Which of the following tribes is NOT the native to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India ?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — B, Rengma. The Rengma are a Naga tribe of mainland India, found mainly in Nagaland (and parts of Assam), not in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. So among the options the Rengma are the one that is NOT native to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The recognised indigenous groups of the islands are the Negrito peoples (Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, Sentinelese) and the Mongoloid peoples (Nicobarese and Shompen).

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Not the intended exclusion — 'Halchu' is not an established Andaman & Nicobar tribe; the non-native name in this question is Rengma (a Naga tribe of the mainland).  (c) The Onge ARE native to the islands — a Negrito people of Little Andaman and a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). So they are not the exception.  (d) The Shompen ARE native — a tribe of Great Nicobar Island (a PVTG). So they are not the exception either.

Concept: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are home to six recognised indigenous tribes, split by anthropological stock: the Negrito peoples of the Andamans — Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and the isolated Sentinelese — and the Mongoloid peoples of the Nicobars — the Nicobarese and the forest-dwelling Shompen. Several of these (Onge, Shompen, Great Andamanese, Jarawa, Sentinelese) are classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). The Rengma, by contrast, are a Naga tribe of the northeastern mainland (Nagaland/Assam).

State PCS 2020 Q50 — Geography PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2020 Q50 — Geography PYQ with Answer