American Missionary Went Illegally To Andaman For Religious Conversion, Knew He Could Be Killed
John Allen Chau an American missionary who was killed by the inhabitants of the North Sentinel Island in Andaman and Nicobar after he tried to illegally trespass was there for religious conversion. Chau had reportedly made multiple attempts to reach the island which is prohibited for outsiders. Chau was well aware of the dangers that he could encounter while trying to make contact with the tribe which is known to be hostile to outsiders.
John Allen Chau, an American missionary who was killed by the inhabitants of the North Sentinel Island in Andaman and Nicobar after he tried to illegally trespass was there for religious conversion, his last letter to his family has revealed.
Chau, who had reportedly made multiple attempts to reach the island, which is prohibited for outsiders had tried to reach the island at least five times.
Initially, it was reported that Chau was a tourist. But later it was revealed that he was a missionary.
John Chau/ Instagram
In a letter, the 26-year-old wrote to his family he has revealed the purpose of his visit - religious conversion. His final letter, accessed by DailyMail suggests that he was there to teach the tribe about Jesus.
'You guys might think I'm crazy in all this but I think it's worth it to declare Jesus to these people,' he wrote in the letter to his parents.
What is more striking is that Chau was well aware of the dangers that he could encounter while trying to make contact with the tribe, which is known to be hostile to outsiders.
"Please do not be angry at them or at God if I get killed," he told his parents in the letter.
John Chau
Chau had sneaked into the North Sentinel Island with the help of some local fishermen, who were the last people that saw him alive.
Incidentally, November 16, the day that Chau got killed by the tribesmen wasn't the first time that he had come under attack.
In one of his notes between November 14-16, Chau has narrated another incident when he was scared to die after he came under attack with arrows by a kid, probably about 10 or so years old.
Describing the attack, Chau said: a 'little kid shot me with an arrow - directly into my Bible which I was holding.
'If you want me to get actually shot or even killed with an arrow then so be it. I think I could be more useful alive though¡
'I don't want to die! Would it be wiser to leave and let someone else continue? No. I don't think so. I still could make it back to the US somehow as it almost seems like certain death to stay here.
'God, I don't want to die. WHO WILL TAKE MY PLACE IF I DO? OH GOD, I miss my parents...," he wrote.
John Chau/ Instagram
On November 16th according to the fishermen who have been arrested for taking him to the island, Chau tried to again make contact with the tribes but got a hostile reception from them. The moment he entered the island, he was hit by arrows and as the fishermen who were waiting from him at a far looked on, the tribesmen dragged his body into the island.
The Sentinel, much like the number of uncontacted indigenous groups are known to be unwelcoming towards outsiders. In the past too, they have attacked outsiders who tried to reach the islands.
Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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