How Manipur churches are trying to curb vaccine hesitancy as ‘satanic’ rumours fly thick & fast

 Manipur has a population of 27.2 lakh (2011 Census), of which only 2.4% was fully vaccinated as of Friday, with 19.3% having taken the first dose.  

From the plains to the hills, anti-vaccine propaganda flows freely from the phones of nearly every person in Manipur. 

In one video, a young man conducting a Facebook Live tells the world, in Manipuri, “There still isn’t a cure for cancer, so how can they make a vaccine so quickly? Just exercise and stay positive. There’s no need for a vaccine.”

Another message claims the vaccine will lead to death within two years of taking the shot. Others say the vaccine will weaken the body’s immune response to other pathogens, or that it will cause metallic objects to stick to the site of the injection (a rumour that also caught on in some western nations).   

A church in Tamenglong, Manipur | Simrin Sirur | ThePrint

This misinformation has left the state government battling widespread vaccine hesitancy that seems to have taken a toll on its immunisation drive.

Manipur has a population of 27.2 lakh (2011 Census), of which only 2.4 per cent was fully vaccinated as of Friday, with 19.3 per cent having taken the first dose.  

“Manipur is a small state. When a rumour goes around, everyone catches on to it and it’s hard to shake,” said an official with the health department who did not wish to be named. 

While the government has had some success administering the vaccines in the plains, misinformation appears to have taken deeper root in the state’s hill districts — rural areas dominated by followers of Christianity. This has added to other factors — the rugged terrain of the hill districts, the difficulty one faces reaching and travelling through them, and a critical lack of infrastructure, including fewer vaccination centres — to result in much lower vaccination numbers than those of the plains. 

In the hills, for example, the district of Noney has administered 8,511 first doses (as of Friday), followed by Pherzawl with 6,635 doses, Kamjong with 4,833, and Tamenglong with 10,294. In contrast, in the plains, Imphal East has administered 1,35,249 first doses, Imphal West 1,64,005, Bishnupur 49,165, and Churachandpur 56,749. 

“There is a lot of hesitancy within the community (Christians). There are all kinds of rumours on YouTube and messages on WhatsApp, but it’s also their own interpretation of the religious texts,” Reverend S. Prim Vaiphei, president of the All Manipur Christian Organisation (AMCO), told ThePrint. 

“There is an idea that the vaccine is related to Satan, or that it will lead to death.”

The church associations of Manipur, many of which are headquartered in Imphal, are making an effort to mobilise the Christian community and encourage members to come forward and get vaccinated. That means addressing the hesitation of church leaders in remote areas, too, they say. 

“Even our leaders have some misconceptions (about the vaccine). We have suggested to the government to have some kind of sensitisation programme so everyone’s doubts can be cleared. They have agreed to do this with us. 

After that, we will use our networks to disseminate the information,” said Reverend T. Karang Maram, publicity secretary of the AMCO and Director, Peace & Development of the Manipur Baptist Convention.

Manipur’s powerful churches

The Christian community, which forms about 40 per cent of the state’s population, closely behind Hindus at 41 per cent, commands an intricate network of churches across the state. 

Manipur’s history is rife with conflict between its various ethnic and tribal groups. Its landscape is dominated by the Meiteis, most of whom are Hindu and live in the plains, and the Kuki-Chin and Naga tribes that predominantly occupy the hills (the former closer to the Mizo border and the latter closer to the Nagaland border). 

The All Manipur Christian Organisation — an association of all denominations across ethnicities formed in 1987 — comes forward in times of crisis to advocate, lobby, and assist the government. 

Each denomination of Christianity, such as the Baptists, Catholics, and Presbyterians, have their own associations with hundreds — sometimes thousands — of churches under them. This network stretches far and wide across the state. 

“In the recent past, churches in Manipur have felt the need to voice together their stand and their concerns in times of political turmoil and crisis in the state,” theological scholar L.H. Nimreila Siang wrote in an essay on church unity, published by the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies in 2016. 

“Churches have played important roles in negotiating peace in society. For instance, in the Kuki-Naga conflict (1992-95), the church negotiated with both parties to stop the killings and the burning down of houses. The churches also organised a pulpit exchange service programme so that church members would forget the trauma created by the conflict,” she wrote. 

The fear about vaccines gripping Christians in the hill districts is another opportunity for the churches to step in and help, several leaders told ThePrint, especially because some of the fear comes from misconceptions related to the Bible.

A common belief is that the vaccine is the “mark of the Beast”, or Satan, brandished upon unbelievers. 

This line of thinking is ascribed by proponents to the Book of Revelations, chapter 13:17, which says, “so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name”. 

“We have been praying for a solution and now that we have a vaccine, people are sceptical and think it is the mark of the beast. Our pastors have been telling them it simply isn’t true,” said Pastor L. Thangkolet with the Kuki Christian Church. 

The Archdiocese of Imphal has set up a Covid-19 task force at all its 52 schools and parishes across the state. 

“We’ve submitted a list of 100 nurses and doctors associated with our churches, so that the state government can contact them when they go for vaccination drives. We’ve sent a circular to all our churches and parishes to encourage people to get vaccinated,” said Reverend Father Biju Lakose, head of the archdiocese’s Covid task force. 

The Manipur Baptist Association — the largest Christian association in terms of membership — will be holding an orientation session with the state government on 3 July to address any misconceptions within its own leadership. This information will then be passed on to members of each church.

The larger church associations also blame “independent” preachers, who do not follow any denomination, for spreading misleading information about the vaccines. Videos and articles dismissing the shots, by some American preachers, are also doing the rounds.

Two independent churches ThePrint reached said they neither endorsed nor renounced the vaccine. 

“North East India Baptist Missions does not have a position relating to Covid-19 vaccination. We believe this to be a matter of personal choice, and neither advise people to accept the vaccination, nor decline the vaccination,” Jim Colyn, an American who serves as director of the independent mission, wrote to ThePrint over email. Their church, Colyn said, has a following of 5,000 online. 

Pastor Mano Oinam, who runs the “International Ministry of Reconciliation Church” with over 2,000 YouTube subscribers and an average of 200 views per video, said, “When people come to me with doubts about the vaccine, I don’t tell them what to do, but tell them to pray and believe till they find clarity themselves.”

The state government’s intervention

Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has repeatedly expressed dismay over the low rates of vaccination in the state. On 2 June, he held a meeting with government officials and religious leaders to discuss ways to improve the Covid-19 situation. The religious leaders subsequently vowed to hold mass prayers, and spread awareness about Covid-19 among tribal residents of the hills.

“We held several meetings with Christian and Muslim leaders separately, who were initially difficult to convince. It has taken a long time, but the Christian community appears to be responding now,” Dr N. Shyamjai Singh, director of the National Health Mission in Manipur told ThePrint. 

“We will orient them on the present situation, warn them about the dangers of the Delta variant, and correct any misconceptions they have on the vaccine’s efficacy.”

Since Monday, Manipur’s total vaccinations have jumped from an average of 5,000 to 6,000 doses to nearly 15,000. A source in the health department said this jump happened after the chief minister “put pressure” on the department in a meeting on 25 June. District magistrates were given targets and asked to submit daily vaccination coverage figures.

Even so, this rise in vaccinations has been largely on account of the plains districts, which were already performing well. For example, according to CoWin data updated Friday, Imphal East (with 26 vaccination sites) administered 4,703 doses in a day, while the number was 7,249 for Imphal West (37), 2,809 for Bishnupur (10) and 1,226 for Churachandpur (9).  

Meanwhile, two doses were given out in Kamjong (1), 246 in Tamenglong (4), 57 in Pherzawl (2), and 285 in Noney (4), on the same day.

While the hill districts are lagging, Dr Shyamjai is confident the gap will be filled in the coming weeks. 

“Apart from getting in touch with the churches, MLAs have been asked to conduct vaccination drives in their own assembly constituencies. District magistrates in the hilly areas, where people cannot always access the healthcare centres, have started a mobile vaccination service which will target a few villages a day,” he told ThePrint.

(Source: The Print)

Did you know that Kerala has a state department that helps people who leave Hinduism and accept Christianity?

The Kerala government goes out of its way to ensure the 'well-being' of those who leave Hinduism to join Christianity. The call to fill vacancies only by Christian converts is not a one-off notification and the state provides several benefits to the members of the SCCC community.

A Kerala government gazette notification has taken social media by storm lately. The Gazette, that was released in August 2019, invited applications through One Time Registration Scheme for Assistant Surgeon and Casualty Medical Officers. What caught the eye of those talking about the notification was the specific mention that Scheduled Caste Converts to Christianity (SCCC) could apply. Essentially, many wondered why the Kerala government would specifically favour those who became Christians after leaving Hinduism.

Gazette notification by Kerala state government

Interestingly, this was the third NCA notification as the Kerala government failed to fill up the vacancies due to paucity of candidates from the SCCC category, essentially, the people who left Hinduism to become Christians. The first notification to fill this vacancy was released in December 2014 and the second such NCA notification for the same set of vacancies was released in December 2016.

The payscale mentioned for these posts that have been earmarked for Christian converts specifically ranges from Rs. 45,800 to Rs. 89,000.

While several individuals have raised alarm as to how the Kerala government can discriminate on the basis of religion and publish a notification that says only converts to Christianity can apply, this notification should not come as a surprise at all. In reality, the Kerala government has an entire department that is dedicated to the ‘welfare’ of people who have left Hinduism to convert to Christianity.

The Kerala government has a department called Kerala State Development Corporation for Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities Ltd.

In its stated goal, the department, which is a government undertaking mention:

“Kerala State Development Corporation for Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities Ltd., Kottayam was incorporated in 1980 under the Companies Act 1956 with the main objectives to promote the comprehensive social, educational, cultural and economic upliftment and other living conditions of the Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities”.

While it is evident that it is a government undertaking, it is extremely intriguing that it would be incorporated under the Companies Act 1956. Normally, a department like this would need to be incorporated under the Societies Act or a Special Act. While it being incorporated under Section 8 of the Companies Act could be justified, one wonders why the Kerala government would incorporate it under Companies Act and not as a Society. What ‘business’ is this department selling for it to be incorporated under the Companies Act?

Even the official web portal of the Kerala government mentions the department.

Official Kerala government website

According to the website, here are the schemes that this department offers:

Schemes for SCCC according to Kerala government website

As one can see, from the official Kerala govt website, the department made especially to take care of SC Hindus who convert to Christianity offers a host of schemes. From Agricultural Land Purchase Scheme to Foreign Employment Scheme, Marriage Loan to Personal Loan etc.

In 2010, Loan Waiver to the tune of Rs 159 crores was also given to the people belonging to the SCCC category.

According to a report in The Hindu, “In his address at the inauguration of the loan waiver scheme, undertaken by the Kerala State Development Corporation for Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities Ltd. here on Thursday, Mr. Balan said the current loan waiver scheme would write off Rs.159 crore and this would benefit nearly one lakh people, mostly belonging to the poorest sections of the society, he said”.

According to this farm loan waiver in 2010 for individuals who left Hinduism to convert to Christianity, loans up to Rs.25,000 maturing on 31 March 2006 would be written off fully. In cases where the loan amount exceeds the stipulated amount, penal interest part would be written off, providing the persons with an opportunity to avail a one time benefit.

This loan waiver scheme was hailed by none other than Archbishop Vattappara of the Anglican Church of India.


According to the official website of Kerala government, the Kerala State Development Corporation for Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities Ltd also has PIO officers constituted under the RTI Act. While the Department being constituted under the Companies Act raised some questions, it is evident that this is an official department of the Kerala government and not an independent body.

Details of PIO and Appellate Authorities under RTI

The SCCC category, which is the people belonging to SC who left Hinduism to convert to Christianity are espoused and recognised by the Kerala government officially.

SCCC under Backward Classes Development Department

According to the official website of the Backward Classes Development Department of Kerala, people who became Christians after leaving Hinduism (SC Converts to Christianity) is a separate class recognised as a Backward Class and is given reservation in State Government Services. This reservation is in addition to the reservation given to Latin Catholics and Anglo Indians. The ‘SC Converts to Christianity’ is recognised in the State OBC list as well.

There are several other posts for which several candidates belonging only to SCCC are hired. Even for the post of Assistant Prison Officer, SCCC candidates were called upon as recently as June 2019.

Call for SCCC candidates for Assistant Prison Officer

Another exam was held as recently as August 2019.

Exam date for SCCC candidates

Another example, the Kerala government hired Christian converts specifically for Surveyor with Water Authority post.

Notification calling upon SCCC candidates for Surveyor position

This is merely the tip of the iceberg and several such posts are filled by members of the SCCC community, which is to say, SC community individuals who left Hinduism to join Christianity.

It is thus evident that the Kerala government goes out of its way to ensure the ‘well-being’ of those who leave Hinduism and become Christians. The call to fill vacancies only by Christian converts is not a one-off notification and the state provides several benefits to the members of the SCCC community.

(Source: OpIndia)

Hail Satan?: The Satanists battling for religious freedom

Everything you know about Satanism is wrong.

At least that's what a new documentary about the Satanic Temple could be about to prove.

Despite the similarity of the name, the Temple is different to The Church of Satan, established in 1966 by chat show circuit celebrity Anton LaVey in San Francisco, California.

Human sacrifice? Wrong. Blood drinking? Wrong. Black Mass? Well, sort of right.

Lucien Greaves (far-right) uses several aliases to protect his family

The Temple was founded in 2013 with a mission statement "to encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense and justice, and be directed by the human conscience to undertake noble pursuits guided by the individual will".

Hail Satan? directed by US film-maker Penny Lane, follows the Temple's attempts to curtail what they see as the encroachment of Christianity on US life through its growing political influence.

That creeping theocracy results in a monument to the Ten Commandments being offered pride of place at the Oklahoma State Capitol building in Oklahoma City.

The Temple's response is to ask for a space for their own statue of the Satanic deity Baphomet in a bid to restore some kind of cosmic religious balance, all the while preaching a doctrine in support of social justice and human rights.

"We want people to evaluate the United States being a Christian nation," the Temple's spokesman Lucien Greaves says in the film's trailer. "It's not".

"I had heard about the Satanic Temple when they were doing their campaign in Oklahoma," says Lane.

The Temple members say they are fighting to keep the US a secular country

"I thought it was a very funny joke from afar, that they were sort of pretending to be Satanists, but I discovered they had at that point 50,000 members.

"The more I looked into it, the more rich and confusing and provocative and interesting it became."

The film follows the eloquent, intelligent Greaves as he and his fellow Satanists encourage people to give blood, collect socks for the homeless, clean public beaches (using small pitchforks - a cute touch) and hold Satanic after-school clubs for children who are taught about the Temple's tenets which include:

One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason.
People are fallible. If we make a mistake, we should do our best to rectify it and resolve any harm that may have been caused.
And although there is a certain theatrical, horror movie side to their Black Mass rituals in which they do invoke Satan, they freely admit none of them actually believe in Satan as an actual spiritual entity, leaning instead on the accurate translation of the Hebrew word Satan, which means "adversary".

The group holds theatrical Black Masses which take on the form of performance art

"I didn't find it that complicated or that hard to get that they had organised their religion around abstract and essentially fictional concepts," says Lane.

"It is not a gimmick, you know, but it is a kind of acknowledgment that religion is fundamentally about things that are deeply believed, but not provable.

"I came to understand that you don't need to literally believe in something to believe that it's important. I think human rights are fundamental, and I would die to protect human rights for other people. But I don't think human rights are some literal thing that exists in the world.

"It doesn't work like that, like all the things that we believe, actually, as human beings are the most important thing, love and rights and freedom and justice, equality. These kinds of things are fair like made up things, they're just ideas."

While the documentary's energies largely focus on the Temple's attempts to have their beautifully sculpted bronze statue of Baphomet (with a torso modelled on Iggy Pop no less) erected on federal grounds, it also touches on the "Satanic Panic" wave of moral panic which swept across America during the 80s and 90s - driven by music, video games - even bizarrely, the Dungeons & Dragons board game.

Far-right Christian organisations and authorities saw examples of Satanism

"It was this 10 to 15-year period, where there was a basic idea that there was a kind of organised, underground, secret conspiracy of Satanists that were kind of running around, doing evil things like murder and torturing animals and raping children and doing it in the name of Satan," explains Lane.

"Many people had their lives ruined and in the most extreme example, went to prison for a very long time.

"If you do any research into it, you would quickly see that there were no Satanists, there was no secret underground. As Lucien says in the film, he learned the real evil was in the witch hunt itself. And it's something that we have to remember as a society that we are capable of doing.

"And there's been no attempt publicly, to come to terms with that period. It's like it just happened. And then it ended, and no one talks about it anymore. And I think the Satanic Temple really does want people to remember and to know more about what happened during that period."

Greaves (not his real name, he goes by several aliases to protect his family) himself receives life threats during the group's campaign and wears a bullet-proof vest to his statue's unveiling.

"It was very clear that he was very concerned about protecting the identity of his family," says Lane. "I don't think that is some kind of nefarious mystery. There's so many people that are perfectly happy to terrorise your family for fun.

"I was very worried and am very worried for the safety of the people who appear in my film. They certainly, by agreeing to be in my film, expose themselves to far more risk in the world. And I am very aware of that and very concerned about that."

Whilst she is not a card carrying member of the Temple herself, it is clear Lane's sympathies lie with them and their aims.

"I would say that my whole life I've been exceptionally confused by religious people," she adds. "I just always thought... I know how bad it sounds, so I'm going to say it now. I really honestly thought that religion was basically some kind of like mental illness that needs to be treated better. I didn't understand it. I always just fundamentally kind of came out of the womb an atheist."

(Source: BBC)

Harry Potter among books burned by priests in Poland

Anti-sorcery post by evangelical Catholic group widely mocked on Facebook

Catholic priests in Poland have burned books that they say promote sorcery, including one of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter novels, in a ceremony they photographed and posted on Facebook.

Three priests in the northern city of Koszalin were pictured carrying the books in a large basket from inside a church to a stone area outside. The books were set alight as prayers were said and a small group of people watched on. A mask, various trinkets and a Hello Kitty umbrella were also visible in the pictures of the makeshift bonfire.

The Catholic evangelical foundation SMS From Heaven posted the photographs to its Facebook page, which has 22,000 followers, accompanied by fiery emojis and Old Testament quotes decrying sorcery and idolatry.

Catholic priests in Poland have burned books that they say promote sorcery,
including one by JK Rowling. Photograph: Facebook

The stunt provoked mockery from Facebook users, many of whom left comments questioning the sanity of those involved, or making comparisons with Nazi Germany.

It is not the first occasion in which the hugely popular Harry Potter series has attracted the ire of religious zealots, some of whom believe the books are inspired by evil spirits and could lead children astray. Kids Against The Sorcerers, a 2016 cartoon film promoted by a number of Russian government agencies, featured a nefarious western plot backed by Nato and Harry Potter to subvert and corrupt Russian schoolchildren.

The Catholic church is a powerful force for conservatism in Polish society, and has been at the forefront of a debate in Polish society about LGBT rights and abortion regulations, forming part of a broader culture war involving the country’s rightwing populist government and the more liberal opposition. The church is also struggling with the fallout of allegations of paedophilia against hundreds of priests, which has affected its standing in society.

(Source: The Guardian)

Sheela-na-gigs: The naked women adorning Britain's churches

For hundreds of years carvings of naked women have sat provocatively on churches across Britain. But who created them - and why?

Look at these, my child-bearing hips
Look at these, my ruby red ruby lips...
Sheela-na-gig, Sheela-na-gig
You exhibitionist

The year is 1992 and the singer-songwriter PJ Harvey is performing Sheela-Na-Gig, the most successful single from her critically acclaimed album Dry.

This sheela-na-gig at Oaksey in Wiltshire boasts "pendulous breasts" and a
vulva "extended almost to her ankles"

But unless you're a fan of late 20th Century indie music, or an expert in Norman church architecture, there's every chance you've not been exposed to the sheela-na-gig - or have walked past one without even realising it.

Hidden in plain sight, these sculptures of squatting women pulling back their labia have for nearly a millennium sparked intrigue, shame and even anger.

Often overlooked, or perhaps ignored, by vicars and congregations, the figures can be seen in dozens of British churches.

The UK's "poster girl for sheela-na-gigs" can be found at the Church of St Mary
and St David in Kilpeck, Herefordshire

For the past 20 years John Harding, from the Sheela Na Gig Project, has covered thousands of miles tracking down sightings of them across the country.

His obsession began following a visit to a church in Shropshire in 1998.

After finding very little information online, he decided to post something himself and was inundated with possible sightings.

"They are not quite as rare as the yeti but they're not common," he says.

"You get pockets of them. In Shropshire they are all within about 10 miles of each other and they're all different - but they're all naked women, basically."

Ireland has the largest concentration of sheela-na-gigs, while in the UK there are about 60 known figures with "more popping up all the time", according to Mr Harding.

"Sheela is the Irish form of the Norman name Cecile, and 'gig' is actually English slang and it means a woman's bits," he explains.

A sheela-na-gig was found face down in a Llandrindod Wells church's coal pile

But why these stone carvings were displayed in Norman churches across Britain, Ireland, France and Spain has divided opinion.

Some suggest the figures depict a pre-Christian deity, others that they are a fertility symbol or a protection against evil.

Dr Barbara Freitag, author of Sheela-na-gigs: Unravelling an Enigma, believes they were made by local carvers for country churches to promote a successful birth.

"Generally sheelas are carved in the birthing position and are presented with their vulva in the desired physiological state before, during or after birth," she says.

"The emaciated upper half of these figures was meant to appease the dead mothers or grandmothers who were thought to bear a grudge against the newborn."

Two-time Mercury Prize winner Polly Jean Harvey drew inspiration from the
sheela-na-gig for one of her best-loved songs

For Georgia Rhoades, author of Decoding the Sheela-na-gig, the "nude and bald" women represent the Crone or Earth Goddess.

"They were pagan goddess figures, emblematic of the Earth Goddess who births us and takes us back into her at death," she explains.

"In some places, brides were required to look at and perhaps touch the sheela before weddings, which seems to suggest their role in fertility rites."

Mr Harding, however, thinks the explicit church sculptures were meant to warn people against the sin of lust.

"Sheelas in this country are cartoonish and not very attractive generally, but in Ireland some are downright monstrous and scare the willies out of you."

He adds: "There's one in Haverfordwest [in Pembrokeshire] in the cloisters, holding its dress up.

"The only people who would have seen it would have been clerics and monks, so it's obviously to do with sin."

The sheela at St Mary's in Easthorpe, Colchester, was deemed too obscene to remain at the
church and was given to a museum

In the UK the "poster girl for sheela-na-gigs" can be found on Kilpeck Church near Hereford, according to Mr Harding.

However, it is the sheela at the parish church in the Wiltshire village of Oaksey, with her "pendulous breasts" and "hugely exaggerated vulva", which is his favourite.

"When you see the Oaksey sheela, most people's reaction is 'good God'," he says.

"It's the most kind of in-your-face and it's the breasts as well - the Kilpeck sheela just has nipples, but here you've got all the womanly attributes."

Positioned next to the main door of the church, a small lead roof has been installed above the carving to protect it.

Since starting the Sheela Na Gig Project as a hobby, John Harding has become so
knowledgeable he was invited by Encyclopaedia Britannica to write the entry

But not all congregations have been keen to embrace these X-rated sculptures.

In the Essex village of Easthorpe, a sheela was deemed too obscene to keep and so was given to a museum after serving time in the vicarage garden rockery.

Some have been found in rivers with "marks of burning on them", Mr Harding says, while others were removed, hidden or destroyed by red-faced clergyman and shocked churchgoers.

In 2004, a topless figure which had been in a chapel in Buncton in West Sussex since the early 1100s was attacked, despite having "no obvious genitals on display".

"It wasn't a very well known one, it was an inoffensive thing," says Mr Harding.

"I put it up on the website and somebody went in at night and chiselled it off the wall."

A common reaction to seeing the sheela-na-gig at Oaksey in Wiltshire is "good God",
according to Mr Harding

And it's not just the full-frontal brashness of the sheela that has outraged sensibilities.

Phallic figures found on the corbels [wall brackets] in churches are thought to have come under attack by the Victorians.

"In Kilpeck there are a number of corbels missing, and there's a story that an old chap said he was ordered by the vicar's wife to chop some of the corbels off," Mr Harding says.

A male in a "state of arousal" can even be found alongside a female figure at one Wiltshire church, as Mr Harding explains.

"At St John in Devizes they're on the same piece of stone - a female exhibitionist showing her bits and a male figure which appears to be masturbating."

At the church of St Mary and St Andrew in Cambridgeshire, a sheela can be seen next to a naked male figure.

"You've got this animalistic man with this massive erection and this sheela na gig which is quite plump and fecund with her legs held apart and he's crawling towards her," he says.

This pair, she with a "clearly visible" vulva and he clutching his damaged penis,
were discovered at the church of St John in Devizes in 2006

In the roof of Avening Church in Gloucestershire an "acrobatic type" can be seen
with his head between his legs and a penis in his mouth

In Bristol, graphic artwork can be spotted in the 1,200 roof bosses [carved decorations] at St Mary Redcliffe.

Among a number of exhibitionist figures there is a contortionist "showing their bottom with all their other bits", a naked couple, and a man with "his trousers down - having a poo".

And if that wasn't enough to make a choirmaster blush, high in the roof beams of Avening Church in Gloucestershire an "acrobatic type" can be seen jutting out from the wall with his head between his legs and a penis in his mouth.

"Penis swallowers are basically a monstrous head swallowing their own penises," explains Mr Harding.

"Sometimes they're playing instruments and it looks very suggestive, but in Avening Church if it is bagpipes, he's not holding it. So it's fairly self-supporting, shall we say."

For the Church of England, the presence of stone genitalia in places of worship is all part of the "rich tradition of church decoration" over the centuries.

A sheela can be seen next to a naked male figure in Whittlesford, Cambridgeshire

"As with other gargoyles and grotesques, it is sometimes surprising to modern eyes to encounter them in a religious context," a spokesman says.

"But they reflect the diversity of architectural ornament found on churches up and down the country."

And even though the experts might not think alike as to what purpose sheela-na-gigs served, many do agree on one thing.

"In this country a lot of them seem to be smiling and are quite cheerful-looking," says Mr Harding.

Ms Rhoades agrees that many sheelas "are clearly enjoying themselves".

"My favourite is at Oaksey, where the sheela's vulva is extended almost to her ankles," she says.

"We don't know exactly what her message is, but she's joyous and it's clear where the message is coming from."

(Source: BBC)

Like John Chau, I believed in Christian missionary work – not anymore

I’ve had difficult conversations with family members about Christian faith, traditional religion and imperialism, and through them that I’m often reminded that the strong religious arm of colonialism is still very much alive, writes Mwende Katwiwa in The Independent. Read on: 

Earlier this week, a story about a missionary killed by arrows made headlines. Details revealing the circumstances around the death of John Chau were not without context, but rather a recent chapter in the long and violent history of colonisation.

Despite government bans on visiting India’s North Sentinel Island, previous visits where Chau was rejected by the Sentinelese people and previous attacks of “visitors”, Chau chose to go and “save” the Sentinelese through the words of Jesus – which resulted in his death.

Forcing religion on others in a “noble” effort to “save” is rooted in the colonial notion that part of “the white man’s burden” is to bring primitive natives to the light of Christ. This unproven, supremacist rhetoric is still alive in contemporary mission work – knowledge I acquired as an indigenous person and a former Christian.

I was born in Kenya to a Christian family. I believed so much in God that when we emigrated to the United States, I gifted my favourite uncle a Bible so we’d be together forever eventually in heaven. As a devout Christian, I wanted to “spread the good news of Jesus” and save souls from eternal damnation. He still credits me with getting him “saved”.

The church was both generous and familiar to my family in the States. An enjoyable custom during the holidays was participating in holiday gift drives for children in distant parts of the world (usually hosted by international groups like Unicef that partner with religious entities).

When I came across John Chau’s story, I was emotional ( Reuters )

I was participating in such activities in Sunday school one week when I struck with a frightening thought: “What if the kids who receive these Bibles can’t read them because they’re in English?” Remembering when I first came to the US and could not really speak or read English, I worried that children in non-English speaking nations wouldn’t be able to either, and subsequently stay unsaved. My next thought was: “What if they can read English, but the Bibles never make it because the pilot crashes the plane?” I wondered if their inability to read the word of God would condemn them to eternal damnation.

I was horrified by my thoughts. Horror turned to shame when I asked such questions of elders and was told I “needed to have faith” or “pray about it”. Shame turned to curiosity when I realised no one was willing to, or could, give me a straight answer as to why we were sending English Bibles to non-English speakers.

This was the moment I became conscious that my religion contained contradictions that my faith was too narrow to bridge. I continued to pray and attend church, but I couldn’t let go of the questioning. I wasn’t able to find answers in the Bible, so I began to read other books and seek out other sources.

I found information on Christianity and colonisation, about missionaries and the ways they “saved” my ancestors (with Bibles, violence, subjugation and the intentional dismantling and/or demonisation of indigenous belief systems). I learned of those who resisted. I was thrown into utter confusion when I realised I came from a family that had participated in anti-colonial struggles, yet proudly displayed portraits of a white Jesus at home. I read about Christian history in Africa pre-dating colonialism, but also how the version of Christianity in many places in Africa today is linked to right-wing American evangelicalism.

I do not want to oversimplify people’s histories, religious and cultural affiliations, and choices. But in my experience, reconciling my faith, findings and the ahistorical ways the church operates today, was not an option. Soon I stopped going to non-mandatory church activities, reading the Bible and eventually, praying to Jesus. Maybe my faith was always fickle, but either way, those strange, seemingly childish thoughts in Sunday school changed my life.

I still have a complicated relationship to Christianity. Most of my family is actively Christian (even if some have other beliefs and understandings that Christianity would reject). My parents still attend church and I often join them when I am home. I’m not sure if it’s out of habit or familiarity, but part of my attendance is rooted in wanting to sit intentionally and curiously in a space full of so many colonial contradictions that still offers hope for people across the world; a place that once offered me hope (it was over the course of two years in scattered church visits that I wrote the piece “The Gospel of Colonisation” exploring my story).

I’ve had difficult, enlightening and saddening conversations with family members about Christian faith, traditional religion and colonisation, and it is through them that I am often reminded that the body of colonialism, especially its strong religious arm, is still very much alive.

During the so-called post-colonial, neocolonial and neoliberal eras, colonialism has so deeply entrenched itself that many fail to recognise, let alone mount resistance against, its ongoing presence. For years, I’ve said that while colonised nations received independence, very few have actually taken steps towards decolonisation.

So when I came across Chau’s story, I was emotional. I was angry that some outlets were unable to look at Chau’s death through an honest, historical lens, choosing instead to frame it as a murder, rather than an act of survival by those whose sovereignty was under assault. I was sad that the Sentinelese could vanish from the Earth if Chau had exposed them to disease. But all in all, I wasn’t in the least bit surprised that stories like this are still occurring all over the world.

PS: Mwende Katwiwa is a storyteller/poet, artivist and writer. She writes under the pen name FreeQuency

The man who spent decades befriending isolated Sentinelese tribe

Not many people know more about the Sentinelese than Indian anthropologist T N Pandit.

As a regional head for India's Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Mr Pandit embarked on visits to their isolated island community over a period spanning decades.

The tribe, who have lived in near-total isolation for tens of thousands of years, came to global attention last week after they reportedly killed a 27-year-old American would-be missionary trying to make contact with them.

But Mr Pandit, now 84, says from his experience the group are largely "peace-loving" and believes their fearsome reputation is unfair.

A photograph of Mr Pandit handing a coconut to a Sentinelese man in 1991

"During our interactions they threatened us but it never reached a point where they went on to kill or wound. Whenever they got agitated we stepped back," he told the BBC's World Service.

"I feel very sad for the death of this young man who came all the way from America. But he made a mistake. He had enough chance to save himself. But he persisted and paid with his life."

Mr Pandit first set out to visit North Sentinel island, solely inhabited by the tribe, in 1967 as part of an expedition group.

Initially the Sentinelese hid in the jungle from their visitors, and then on later trips shot at them with arrows.

He said the anthropologists would bring a selection of items along with them on their trips to try and entice contact.

Few images of the endangered tribe

"We had brought in gifts of pots and pans, large quantities of coconuts, iron tools like hammers and long knives. We had also taken along with us three Onge men (another local tribe) to help us 'interpret' the Sentinelese speech and behaviour," he recalled in an essay charting his visits.

"But the Sentinelese warriors faced us with angry and grim faces and fully armed with their long bows and arrows, all set to defend their land."

Despite little success, they would leave gifts behind to try and build rapport with the mysterious community.

In one instance, he said they knew a tied-up live pig they offered was clearly unappreciated by the group when they swiftly speared the animal to death and buried it in the sand.

Making contact
After several expeditions trying to establish contact, their first real breakthrough came in 1991 when the tribe came out to peacefully approach them in the ocean.

"We were puzzled why they allowed us," he said. "It was their decision to meet us and the meeting took place on their terms."

"We jumped out of the boat and stood in neck-deep water, distributing coconuts and other gifts. But we were not allowed to step onto their island."

Mr Pandit (right) worked for India's Ministry for Tribal Affairs

Mr Pandit says he was not overly worried about being attacked, but was always cautious when he was in close proximity with them.

He says their team members tried to communicate in sign language with the Sentinelese, but had no success as they were largely pre-occupied with their gifts.

"They were talking among themselves but we couldn't understand their language. It sounded similar to the languages spoken by the other tribal groups in the area," Mr Pandit recalled.

'Not welcome'
In one memorably tense exchange on the trip, one young member of the tribe threatened him.

"When I was giving away the coconuts, I got a bit separated from the rest of my team and started going close to the shore," he told the BBC.

"One young Sentinel boy made a funny face, took his knife and signalled to me that he would cut off my head. I immediately called for the boat and made a quick retreat,"

"The gesture of the boy is significant. He made it clear I was not welcome."

The Indian government has since abandoned gift-giving expeditions, and outsiders are banned from even approaching the island.

The complete isolation of the Sentinelese people means any contact with the outside could put them at deadly risk of disease because they are likely to have no immunity to even common illnesses such as flu and measles.

Mr Pandit said members of his groups were always pre-screened for possible communicable diseases and only those in good health were allowed to travel to North Sentinel.

Officials say Chau, who was killed last week, did not gain any official permission for his trip.

He is instead said to have paid local fisherman 25,000 rupees ($354; £275) to take him to the island illegally in the hope of converting the tribe to Christianity.

An effort is now underway to try and retrieve the American's body - something Mr Pandit has suggested could be possible with a tentative approach by officials.

Despite his own experience of tense exchanges with the Sentinelese, Mr Pandit resists labelling them as hostile.

"That is the incorrect way to look at it. We are the aggressors here," he told the Indian Express. "We are the ones trying to enter their territory."

"Sentinelese are a peace-loving people. They don't seek to attack people. They don't visit nearby areas and cause trouble. This is a rare incident," he told the BBC.

Mr Pandit says he does favour the re-establishment of friendly gift-dropping missions with the tribe, but says they should not be disturbed.

"We should respect their wish to be left alone," he said.

That view is shared by conservation groups such as Survival International, who have implored local officials to abandon attempts to retrieve Chau's body.

(Source: BBC)

The last days of John Chau: Journal excerpts of the man desperate to meet Sentinelese

John had visited the North Sentinel Island once before to preach to the Sentinelese – and he says of his visit, “...and [I] disembarked my kayak to show them that I too have two legs.”

The Andaman police are trying to piece together what happened when 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau attempted to contact the Sentinelese tribe, in the aftermath of his death. Believed to have been killed on November 17, 2018, John was on his sixth trip to the Andaman, and had illegally made his way into reserved territory of the North Sentinel Island, where the tribe lives. A crucial piece of evidence for the police in this case is John’s journal.

John was allegedly facilitated by local fishermen, who he bribed to take him to into the waters near the North Sentinel Island in the guise of fishing activity, and Alexander, a local friend. Before John died, however, he instructed the fishermen to take his 13-page journal to Alexander.

TNM has accessed a few pages of these journal entries, which reveal how John Chau planned his illegal mission – all the while knowing what he was doing was against the law – and how he stayed in a ‘Safe House’ in order to escape detection. The last days of John Chau were spent with him utterly, almost blindly convinced about his mission to preach Christianity to the Sentinelese, even at the cost of his own life.

And a lot of his writing is offensive, racist, and downright condescending.

The night before his expedition
In an entry dated November 14, 2018, that John wrote from a ‘safe house’ in Port Blair, he recounts meeting with the fishermen who he described as “believers” the previous night. He wrote that the fishermen had agreed to drop him off and won’t be accompanying him. “The meeting went well – I trust, although I am the only English speaker so there is quite a language gap; I am relying on the holy spirit to direct us,” he wrote.

It is in this entry that John revealed his mixed ethnicity – “an American citizen, part Irish, part Native American and part African and part Chinese and South East Asian”; groups that have painful histories of invasion, colonisation and forced ‘civilisation’. "God, I thank you for choosing me before I was even yet formed in my mother’s womb to be your messenger, of your good news to the people North Sentinel Island," he wrote. He then expressed hope that the Sentinelese tribe will accept Jesus and Christianity with an open heart.

The plan, John revealed, was to leave that night and arrive at 4 am after which he would make “progressive contact with fish.. gift, over four days (sic)”. “His play will succeed I pray, my will nor my plan be done but only his god, pleasing and will. Forever you, Jesus, we to be praised,” he wrote, before signing off with his name and the phrase “Soli Deo Gloria”, Latin for glory to god alone.

Avoiding the patrol boats
In a journal entry from 5.30 am on November 15, John wrote that they rendezvoused successfully the night before and were currently on the boat, waiting to make contact. He also talked about how they evaded the Indian Coast Guard and the Navy’s patrolling boats:

“Left last night around 2000 and arrived around 2230 or so but as we went north along the eastern shore, we saw boat lights in distance along the north shore and turned around. Headed south along the eastern shore and evaded them, went along the southern shore and up along the western shore. All along the way, our boat was highlighted by bioluminescent planktons – and as fish jumped nearby, we could see their line darting mermaids shimmering along. The Milky Way was above and god himself was shielding us from the coast guard and navy patrols.”

The party then entered a cove as the sun began to rise in the east and decided to wait for the Sentinelese to come out of the thick forest which is on their island.

The meeting
The next entry describes John’s less than amiable first contact with the Sentinelese. The tribe, which is known to react with suspicion and violence towards outsiders who attempt to make contact or enter their territory, did just that when met with John.

“One blocked (unarmed) [me] while other (country knife) waded along the coast, then little third with bow and arrow came down the middle and I figured that this was it,” he wrote. John then attempted to “preach” to them and in a rather strange admission said, “[…] and disembarked my kayak to show them that I too have two legs.”

Incidentally, there have been several attempts to make contact with the Sentinelese in the past decade, so they are not entirely new to the outside world, but merely choose to reject contact with them.

John then describes one Sentinelese man as “well built with a round face one fly on right face cheek and yellowish pigment in circles on his cheeks and about 5ft 5”.”

John narrated that he gave them the “gift-type” items after which he said that they took his kayak. “And the little kid shot me with an arrow – directly into my Bible which I was holding in front of my chest. I grabbed the arrow shaft as it broke in my bible […] and felt its arrow head. It was metal, thin, but very sharp,” John wrote.

“I stumbled back and recall yelling at the kid for shooting me – now as I look back at it, my Bible cover looks like bark – like tree bark, so maybe he was just curious but yikes, it sure gave me a fright,” he continued.

John also attempted to speak with them, shouting, “My name is John, I love you and Jesus loves you!” However, the Sentinelese, clearly not taking well to him, strung their arrows in their bows, and John panicked. His attempts to throw fish – that he has brought as gifts – at them, also did not bear positive response.

John then waded back into the water, and swam almost a mile towards the fishermen’s boat – the same fishermen who had helped John come into the forbidden North Sentinel Island territory.

The last entry
Before making his final entry into his journal on November 16, John reportedly expressed that he did not want to die and that he might be more useful to god alive.

On November 16, before his second attempt and final visit to the Sentinelese, John penned a letter to his parents, asking them not to be angry at the Sentinelese or god if he were to die. He advised them to live their life in “obedience” and that he would see them again when they “passed through the veil.”

“This is not a pointless thing – the eternal lives of this tribe are at hand and I can't wait to see them around the throne of god worshiping in their own language as Revelations 7:9-10 states,” he wrote. “I love you all and I pray none of you love anything in this world more than Jesus Christ,” he said, before signing off ‘Soli Deo Gloria’, followed by his name.

Incidentally, John was also convinced that the North Sentinel Island was a demonic stronghold, which probably fuelled his 'mission'. "Lord, is this island Satan’s last stronghold where none have heard or even had the chance to hear your name?” he reportedly wrote in one of his last diary entries, as provided to Washington Post by his mother.

(Source: TNM)

American missionary believed God had 'called' him to convert tribe that shot him dead with arrows

An American missionary believed he had been 'called' to convert the protected tribe who shot him dead with arrows when he arrived on their remote Indian island.

John Allen Chau, 27, paid local fishermen to help him get to North Sentinel Island, one of the world's most isolated regions in India's Andaman islands, last week.

Chau took a boat ride with the fishermen before venturing alone in a canoe to where the indigenous people live cut off completely from the outside world, authorities said.

As soon as he set foot on the island, which is off-limits to visitors, Chau found himself facing a flurry of arrows - but he kept walking.

The tribe then tied a rope around his neck and dragging his body away, according to the fishermen who helped him get there.

Indian police said a murder case had been registered against 'unknown tribesmen' and seven people - the fishermen who took him to the island - have been arrested in connection with the death.

But the Sentinelese who killed Chau can't be prosecuted as contact with them and several tribes on the islands is illegal in a bid to protect their indigenous way of life and shield them from diseases.

Now, a friend has revealed to DailyMail.com that Chau was 'committed' to travelling to the remote island, deep in the Indian Ocean, to preach Christianity to the tribesmen and had been planning the trip for at least three years.

John Allen Chau (pictured) was killed by arrows shot by protected tribesmen living on a remote Indian island after he arrived there in a bid to convert them to Christianity

Chau took a boat ride with the fishermen before venturing alone in a canoe to North Sentinel Island (pictured, a file photo shows tribesmen on the island) 

The Sentinelese attracted international attention in the wake of the 2004 Asian tsunami, when a member of the tribe was photographed on a beach, firing arrows at a helicopter (pictured)

Neil MacLeod, of Stornaway, Scotland, said he met Chau on a flight from London to Phoenix, Arizona, in October 2015.

'I saw him reading some Christian literature and I'm a Christian and we started talking,' he said.

MacLeod, 47, said Chau told him he had recently returned from India and was trying to figure out how to travel to the remote North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal.

'He mentioned that he wanted to go to these islands, the islands where he has now died,' MacLeod said.

'I had heard of these islands and I know how dangerous they are, so I was surprised by that.'

He added: 'He recognized the dangers of travelling there, but I think he had a sense of call.

'This was something he was working on for three years. He was committed to going there. In his view, he was trying to help these people.

'There are islands that are nearby and he was making relationships and connections to help him get to the islands.'

Since the flight, MacLeod said he had emailed back and forth with Chau, who he described as 'magnetic' and 'charming.'

Chau was a preacher who had visited the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the past, a police source said

Chau hired a fishing dinghy and, aided by the fishermen, reached the vicinity of the island on November 16, before transferring to a canoe (pictured, a canoe he used in October)

Chau's last Instagram post featured a picture of a waterfall (above) thought to be in the Andaman islands

'Adventure awaits. So do leeches,' Chau wrote in the caption for his final Instagram album on November 2

'He was a lovely character and wanted to help people. The thing that came across was what a delight it was to be in his company.

'He was such a warm and engaging and friendly kind of fellow. You might have an idea of what a missionary might be like, he was a million miles from that.

'I think he's a real loss. I'm just very sorry about what has happened.'

MacLeod said Chau was based in Portland, Washington, and working as an EMT at the time. He said he had helped during major incidents, including in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

'He was a free wheel so he would go to incidents, like major incidents around the world and look to help,' he added. 

'He had worked with FEMA when he went down to Katrina. He was working there. He's worked in some pretty rough places.'

He also paid tribute to Chau on Twitter, writing: 'He readily spoke of his calling to serve the Sentinelese. His calling came from a higher authority.

'He died a servant of the Lord. Saddened by his loss. He was a lovely guy,' he wrote.

Others flocked to Chau's Instagram to pay tribute, with one friend writing: 'You were a real explorer out to understand the boundaries of terrestrial human travels.

'Those boundaries are seemingly electric at first touch... and you were the first to touch.'

Another added: 'So proud of you John. You are a true hero and it was such an honor to know you. Thank you for your obedience and passion, it's inspiring.'

A police source told Reuters that Chau was a preacher who had visited the nearby Andaman and Nicobar islands in the past.

Police have learned he had a strong desire to meet the Sentinelese and preach on the island, the source added.

Police have learned he had a strong desire to meet the Sentinelese and preach on the island

The North Sentinel island is out of bounds even to the Indian navy in a bid to protect its reclusive inhabitants who number only about 150

Chau was a Christian missionary who wanted to interact with members of the Sentinelese tribe, according to International Christian Concern.

William Stark, ICC's regional manager, paid tribute to Chau and condemned his killing.

'We here at International Christian Concern are extremely concerned by the reports of an American missionary being murdered in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

'Our thoughts and prayers go out to both John's family and friends.

'A full investigation must be launched in this this murder and those responsible must be brought to justice.'

He added: 'India must take steps to counter the growing wave of intolerance and violence.' 


Authorities say Chau had made several trips to the Andaman islands recently before finally managing to make it to the remote stretch by offering money to local fishermen.

Chau hired a fishing dinghy and, aided by the fishermen, reached the vicinity of the island on November 16, before transferring to a canoe, the official said.

His body, spotted the following day by the fishermen on their return, has not yet been retrieved, the official added.

Chau tried to reach the island on November 14 but couldn't make it, police sources said

He returned two days later better prepared. He left a dinghy midway and took a canoe to the island alone

The investigation began after police were contacted by the US consulate in the southern city of Chennai, which has been in touch with Chau's mother.

Police have launched an investigation, Deepak Yadav, a police official in the island chain in the Bay of Bengal, confirmed in a statement late on Tuesday.

The investigation began after police were contacted by the US consulate in the southern city of Chennai, which has been in touch with Chau's mother.

'He tried to reach the Sentinel island on November 14 but could not make it,' police sources said.

'Two days later he went well prepared. He left the dingy midway and took a canoe all by himself to the island.

'He was attacked by arrows but he continued walking. The fishermen saw the tribals tying a rope around his neck and dragging his body.

'They were scared and fled but returned next morning to find his body on the sea shore.'

Dependra Pathak, the Andaman Director General of Police, told The News Minute that Chau's body hasn't yet been retrieved.

'His body has not yet been retrieved because we have to strategize keeping in mind the nuances and sensitivity of other cultures,' he said.

'We are working on that, and are in contact with anthropologists and tribal welfare experts. We will figure out some strategy.' 

A spokeswoman for the US consulate in Chennai said: 'We are aware of reports concerning a US citizen in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

'When a US citizen is missing, we work closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts,' she added, but declined to provide further details over privacy concerns.

Chau's Instagram shows he spent much of his time travelling and he documented his exploits on a blog called The Rugged Trail.

His last post on Instagram was shared on November 2. Alongside a series of pictures taken in the jungle, he wrote: 'Adventure awaits. So do leeches.'

Chau also spoke about his passion for travel in an interview with The Outbound Collective in 2014.

When asked where was on his 'must-do adventure list,' he said: 'Going back to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India is on the top - there's so much to see and do there!'

He also revealed his personal motto was: 'Make the most of every good opportunity today because you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow!'

Speaking about his inspirations, he said: 'Adventurers like John Muir, Bruce Olson, and David Livingston inspire me to go travel and explore, and I definitely get my inspiration for life from Jesus.'

The Sentinelese tribe are an indigenous tribe who live on North Sentinal Island, lies around 450 miles from the coast of Thailand and more than 745 miles from mainland India

The Sentinelese tribe has attacked almost everyone who has entered their territory. Pictured, the tribes people are seen wielding arrows on the island

Meanwhile, Survival International, a London-based organization that has been campaigning to protect the indigenous tribes living in the Andamans, called Chau's death a 'tragedy' that should 'never have been allowed to happen.'

The group's international director, Stephen Corry, said: 'This tragedy should never have been allowed to happen. The Indian authorities should have been enforcing the protection of the Sentinelese and their island for the safety of both the tribe, and outsiders.

'Instead, a few months ago the authorities lifted one of the restrictions that had been protecting the Sentinelese tribe's island from foreign tourists, which sent exactly the wrong message, and may have contributed to this terrible event.'

He added: 'It's not impossible that the Sentinelese have just been infected by deadly pathogens to which they have no immunity, with the potential to wipe out the entire tribe.

'The Sentinelese have shown again and again that they want to be left alone, and their wishes should be respected.'

Corry said the British colonial occupation of the Andaman Islands 'decimated the tribes living there, wiping out thousands of tribespeople, and only a fraction of the original population now survive.'

'So the Sentinelese fear of outsiders is very understandable,' he said.

'Uncontacted tribes must have their lands properly protected. They're the most vulnerable peoples on the planet. Whole populations are being wiped out by violence from outsiders who steal their land and resources, and by diseases like the flu and measles to which they have no resistance.

'Tribes like the Sentinelese face catastrophe unless their land is protected. I hope this tragedy acts as a wake up call to the Indian authorities to avert another disaster and properly protect the lands of both the Sentinelese, and the other Andaman tribes, from further invaders.'

An aerial shot taken by NASA shows North Sentinel Island, which is approximately the size of Manhattan, where the Sentinelese tribe has thrived for up to 55,000 years

Both endangered aboriginal Andaman tribes - the Jarawa and the Sentinelese - are hunter-gatherers and any contact with outsiders puts them at risk of contracting disease.

Tourists often bribe local authorities to spend a day out with members of the 400-strong Jarawa tribe.

But in contrast, the Sentinelese tribe shuns all contact with the outside world and are known to be hostile to any encroachers.

The North Sentinel island is out of bounds even to the Indian navy in a bid to protect its reclusive inhabitants who number only about 150.

The Sentinelese attracted international attention in the wake of the 2004 Asian tsunami, when a member of the tribe was photographed on a beach, firing arrows at a helicopter that was checking on their welfare. 

In 2006, two fishermen, whose boat strayed onto the 60-sq-km (23-square-mile) island, were killed and their bodies never recovered.

An Indian Coast Guard helicopter sent to retrieve the bodies was repelled by a volley of arrows from the community, believed to be the last pre-Neolithic tribe in the world.

The world's most isolated tribe: Who are the Sentinelese and why are they hostile to outsiders?
The Sentinelese tribe has attacked almost everyone who has entered their territory and their continued hostility to outsiders may lie in its history.

An armed British expedition led by 20-year-old Maurice Vidal Portman – the British Officer in Charge of the Andamanese – landed on North Sentinel Island in January 1880 searching for natives.

They found recently abandoned villages and paths, but the Sentinelese were nowhere to be seen – they had disappeared into the forest.

After days of searching, they found six of them: an elderly couple and four children.

They were transported to Port Blair, capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 'in the interest of science,' according to Survival International, an organization that campaigns for the rights of tribal people.

Portman noted that the six 'sickened rapidly, and the old man and his wife died, so the four children were sent back to their home with quantities of presents.'

According to Survival, it is likely that the children would have passed on their diseases and the results would have been devastating.

But how many Sentinelese became ill as a result of this 'science' is not known. 

But because of their rejection of the outside world, little is known about them - including what they call themselves.

What is known has been gleaned from viewing them from boats moored far enough away from the tribesmen, who carry spears, bows and arrows, or from the few times the tribe allowed authorities to come close enough to hand over coconuts.

But they were also observed engaging in group sex on a beach on March 29, 1970, according to Indian anthropologist, Triloknath Pandit.

He wrote of the scene: 'They all began shouting some incomprehensible words. We shouted back and gestured to indicate that we wanted to be friends. The tension did not ease.

'At this moment, a strange thing happened – a woman paired off with a warrior and sat on the sand in a passionate embrace. This act was being repeated by other women, each claiming a warrior for herself, a sort of community mating, as it were.

'Thus did the militant group diminish. This continued for quite some time and when the tempo of this frenzied dance of desire abated, the couples retired into the shade of the jungle.'

But the common thread in most encounters is that the Sentinelese have always been hostile to any encroachers and attacked many of them.

They stabbed to death an escaped Indian convict who washed up on their shore in 1896. A film crew were greeted with a hail of arrows in 1974.

The Sentinelese attracted international attention in the wake of the 2004 Asian tsunami, when a member of the tribe was photographed on a beach, firing arrows at a helicopter that was checking on their welfare.

In 2006, two Indian fishermen, who had moored their boat near North Sentinel to sleep after poaching in the waters around the island, were killed when their boat broke loose and drifted onto the shore.

An Indian Coast Guard helicopter sent to retrieve the bodies was repelled by a volley of arrows from the community.

Today, the island is out of bounds even to the Indian navy in a bid to protect its reclusive inhabitants who number only about 150.

Campaigns by non-profit and local organizations have led the Indian government to abandon plans to contact the Sentinelese.

Survival International works to ensure that no further attempts are made to contact the tribe.

They say the Sentinelese have thrived on the small forested island, which is approximately the size of Manhattan, for up to 55,000 years. 

The women wear fibre strings tied around their waists, necks and heads. The men also wear necklaces and headbands, but with a thicker waist belt.

From a distance, they appear healthy and thriving and observers have noted many children and pregnant women at times.

The Sentinelese hunt and gather in the forest, and fish in the coastal waters by make narrow outrigger canoes (pictured)

According to Survival, the Sentinelese hunt and gather in the forest, and fish in the coastal waters by make narrow outrigger canoes, which can only be used in shallow waters as they are steered and propelled with a pole like a punt.

Indian authorities made a few trips to the island a bid to befriend the tribe in the 1970s.

On one trip, two pigs and a doll were left on the beach. The animals were speared by the tribe and buried along with the doll.

More regular visits occurred in the 1980s which saw teams try to land and leave gifts of coconuts, bananas and bits of iron.

Sometimes, the Sentinelese appeared to make friendly gestures but other times, they would take the gifts into the forest and then fire arrows at the outsiders.

But in 1991, there appeared to be a breakthrough. When officials landed on the island, the tribe gestured for them to bring their gifts and for the first time, approached without weapons.

However, they resumed their hostility again once they attacked a wooden boat with their adzes, a stone axe for cutting wood. 

The gift-giving missions stopped in 1996, but periodic checks are made from boats anchored at a safe distance from the shore to ensure that the Sentinelese appear well and have not chosen to seek contact.

Officials made two checks following the 2004 tsunami and then declared that no further attempts would be made to contact the tribe.

It is now illegal to have any contact with the tribe and last year, the Indian government said even taking photographs or making videos of aboriginal Andaman tribes would be punishable with imprisonment of up to three years.

(Source: Daily Mail)