The Great Andamanese and the Onges: Cultural Dynamism and Impact of Change

Alexander Graham Bell once said, "Don’t keep for even on the public road going where others have gone. Leave the beaten track occasionally and drive into the woods; you will be certain to find something you have never seen before." No doubt this remark by Bell is absolutely correct, and correct for the tribal people of Andaman and Nicobar islands also. Only when the people from outside stepped on the shore of Andaman and Nicobar islands, the world could come to know the existence of the tribal groups of these islands. The British administrators and other foreigners first brought them into limelight in true sense. The Great Andamanese and the Onges, the two out of the six scheduled tribes of Andaman and Nicobar islands covered by this book, came in contact with the outsiders when the British occupied these islands. These two tribes had close interaction not only with the British officials, but also with those (criminals and settlers) whom the British administration brought to Andamans for settlement. For these reasons these two tribes also suffered most. Their population is rapidly declining, and this is due mainly to the activities of the outsiders. However, after independence the national government is doing its best for their development. This book by Dr. S.K. Biswas gives a detailed account on the socio-cultural life of the two tribal groups, the Great Andamanese and the Onge. He has also shown the changes those have taken place in their life and activities due to their contact with outsiders and also due to the impact of different development and modernization programmes meant for their socio-economic upliftment. This book also reveals the type of problems faced by the Andaman administration at the time of implementing the welfare measures for the tribes and the flaws present in the planning and implementation processes. Another important fact the author has examined, is the crucial question of identity crisis experienced by these tribes because of the modernization and development programmes. This book by Dr. S.K. Biswas will be of much help not only to the academicians and scholars who are interested to study these people, but also to the planners and administrators who are trying hard for the development and empowerment of these tribes. This book will also be welcomed by those who are doing their best to save these people from their untimely and undesired extinction.