Andaman Islands in India and the Consequences of Tourism

The Andaman Islands, located in India, are the home to the Jarawa people, a tribe which has recently been turned into an attraction to drive tourists to the Andaman Islands.
The Jarawa had inhabited the Andaman jungles for thousands of years in complete isolation until very recently, when tour operators started taking tourists to see Jarawa tribesmen and women in the same way one takes people to spot lions and elephants in the wild. The appeal lies on the fact that the tribe’s isolation and lack of external cultural influence is rarely seen anywhere else in the world.
This past month, Indian authorities have ruled that Jarawa tourism must be halted immediately. However, court orders have already been issued and consistently disregarded in the past due to the ever increasing pressure on the part of tour operators.

The Human Safari and Consequences of Tourism

Because of the tribe’s isolation and hostility to foreigners, there is not a great amount of detailed information about the Jarawa’s culture and traditions. It is easy to fall into believing that, by taking tourists to see the tribe, one is promoting cultural exchange. However, this way of “human safari” is probably not promoting an exchange as, for there to be a growing understanding, the relationship between the cultures needs to be approached on the basis of a need to communicate and learn from each other.
Much has been said about the need to integrate the Jarawa to society. Many argue that, as human beings, they are entitled to access to development. However, this stance would be assuming that there is a way of living which is right and one which is not. On the other hand, a big part of society believes that every Jarawa child has an inherent right to schooling and medical treatment.
Whatever the stance, taking tourists to observe the Jarawa tribe as something different from the human kind, or different from themselves, is probably only to the detriment of the understanding and communication that would be needed to solve the discussions about the future of the Jarawa tribe.