Learning From the Jarawas

exhumed. The skull, or more often the lower jaw, is then worn by the next of kin. After some time, other relatives wear it in turn. This practice is considered a mark of respect for the dead one and is clearly connected with their ideas about the dead. The Jarawas believe that there is a soul, a carrier of life, that lives on in another world. They also believe that the soul still takes an interest in them, so they will not do anything that may annoy it.

A Home of Plenty

The Jarawas enjoy a home richly endowed. Among the many beautiful plants dressing the islands are the glorious orchids, some of them found only in these islands. In 1880, according to regional botanist Dr. N. P. Balakrishnan, some varieties of these orchids “like rare diamonds” were fetching “fabulous prices in England.”

Recently found on Sentinel Island by a German scientist, at the cost of a finger, is the robber crab. The Government Fisheries Department Exhibition at Port Blair, Andaman Islands, has had a display board description of the robber crab that claims: ‘Dangerous to coconut plantations. Climbs coconut trees. Plucks ripe fruit. Breaks open the shell with its formidable claws. Drinks the sweet water and eats the coconut flesh.’ Others, however, have questioned that this crab actually does all of this. While acknowledging that the crab climbs trees, critics say it only opens and eats damaged coconuts already on the ground.

What the Future Holds

Under the influence of modern civilization, will the Jarawas go the way of the Great Andamanese and the Onges gradual decline and perhaps eventual extinction? Only time will tell. But for centuries before outsiders came, they had been taking care of their God-given home and making use of the provisions in an unselfish way. Theirs was, indeed, a simple, peaceful way of life. Can we learn something from the Jarawas?

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