American tourist arrested for trying to contact lost tribe

Indian authorities arrested a 24-year-old American tourist this week, with a court date set for April 17. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine. Who is the American YouTuber, Mykhailo Polyakov, and why was he arrested in India?

At first glance, leaving someone a can of Diet Coke isn’t detrimental, dangerous, or criminal. However, in this case, it was all three. The crime, although obscure, was certainly known to him: entering a restricted area. 

Polyakov was attempting to contact “the most isolated Indigenous people in the world,” called the Sentinelese. According to Survival International, “The Sentinelese are an uncontacted Indigenous people living on North Sentinel Island, one of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean. They vigorously reject all contact with outsiders.”

In March, the YouTuber made an illegal landing on the island, leaving a can of Coke and a coconut as offerings on the beach. He tentatively attempted to make contact, even using a whistle to draw them out, but the hostile tribespeople, thankfully, didn’t come out to meet him. 

Who are the Sentinelese people? 

The Sentinelese are one of the most isolated people groups on the planet, with a language unrecognizable even to other surrounding peoples. Outsiders have a complicated history of trying to establish a peaceful relationship with them.

British colonial officers in the late 1800s attempted to make contact but were unable to do so. They ended up kidnapping an elderly couple and four children to study them. Then, in the 1970s and ‘80s, Indian authorities tried to reach out with mixed success, often leaving gifts. Sometimes, however, they had to escape under a hail of arrows. 

In 1996, officials and scientists stopped trying to establish an amicable connection. Visits to the island are now strictly illegal, and a 3-mile buffer zone is patrolled at all times.

The tribe made headlines in 2004 for shooting arrows at a helicopter, which was checking on their welfare after a tsunami. In 2006, they made headlines again for killing two Indian fishermen who strayed too close. The Sentinelese put their heads on bamboo spikes.

More than being dangerous for the outsiders, the outside contact is dangerous for the Sentinelese too. Why? Because they’re so isolated on their island, they likely haven’t developed immunity to diseases like the common cold—which could wipe them out in a heartbeat. 

What happened when a missionary tried to reach the Sentinelese in 2018?

Polyakov has a small YouTube channel, which features a recorded trip to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Clearly, this was a thrill-seeking attempt to document uncontacted people. It was reckless and illegal. His actions should be condemned. 

However, there’s another person who’s visited the islands before—John Chau, a Christian missionary who contacted them in 2018. Should we condemn him? 

Let’s contrast their reasons for contacting the tribe. Chau was a “joyful adventurer with a zest for life,” who loved traveling, and had a passion for spreading the gospel. According to the NYT, Chau did what he did for the Great Commission, responding to Jesus’ call to “make disciples of all nations.” 

For years, he was inspired to reach Sentinelese with the gospel. He trained hard, knew the risks, and took every precaution. Chau even quarantined himself for eleven days in a small apartment to mitigate the risk of spreading diseases. 

Still, when he landed on the beach seven years ago and approached them, he was shot dead with arrows. His body was never recovered. 

The law of love and the law of man

Polyakov and Chau both broke the law by trying to make contact, yet, as Christians, we condemn Polyakov but laud Chau. What is the difference between them? One acted for apparently selfish gain while the other acted to glorify God’s name. 

That law of love transcends the laws of humans (Acts 5:29, John 13:34). Polyakov might go to prison, Chau might have gone to prison; one was obeying the highest law of love, the other, not so much. 

Christians have died for the gospel since the first “martyr” (which means “witness” in Greek), Stephen, who died soon after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Chau stands in their line.

However, because we value the Sentinelese’s lives and freedom, any future missionaries must be exceptionally careful about spreading diseases and encroaching on their independence. Even with medical precautions, uncontacted tribes have been known to lose over 50 percent of their population to diseases like the common cold. 

Would you join me in praying that the Sentinelese come to know Jesus and hear the gospel? That God would provide a safe, effective way for them to one day hear the good news? 

Meanwhile, there are countless other unreached people groups, missionaries in developed parts of the world, and languages into which the Bible has yet to be translated—and you can support their work, today. 

Are you inspired by Chau’s bravery? How can you advance the great commission with your neighbors? Thankfully, they probably won’t be attacking you with arrows any time soon.