The hunter gatherers of the Jarawa tribe stride purposefully towards the Indian settlers village. They are looking for iron items to form arrowheads. Policeman in plain clothes follow them. The farmers in the village are terrified. “The Jarawa used to kill people, they were hostile and often came to attack us. They have killed people and take away whatever they can get their hands on,” says one local. India's government set up a reserve in 1957 for the Jarawas who are believed to be the descendants of the first people who migrated from Africa to Asia. But a major road, built in the 1970s, cut through the area and opened it up to traffic, hunting, and the timber industry. The contact to the new world has been fatal to the Jarawa. Increased levels of pollution and environmental damage drove some members of the tribe into neighbouring towns, prompting attempts in the 1990s to relocate them. The hospital at Kadamtala is full of Jarawa now suffering from conjuncitivitis, pneumonia and measles. The fate of the ancient Jarawa now lies in the hands of the Indian officials.

Produced by Sf Drs