In our modern society, most people live their lives lurching from fix to fix from the digital syringe; relying on social media and telecommunication advances to feel connected to the world around them. Facetime, Instagram, LinkedIn, we froth it. Well, most people do. Some people want absolutely nothing to do with not only modern technology but with the rest of the world in general.

Around the globe, there are 100 or more "uncontacted" tribes, Indigenous peoples who avoid all contact with outsiders. Many of these people groups are in places like Brazil, Venezuela and Peru, probably hoping the beautiful rainforest they call home doesn’t get completely decimated by the white man.

Over the years, outsiders have made some attempts to build connections with such tribes, in the hopes of understanding their cultures and respecting their way of life (well, we’d like to think that was their intention anyway). But the title of the most “uncontacted” people today goes to the Sentinelese people, an isolated tribe living on North Sentinel Island located off the coast of India. And if weren’t for the noteworthy, and quite frankly, arrogant efforts of John Chau, a devout Christian missionary in 2018, we doubt we would have ever heard of them.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Uncontacted tribes around the globe
05:09 Most uncontacted tribe today: The Sentinelese
08:40 British Royal Navy kidnap Sentinelese children
10:09 Anthropologist TM Pandit’s expeditions to North Sentinel
14:35 Indigenous rights groups protest to protect the Sentinelese people
17:21 John Chau’s zealous Christian faith
22:01 Chau’s education and preparations for adventure
26:09 Missionary Training in the Andaman Islands
28:30 Chau panics during his encounter with the Sentinelese
32:11 Waterproof Bible saves Chau but not for long
37:26 Stop trying to convert everyone to Christianity

SOURCES:

5 of the Most Isolated Peoples on Earth | Discover Magazine by Stephen C. George Nov 28, 2021
The life and death of John Chau, the man who tried to convert his killers by J Oliver Conroy 3 Feb 2019
The Sentinelese: Who Are The Most Isolated Uncontacted Tribe On Earth? | IFLScience Tom Hale 15 June 2023
The man who spent decades befriending isolated Sentinelese tribe by Swaminathan Natarajan 27 Nov 2018
Andamans: US man's death puts spotlight on 'tribal tourism'
North Sentinel Island: How can the Sentinelese people avoid contact with the outside world? - ABC News by Liam Butterworth 22 Nov 2018
Background - The Sentinelese

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