Island tribe shows courage in face of tragedy

Bodies are still hanging from trees and floating in water in wiped-out villages in Car Nicobar island, but the horrors of the tsunami have not shaken the Nicobarese tribe.

The Nicobarese are the largest of the tribes in India’s Andaman and Nicobar islands, where 9,682 people have died and another 5,914 are missing and feared dead.

At a relief centre set up for the tribe in Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar territories, Robert Henry, 66, the headman of Mus village on Car Nicobar, described the scene 12 days after the tsunami hit.

“Bodies are on the ground, trapped in trees. The blood of dead bodies is floating on the island,” said Henry.

Thousands of Nicobarese were killed when the tsunami flattened 12 of the island’s 15 villages, he said.

But survivors among the estimated 30,000-strong tribe have shown courage and resilience in the face of the tragedy, a trait they say came from deep community bonds and centuries of traditions of sharing joy and sadness.

“We have a peaceful mind in the island. It’s in our nature. Even when we have trouble, we never say we have trouble,” said Henry. “We are good Christians. If we are starving, we are starving. If we have food, we will share. We share everything. Sorrow, sadness, everything.”

Dense forests, tough terrain and smashed jetties have made it difficult to penetrate many areas where the Nicobarese died when the waves lashed their island on December 26.

Returning villagers say horrific sights await relief workers in those areas.

“We couldn’t stay there because of the stench. We had to evacuate the island,” said Henry, who said about 14,000 Nicobarese were without food and water for at least four days.

Other Nicobarese said they had come to terms with destiny.

“We have a lot of emotions inside us, but what is the use if I keep crying all the time?” said Elsie Moses, 23, as she described how the wave flattened her village, killing her brother, grandfather, grandmother and two nieces.

“We saw them go down in the water. It was as if someone was pulling them down,” she said.

Anthony Victor, 34, lost his sister and his six nephews and nieces. He was relaxing outside his home in Marine village when the tsunami hurled him inside. He somehow stepped out and began furiously swimming to safety as his house collapsed behind him.

“I saw my house collapsing. I closed my eyes. I thought I would die,” he said.