A 27-year-old American tourist and Christian missionary, John Allen Chau, was killed after being smuggled to the remote North Sentinel Island in the Andaman and Nicobar territories of India.
According to officials who reported to the media, Chau had illegally hired fisherman to transport him just outside of the island inhabited by the Sentinelese Tribe. Chau then took a canoe by himself to travel the remainder of the way.
After the fisherman dropped Chau off at the island, they report he was shot by several arrows, but had at first continued walking. He then had a rope tied around his neck and his body was dragged by tribal members, then he was later half buried in the sand.
As of Thursday, his body had not yet been recovered.
Critics sit on both sides of the fence as some claim Chau was killed trying to preach Christianity. Others claim Chau knew what he was getting into and the tribe — due to no contact with the isolated world — could literally be wiped out by sickness that Chau might have carried and that none of the tribe had ever been exposed to.
Officials reported to The Mirror that “A murder case has been registered.”
Chau had arrived on the island on November 16th after being taken by local fisherman, which was breaking the law. Some reports claim Chau paid the fisherman the equivalent of $325 to get to the island.
In Chau’s journal entries posted in iAfrica and The Mirror, he had yelled out to the just over 5 feet tall tribesman, “My name is John, I love you and Jesus loves you!” In a prior visit Chau said he had brought gifts to include fish and a football, and a young tribal member shot an arrow at him, which pierced his waterproof bible. Unsuccessful in his first attempt to meet with the tribe, he had fled by swimming after his canoe had been damaged.
In his second journey to the island, Chau wrote in his journal, “You guys might think I’m crazy in all this but I think it is all worthwhile to declare Jesus to these people… God, I don’t want to die.”
The family have posted to his Instagram account that they do not blame the tribal members. The Sentinelese have long fought against any who attempt to enter their territory.
