Native Western Cultures of Mauritius and Andaman Islands Changed by Globalization

The people of Mauritius and a people from the Andaman Islands known as the Jarawa are two examples of native non-Western cultures that have been impacted by globalization. The Jarawa, being resident to the Andaman Islands, have a long history of faltering due to globalization. This isolated group of people are a specimen of ancient and unadulterated genetics. They are vulnerable to sea-bound and sea related disasters that have disrupted their numbers, their way of life, and survival.

The Jarawa were an isolated but self sufficient culture that survived on the Andaman Islands for millennium and generations. The Jarawa are one of the two only known tribes that have not learned how to produce fire. The Jarawa, being resident to the Andaman Islands, found themselves inhabiting a highly useful and strategic in terms of seafaring and points of empire. The British founded a penal colony at Port Blair in 1858, with disastrous consequences for the indigenous population, whose numbers declined rapidly because of disease and social disruption (Endicott et al 2003).

Currently the Andaman Islands is a relatively well-known regional tourist attraction and safeguarded national treasure of India. The Jarawa people are struggling to preserve their livelihood and continue their traditions. At the same time the Jarawa and their neighbors are beginning to understand the needs and benefits of the Island becoming a tourist attraction and the inevitable nature of this occurrence. The Jarawa people and the Andaman Islands represent a treasure trove of anthropological, linguistic, and ecological specimens and research. The result is that at a particular point of time in human history, genetic and linguistic parallels may not match (Abbi 2009). The Jara...

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...ted ill effects. The Jarawa people of the Andaman Islands can be seen as an asset of the island and indispensable to the island's identity and heritage. As the island increases in its strategic importance and as a venue of tourist attractions and excursions it is likely that the island will find itself home to many auxiliary and support functions as well as properties to tourism and extended exploration. It is being anticipated that developing tourism at a massive scale would by default generate employment, which is the need of the hour (Reddy 2007).

The Jarawa's documentation and history points to the resilience and uniqueness of the people and their island. They are worthy to be approached in the strongest confidence with the latest preventative measures in reducing the tribe's susceptibility to disease and the sensitive nature of the island's fragile ecosystem.