Nicobarese - History and Cultural Relations

Tradition and linguistic evidence suggest that the Nicobarese originated in Myanmar (Burma). The first certain reference to them is in the 1050 Tanjore inscription of the Chola dynasty of south India, which calls the islands "Nakkavaram" ("Land of the Naked"). First and unsuccessfully missionized by the Jesuits, they also resisted Christianizing efforts by the Danish, Austrians, British, and French. In 1869, the British claimed the islands and held them until India gained independence in 1947. Christianity made real progress only on Car Nicobar, largely because of local respect for Bishop Richardson, a Nicobarese whose bravery during the 1942-1945 Japanese occupation of the islands inspired whole Villages to convert. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, passed in 1956, restricts entry of outsiders to tribal areas and regulates trade in the territory.