The five isolated tribes of India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands have survived the tsunami, despite being close to the epicentre of the earthquake. The Sentinelese, who have no contact at all with outsiders, and the Jarawa and Shompen, who have very little contact, all escaped relatively unharmed.
The two smallest tribes, the Onge and Great Andamanese, apparently knew that, on seeing the sea suddenly recede, a tidal wave was likely, and so fled to high ground. Sadly, the most numerous and assimilated tribe, the Nicobarese, were badly affected and many are feared dead. Survival has produced briefing papers for journalists reporting on the Andamanese tribes, emphasizing that they are neither 'primitive' nor 'Stone Age'. Unlike almost everyone else affected by the disaster, the isolated Andamanese tribes do not appear to need outside aid.
