Nicobari Settlement

About Nicobari Settlement

Little Andaman is home to two aboriginal tribes of Andaman and Nicobar islands. The Onge tribal area is out of bounds for visitors, but the Nicobarese settlement can be visited. Don’t expect to find exotic tree houses, colored natives, or bonfire dance rituals here. The Nicobarese have assimilated greatly into mainstream culture and contemporary Indian society. They live in houses provided by the Indian government; they ride motorbikes, wear jeans and T-shirts and live a life similar to any other local on the island. Believed to descend from people from Myanmar or Malaysia, the majority has converted to Christianity. They farm pigs and cultivate bananas and coconuts. They are the only indigenous people of Andaman and Nicobar islands whose numbers are not decreasing.