Port Blair, Feb 28: The Islands Chief Secretary, Mr. Shakti Sinha said the simplest solution for the present issue concerning JARAWA tribe is to construct the shelters and settle the Jarawas in their own natural habitat, as done for the ONGES tribes in Dugong Creek in Little Andaman. Inaugurating the national seminar on Land,Forest, Water and people: competing interests and emerging realities at Anthropological Survey of India centre at Port Blair this morning, he said the tribal policy can be formulated and implemented effectively only after taking in to consideration of thei8r genuine interests and getting the active support of the people.
Recollecting his memories of Jarawa contact programme long back, he told he was going in a team to visit jarawas in a small boat Milale in turbulent sea and established friendly contacts with them. Quoting the Young Jarawa boy Enme, he said the Jarawas were not at willing to visit the settlements of other groups, as they were busily engaged with their own profession as hunter gatherers.
Speaking in the occasion, Prof. K.K Mishra, Director of Anthropological Survey of India informed that the Port Blair centre is one of the oldest centre inIndiaand started functioning from two cells of the historic Cellular jail way back in 1951. He said it is the proud moment for the organization that the centre is celebrating its Diamond jubilee this year and rededicate itself to preserve the rich cultural heritage of the very rare tribes of these islands.
Earlier, the Superintending Anthropologist, Justin said the islands tribes are willing to preserve their distinct identity and traditional life style. He quoted the tribal youth Enme as saying that they never wanted to visit the settlement areas of the outsiders and mingle with them. Also, the tribes are not much interested to get the gift articles such as coconuts, fruits, rice etc. given by the government, as they are not their staple food.
He also quoted the young Great Andamanese girl, Lichu as another glaring example how the tribes want to see themselves as hunter gathers. Expressing concern over their present situation, the girl says “First our ancestral lands were taken away; Secondly, we were shifted to strait island and them our traditional hunter-gathering activities begun to crumble in this small island, where varieties of roots and wild boars are not easily available”.
He also stated that the modernity has brought drastic changes in the traditional way of life of the tribes world over and make their status as unemployed from the earlier occupation of Hunter.
Eminent Anthropologists from different parts of the country participate in this two day seminar being organized as part of Diamond Jubilee celebration of the Anthropological Survey of India centre at Port Blair
