In the eastern Indian Ocean lies a forest-covered island roughly the size of Manhattan, home to one of the last communities on Earth living in complete voluntary isolation. The Sentinelese, an Indigenous people inhabiting North Sentinel Island in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands, have resisted outside contact for centuries. Armed with bows, arrows and spears, they continue to hunt, gather and fish using traditional methods while defending their island from anyone who approaches. Their language has never been deciphered, and almost nothing is known about their culture because meaningful communication has never been established. Their determination to remain isolated has made them one of the world's most protected and least understood human communities, raising important questions about anthropology, disease, ethics and conservation.
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