The Jarawa (also Jrawa, Jarwa)

are
one
of
theAdivasi indigenous peoples of the Andaman Islands in
India. Their present numbers are estimated at between 250
400 individuals. Since they have largely shunned interactions
with outsiders, many particulars of their society, culture and
traditions are poorly understood. Their name means "people
of the earth" or "hostile people" in Aka-Bea.
The tribes of the Andaman Islands the Jarawa, Great
Andamanese, Onge and Sentinelese are believed to have
lived in their Indian Ocean home for up to 55,000 years.
They are now vastly outnumbered by several hundred
thousand Indians, who have settled on the islands in recent
decades.
The Jarawa
Today, approximately 400 members of the nomadic Jarawa
tribe live in groups of 40-50 people in chaddhas as they call
their homes.
Like most tribal peoples who live self-sufficiently on their
ancestral lands, the Jarawa continue to thrive, and their
numbers are steadily growing.
They hunt pig and turtle and fish with bows and arrows in the
coral-fringed reefs for crabs and fish, including striped
catfish-eel and the toothed pony fish. They also gather fruits,
wild roots, tubers and honey. The bows are made from the
chooi wood, which does not grow throughout the Jarawa
territory. The Jarawa often have to travel long distances to
Baratang Island to collect it.

Both Jarawa men and women collect wild honey from lofty
trees. During the honey collection the members of the group
will sing songs to express their delight. The honey-collector
will chew the sap of leaves of a bee-repellant plant, such as
Ooyekwalin, which they will then spray with their mouths at
the bees to keep them away. Once the bees have gone the
Jarawa can cut the bees nest, which they will put in a wooden
bucket on their back. The Jarawa always bathe after
consuming honey.