roughly the northern part of North Andaman | Tanmoker,Talrichiro,Taramikhu |
| Aka-Kora | Eastern part of North Andaman | Puchambo,Karat ,Leyatmat,Meleich |
| Aka-Balawa | Neil,Havlelock,Wilson etc | Tesjebjaru,Alarajaru,Ranalangta |
| Aka-Bea | Tarmughli,Rutland,west coast of South Andaman | Raulardara,Taryeno,Ukatchang,Larofar etc |
| Aka-puchiwar | North Passgae,Strait Islands,East and west coast of Baratang | Firingkacho,Petaiant,Shiniburo |
| Aka-Julwai | West coast of middle andaman | Charujaru,Larofar,Yearatawin |
| Aka-Kedi | Interview Island,southern part of of Middle Andaman | Tarafurai |
| Aka-Bo(Tabo) | Western part of North Andaman | Chabelaracher,Rangorabui,Teraplcachera,Cokbilara |
| Aka-Jeru(Yere) | Southern part of North Andaman | Tarabuo,Morak Loya,Kharchubulis |
| Onge | Little Andaman | Gwabe-L'Onges |
| Jarawa | Interior of South Andaman lying nort to Port Blair | -- |
| Sentenelese | North Sentinel | -- |
Nicobar Islands Tribes
Nicobar islands are home to 2 tribes,The Nicobarese and the Shompens.They are Mongoloid in thier somatic characteristics.
They may be migrants from islands from South Esat Asia(Mayanmer,Sumatra or Indo-China)
Geography of Andaman and Nicobar Islands-
The Andaman and Nicobar Island are situated between the 92nd and 94th meridians
of East latitude and 6th and 14th parallels of North latitude, from part of a long chain that
seems to continue the Eastern Himalayan ranges through Myanmar's Arakan Yoma southwards in an
arch over 1100 km of sea into Sumatra.The wide curve of Andaman and Nicobar Island encloses the Andaman
Sea and separates it from the Bay of Bengal, with many channels for the waters to mingle.In the north,
dividing it from the mainland of South Asia and Myanmar at Cape Negrais, is the Preparis North Channel,
which stretches for a width of 103 km till Preparis Island, the first of the Island that Comprise the chain,
in the south, the Great Channel stretching 144km, while providing safe passage for ships on the main sea route
to Singapore, keeps the tip of great Nicobar Island from joining up with the northern point of Sumatra. In between,
there are numerous straits that separate the 572 Islands. The biggest of this strait is the Ten degree channels,
139 km wide and 1399 meter deep, lying between little Andaman to its north and Car Nicobar to its South, divides
the chain into the Andaman group of Islands and Nicobar group.
Except for the Islands namely Preparis Island and two Coco Islands,
great and little, with their satellite Islands, Cow and Calf, Table and Jerry,
Which were transferred to the Administration of the Chief commissionaire of British Barma in 1882 -
The rest of islands, form integral part of India as the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Great Andaman Island is 222 km long; the length of entire Andaman group, from the tip of Landfall Island to that of little Andaman is 352 km.
In contrast at its widest, on middle Andaman, the breadth is only 52 km.
South of Little Andaman and the 10 degree channel lie the Nicobar Islands in chain to 278 km long.
The 841 square km of the land that this group covers is divided over the some 22 Islands,
10 of them uninhabited, and perhaps the only remaining example of the virgin equatorial jungle in the world.
Car Nicobar Island lies at the northern limit of this group.
Geological Origin of Andaman :
Geological studies of these Andaman Islands support the theory of their origin as gigantic geological upheaval,
and the continuation of the Fascinating twin geological phenomenon of subsidence
of land due to volcanic activity and Simultaneous elevation by coral animals.
The Andaman and Nicobar islands belong to an area of elevation that progresses from Bay
of Bengal to the southern sea and has been formed as consequence of geological activity,
beginning as early as90 million years ago in the upper cretaceous age.
The coast land of the entire chain of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is deeply indented and so broken by creeks,
back waters and lagoons on both sides that the places the west and east coasts are but and isthmus away,
and at more than one vantage points one may see the sea on both sides at same time.
This Geological phenomenon has given the Andaman and Nicobar Islands some
of the best harbors in the world. In the Andaman's, the most famous, known to
be among the world's safest harbors, is Port Blair. Equally good are Mayabunder
harbor in the north Andaman and Diglipur harbor.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands Climate :
For a region which is so close to Equator, temperature in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are moderate,
most striking fact is the difference between maximum and minimum temperatures,
which is as much as 30 - 40 degree Celsius, in most parts of Indian peninsula between
average summer highs and winter lows, is because the slim width the land mass and the sea breezes,
that blow cleanly through them from onside side to another.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands get rain 8 months of the year,
from the southwest monsoon from May till September and the northeast from November till January.
The southwest normally arrives on 20th May, accompanied by high winds and gales and the possibility
of cyclones from June to August there is persistence and heavy rains, winds up to 20 knots low
visibility sudden squalls and the virtual cessations of all fishing activities. Temperature drop appreciably,
making this season, which elsewhere in the country marks the summer ,here the coolest on the Island.
Andaman Nicobar Flora and Fauna :
The Mangrove forests, running along the coast land between high spring tide and mean sea level,
around creeks, back waters and flat rocky shores, form a distinct barrier of vegetation that
is the first peculiarity of the Andaman forest to hit the eye. Behind this first line of Mangroves
rises the next set of species that thrives better in less saline water and greater stagnation such
as bruguiera, luminitzera and aegiceras. A third, distal, tire, has the nipa fruity cans palm and
such others as avicennia, heritiera and xylocarpus species. Behind the Mangroves and the age of
sandy beaches are the littoral forests with the touring Mimussops Littoralis, known as Mohuwa as
the most recognizable species with its long white bark trunk. Beyond this littoral zone lies the
true, prime eval forest. The famous padauk is deciduous tree, as are the white dhoop, white chuglam,
black chuglam, and the papitha.
Andaman Nicobar Medicinal Plants :
Another aspect of Andamanese flora generating great curiosity is the
medicinal plantss found in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
A large part of this knowledge is obtained from Tribal culture.
For example the plant Orophaea Katschalia Kurz, which the Onges use
and Amomum Seuleatum with Jarawa's uses, these plants juices have a
tranquilizing effect on the honey bee and makes honey collection a
painless affair for both collector and the bee.
The faunal diversity and endemism are equally remarkable in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
More than 7000 species has been recorded. The marine fauna in Andaman could be divided
into 5 main categories of marine life -meiofauna, phytoplaktons, Algie, marine,
invertebrates and vertebrates. The land fauna of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is surprisingly
devoid of carnivores that are found in Mayanmarese and Malay forest. Examples of mammals are
Andaman wild pig, Crab eating macaque; Andaman masked palm civet, Terrestrial shrews.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a bird watchers paradise.
The endemic species of birds in Andaman Nicobar Islands are Nicobar megapod,
narcondam hornbill, the Andaman teal, the Grayrumped swiftlet or hava-bill, and the Nicobar pigeon.
Despite the hilly terrain and abundance of rain,
there are no perennial source of water in Andaman and Nicobar Island except for great Nicobar and little Andaman.
The great Nicobar has 5 rivers all rising from Mount Thullier namely Alexandra, Dogmar, Amritkour, Galathea and Danes.
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