Sentinelese

Sentinelese

Total population
35–500
Regions with significant populations
North Sentinel Island, India
Languages
Sentinelese (presumed)
Religion
Animism[1]
Related ethnic groups
Possibly Jarawa or Onge
North Sentinel Island North Sentinel Island (India) Show map of India North Sentinel Island North Sentinel Island (Andaman and Nicobar Islands) Show map of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The Sentinelese, also known as the Sentineli and the North Sentinel Islanders, are an indigenous people who inhabit North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal in the northeastern Indian Ocean. Designated a particularly vulnerable tribal group and a Scheduled Tribe, they belong to the broader class of Andamanese peoples.

Along with the Great Andamanese, the Jarawas, the Onge, the Shompen, and the Nicobarese, the Sentinelese are one of the six native and often reclusive peoples of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The tribe has had minimal contact with outsiders and has usually been hostile to those who approach or land on the island.^[2] While friendly contact was reported in the early 1990s, such instances are rare.^[3]

In 1956, the government of India declared North Sentinel Island a tribal reserve and prohibited travel within 3 nautical miles (5.6 kilometres) of it. It further maintains a constant armed patrol in the surrounding waters to prevent intrusions by outsiders.^{[citation needed]} Photography is prohibited. There is significant uncertainty as to the group's size, with estimates ranging between 35 and 500 individuals, but mostly between 50 and 200.