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Final photo of man killed trying to visit indigenous tribe of remote 'no-go' island

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Updated 16:55 2 Jan 2025 GMTPublished 14:34 2 Jan 2025 GMT

Final photo of man killed trying to visit indigenous tribe of remote 'no-go' island

The photo was taken just weeks before his death

Bec Oakes

Bec Oakes

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North Sentinel Island, located in the Indian Ocean's Bay of Bengal, is home to one of the world's most mysterious uncontacted tribes.

The Sentinelese have lived in isolation for more than 60,000 years and are fiercely protective of their land and traditions, which remains untouched by modern civilisation.

In order to maintain their way of life, the tribe is known for its hostility towards outsiders, killing those who stray too close to the 23-square-mile island.

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Despite this, in 2018 American missionary John Allen Chau paid local fishermen to take him to North Sentinel Island so he could preach Christianity to the tribe - though they warned him that is was risky.

Chau understood the potential dangers of his mission and told his family in a letter to 'not be angry at [the tribe] or at God if [he got] killed'.

Upon arriving to the island in a dinghy on 15 November, 2018, he tried to prove that he wasn't a threat to the tribe by offering them gifts such as fish - but he was met with a series of arrows being shot at him.

In a diary entry, he wrote: "I hollered: 'My name is John, I love you and Jesus loves you'.

"I regret I began to panic slightly as I saw them string arrows in their bows. I picked up the fish and threw it towards them. They kept coming.

The isolated Sentinelise tribe are known for their hostility towards outsiders, but this didn't stop an American missionary from trying to contact them in 2018 (Survival International)
The isolated Sentinelise tribe are known for their hostility towards outsiders, but this didn't stop an American missionary from trying to contact them in 2018 (Survival International)

"I paddled like I never have in my life back to the boat."

But this didn't deter Chau, who once again tried to get close to the tribe.

On his third attempt two days later, he was reportedly shot and killed with the fisherman who helped him travel to the island claiming to see tribesmen drag his body along the beach and bury it.

Despite the efforts of Indian authorities, his body was never recovered. Seven people, including the fisherman who helped him access the island, were arrested.

Just weeks before his death, Chau - who had a passion for hiking, camping and travelling - had posted a series of pictures on Instagram. One was a selfie with a fisherman on a boat at sea. He captioned the pictures: "Kayaking the tropics in this endless summer."

John Allen Chau posted a smiling selfie on Instagram just weeks before the tribe killed him (Instagram/@johnachau)
John Allen Chau posted a smiling selfie on Instagram just weeks before the tribe killed him (Instagram/@johnachau)

It is the final known photo of the American.

Following his death, Chau's family released a statement, which said: "We recently learned from an unconfirmed report that John Allen Chau was reported killed in India while reaching out to members of the Sentinelese Tribe in the Andaman Islands.

"He loved God, life, helping those in need and had nothing but love for the Sentinelese people.

"We forgive those reportedly responsible for his death. We also ask for the release of those friends he had in the Andaman Islands."

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@johnachau

Topics: Travel, World News

Bec Oakes
Bec Oakes

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