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The inhabitants of North Sentinel Island have been there for millenia. AP/PA Images

Who are the North Sentinelese? The story behind the remote island at the centre of an American's death

The remote Indian island has a fascinating history.

A TINY ISLAND in the middle of the Indian Ocean was thrust into the international spotlight this week. An American man, who had apparently travelled to the island to preach Christianity to its inhabitants, was instead shot with arrows and his body left on the beach.

It is unlikely, however, that the islanders are aware of the international attention. For over 30,000 years, the inhabitants have remained insulated from the outside world and untouched by modern civilisation.

A territory of India in name only, the inhabitants have a way of life that has remained largely untouched for millenia.

The island’s level of isolation is remarkable even by the standards of India’s remote Andaman islands, which sit in the Bay of Bengal. For centuries, these islands have attracted the interest of sailors, anthropologists and empire-builders.

Yet it is the North Sentinelese who remain the greatest curiosity, simply because of how little we know about them.

This curiosity goes back centuries. In 1296, Marco Polo described the islanders as  ”a most brutish and savage race, having heads, eyes, and teeth like those of dogs. They are very cruel, and kill and eat every foreigner whom they can lay their hands upon”. Cannibalism has also long been associated with the North Sentinelese, although it’s never been proven. 

This isn’t the first death to attract attention to the islands. In 2006, two fishermen were murdered by the Sentinelese tribe after their boat drifted onto the shore. Like the parents of the murdered American, John Allen Chau, the father of one of the victims demanded no retribution for his son’s murder.

“As far as I am concerned the Sentinelese are the victims in this, not my son. They live in constant terror of heavily armed poachers from Myanmar and Port Blair. They were only defending themselves with bows and arrows and rocks in the only way they know how,” he told The Observer in 2006.

This ambivalence extended to the authorities. Just as in this most recent case, the possibility of any kind of prosecution seemed remote. As an exasperated police chief said in 2006, regarding the possibility of a criminal trial: “We would have to arrest the entire tribe.”

Chau had gone to the island with the clear intention of telling the tribe about God, despite the well-known risks. Since Chau’s murder, attempts have been made to recover his body. A ship and a helicopter have been sent to identify the location of his body, but the authorities are worried it could be days until they’re able to land on the island to recover it. 

India American KilledJohn Allen Chau, right, in October 2018, only days before he left the US for India. Source: Sarah Prince/PA Images

A desire to be left alone

In both recent murders, it was not the threat of religious conversation or the danger of poaching that scared the North Sentinelese into retribution. This is their standard response to every stranger. And when everyone outside the island’s 50 or so inhabitants is a stranger, visiting is fraught with peril.

Following the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, an Indian coast guard helicopter flew over the island to check on the tribe. Miraculously, they’d survived. But there was no welcome for the helicopter. Instead, it was greeted with a volley of arrows.

This is the one of the reasons the islanders remain so isolated. Visitors today will receive the same aggressive welcome of metal-tipped arrows and spears that might have greeted sailors centuries ago. The metal-tipped spears are probably one of the few technological changes to be found on the island – the islanders craft them using metal washed up on the shore.

Since the 1990s, there has been a growing awareness of the need to protect the North Sentinelese and to let them maintain their way of life uninterrupted. Because of their isolation, the tribe has no immunity to a range of diseases, making every outside visit a risk. Sophie Grig, a senior researcher with Survival International, described them as “one of the most vulnerable tribes on the planet”. 

The last week has only amplified the debate about the little-known island and fostered a debate about the value of preserving the remoteness of the North Sentinelese.

‘Primitive man in its extreme state?’

 Anthropologists believe the North Sentinelese may be the first people to have left Africa for Asia 40,000 years ago. Historically seen as ‘pygmies’, their genetic isolation means experts can trace their roots back to pre-Neolithic ancestors.

Yet a robust investigation into their evolutionary history is unlikely to happen soon. No one has yet been able to fully decipher their language and customs and any attempt at communication with the islanders is fraught with danger.

 

north sentinel A photo taken of a member of the North Sentinelese tribe by the Indian coastguard following the 2004 tsunami. Indian Coastguard / Survival Indian Coastguard / Survival / Survival

There is, however, one leading expert on the North Sentinelese. Octogenarian T.N. Pandit led the first “friendly” expedition to the islands in 1991, using coconuts – highly prized by the islanders – to endear himself to them. Of course, the gift of coconuts was not enough by itself and it took two decades to properly win their trust. Describing his first encounter, Pandit said: “They were watching us carefully, and they must not have been happy, because they picked up their bows and arrows.

“This whole encounter was so amazing, because here is civilized man facing primitive man in its extreme state, living very simply.” As he told The New York Times in 2017, the reason for the tribe’s isolation was obvious – they were much less welcoming than other indigenous groups.

Sandit was lucky to even get to the island. The islands were once so closely guarded that the Indian government famously refused permission to the respected anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss to work there. And in 1975, the exiled King of Belgium Leopold III visited the island, but stayed far from the shore.

While today some of the historic restrictions on visitors to the Andaman Islands have been lifted, you can’t travel to North Sentinel Island without permission. The Indian Navy enforces a buffer zone to keep people away from the island.

The story of the North Sentinelese fits uneasily into the history of their surrounding islands. The curiosity of marauders has often proved dangerous over the centuries. In the late 18th century, six islanders were kidnapped and taken to Port Blair to study them. But away from the island, they quickly contracted diseases that killed two of them. The remaining four were quickly returned to the island.

The British had already done much to draw the Andaman Islands into the modern world when it set up a penal colony there in 1857 and even put some tribe members on display for visitors in Calcutta zoo. The early years of Indian independence brought little peace for the islanders too, who seemed an affront to the new government’s idea of a modern, outward-looking country. Settlers brought disease, deforestation and helped to decimate the indigenous population.

For the islanders who have survived empires, tsunamis and abortive expeditions, visitors are still their greatest threat at the moment. And as long as the mystery of the island remains, John Allen Chau is unlikely to be the last person to meet their end at the hands of the North Sentinelese.

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    Mute Abbie Cranky
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    Nov 24th 2018, 6:32 PM

    This dope deserved it.

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    Mute MyDreamEscapade
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    Nov 24th 2018, 6:45 PM

    @Abbie Cranky: absolutely

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    Mute David Stapleton
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    Nov 24th 2018, 6:55 PM

    @Abbie Cranky: he was a Christian who went there to try and convert them. Idiot.

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    Mute David Stapleton
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    Nov 24th 2018, 6:56 PM

    @MyDreamEscapade: sorry, just in case I am misunderstood, the idiot comment was about the guy who was killed…

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    Mute John Mullin
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    Nov 24th 2018, 7:09 PM

    @Abbie Cranky: I don’t believe he was trying to do them any harm, he was just a little narrow minded and thought they would appreciate him bringing the word of God simply because he himself appreciated knowing about Christianity. I don’t think he deserved that to happen to him anymore than a man or woman deserves to get mugged or raped or murdered for going down a well know darkly lit dangerous alley at night time knowing the possible consequences in advance or a surfer/swimmer deserves to get mauled by a shark for daring to swim in the ocean or a mother deserves to have her toddler taken and eaten alive by a dingo when camping in the bush. He might have been a bit clueless but he didn’t deserve that to happen to him anymore than that tribe deserve to be interrupted again.

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    Mute Kay Murphy
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    Nov 24th 2018, 8:01 PM

    @John Mullin: He showed absolute disrespect to their wishes and had been warned off enough. Instead of Evangelist read Fundamentalist!

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    Mute FrustratedASDMum
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    Nov 24th 2018, 8:22 PM

    @John Mullin: John, he risked wiping the tribe out by exposing them to viruses and illnesses that they’ve no immunity to. No matter what his intentions were, he was unbelievably selfish exposing them to that risk.

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    Mute Karen Lord
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    Nov 24th 2018, 8:26 PM

    @Kay Murphy: So showing disrespect deserves a death sentence?

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    Mute Robert Callaghan
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    Nov 24th 2018, 8:30 PM

    Is victim blaming OK now? Hard to keep up

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    Mute Graham Light
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    Nov 24th 2018, 8:38 PM

    @Karen Lord: Unfortuntely we arent 100% sure why the islanders behave in such fashion but going to an island reported since the late 17th century to be hostile was a level of stupidity I cant even comprehend. However saying that Christianity has been merely looked upon from a very narrow perspective without looking at its achivements in Art, science, Architecture and philosophy etc etc. Also is murdering someone considered a crime on a island without law as we understand?

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    Mute MyDreamEscapade
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    Nov 24th 2018, 9:43 PM

    @David Stapleton: I know…..he knew the dangers….typical American arrogance

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    Mute eamonn farrell
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    Nov 25th 2018, 8:16 AM

    @John Mullin: arrow minded !!

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    Mute John Mullin
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    Nov 27th 2018, 10:04 AM

    @eamonn farrell: ouch!

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    Mute John Mullin
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    Nov 27th 2018, 10:07 AM

    @Robert Callaghan: exactly. Victim blaming is perfectly ok if it is a man, the victim is religious or if the person is in any way associated with Trump or anything connected with that which rivals US Democrats agenda

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    Mute John Mullin
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    Nov 27th 2018, 10:14 AM

    @FrustratedASDMum: & @kaymurphy. I know he was selfish but more ignorant than selfish. Just as the mother of the baby eaten by dingoes had been warned not to go camping in the Bush but I still believe she didn’t deserve to lose her baby, just like a rape victim would have been warned in advance not to go down dark alleys in the most dangerous parts of South Africa and then does it anyway while drunk and at night wearing very little clothes. Are we saying that he/she deserves that? I certainly am not and before anyone says it’s not the same thing then I know… no two incidents are ever, ever the exact same but these examples are all relative. We can’t just pick and choose when it’s ok to victim blame.

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    Mute Jonathan Foley
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    Nov 27th 2018, 4:27 PM

    @John Mullin: He went to the island. Got arrows fired at him while shouting “My name is John. I love you and Jesus loves you.” That clearly wasn’t enough of a warning as he returned the next day for more of the same and it didn’t end well. Not exactly a genius.

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    Mute John Mullin
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    Nov 27th 2018, 7:46 PM

    @Jonathan Foley: that’s exactly my point, he was naive or simple minded but not evil like some here are painting the poor man. He didn’t deserve that ending

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    Mute Stephen Duffy
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    Nov 24th 2018, 9:19 PM

    Aside from this tragic incident it is fascinating that there are tribes that civilisation hasn’t reached..

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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    Nov 25th 2018, 10:15 AM

    @Stephen Duffy: amazing with only 50 inhabitants how they haven’t wiped themselves out

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    Mute Dave O'Hanlon
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    Nov 24th 2018, 7:26 PM

    Its a lot like Dalkey really isn’t it.

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    Mute Thomas Devlin
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    Nov 25th 2018, 12:06 AM

    @Dave O’Hanlon: no the Islanders are real people

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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    Nov 25th 2018, 12:10 AM

    @Thomas Devlin: the same isolated tribe as those who ate Michael Rockefeller

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    Mute travelminder
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    Nov 24th 2018, 6:52 PM

    Nice article oh wait its a copy paste!

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    Mute The Supreme Being
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    Nov 24th 2018, 7:46 PM

    Christianity. Ruining lives since the year 0.

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    Mute Graham Light
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    Nov 24th 2018, 7:55 PM

    @The Supreme Being: Depends on what calender you work off

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    Mute Graham Light
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    Nov 24th 2018, 6:56 PM

    And the Award of fool of the year goes to…….” Drum roll please”………John Allen Chau. Unfortunately John cant be here with us today to collect his award. Anyway I think we can all agree, leave the Sentinelese alone they dont want to have anything to do with us. The diseases we carry will kill them and we dont need another “Human Safari” sure we have the once nobel Jarawa tribe for that, who line up beside the road now begging for sweets while tourist take photos of them.Good times

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    Mute Tom Ryan
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    Nov 24th 2018, 9:12 PM

    Ffs no wonder they don’t want any thing to do with the outside world for it was the British that put them in display in Calcutta zoo for the public in 1857

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    Mute Graham Light
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    Nov 24th 2018, 9:16 PM

    @Tom Ryan: Infact they apparently went on display before that in Australia ,two died if my memory serves me right and the other three returned, however saying that their notoriety was well known before that.

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    Mute Marie
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    Nov 25th 2018, 9:25 AM

    @Graham Light: back to the days of Marco Polo who was not welcomed either.

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    Mute Jeanniejampots
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    Nov 24th 2018, 7:09 PM

    There is a great thread on Twitter with some of the history and rewritten history of these islands and links to the YouTube videos of the guy who did “befriend” them with coconuts

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    Mute Graham Light
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    Nov 24th 2018, 7:15 PM

    @Jeanniejampots: I think what your talking about happened in the 70s and should have never happened. They didnt befriend them, They just wanted the coconuts as they dont grow on the island. Also as soon as they had the coconuts they began to get aggressive again. Apparently the males start to shake their genitals around before they attack, so a bit like Copperface Jacks

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    Mute Jeanniejampots
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    Nov 24th 2018, 7:17 PM

    @Graham Light: totally agree! hence the “” in befriend. Should just have been left alone which was the theme of the thread.

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    Mute Niall Ó Cofaigh
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    Nov 24th 2018, 9:14 PM

    While there is little doubt that this guy got what was coming to him, others ended up on the island not by choice but by storm or shipwreck, do these people deserve to have their lives protected. There is a huge moral debate, that is bypassed by the fact that this was an adult who we assume made an informed decision and is responsible for the consequences of his actions.

    However a little further south in the Andaman sea live the isolated Jawara tribe who, for several reasons, are suspected of the ritual killing babies of widows, and in one case, the killing of a baby of an unmarried mother as the baby was paler then normal. The question here, and the debate, is whether it is appropriate to ignore these activities or to interfere with the lives and ancient rituals of peoples. It does open up a moral debate (https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/14/world/asia/india-jarawas-child-murder.html) which can be hard to reconcile with modern declared human rights.

    Thankfully this seems to be a case where the human knew what he was doing and the risks – but what if a plane were to crash or a ship to wreck near the island?

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    Mute Graham Light
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    Nov 24th 2018, 9:44 PM

    @Niall Ó Cofaigh:Sorry and I dont want to sound brunt but these allegations are unfounded and only came to light after the Jawara trail i.e human safari was closed in India. Since these allegations the trail has been reopened and the Jawara have continued to die from diseases from tourists while fed sweets from the side of the road.

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    Mute David Daly
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    Nov 24th 2018, 7:17 PM

    We live in a mad oul place, they go to great lengths to track and kill animals like not too long ago a tiger for killing people but if these “untouched” islanders kill people it’s all about leaving them alone and “that guy was an idiot”. Before anyone gets on their high horse about my comment I’m simply just pointing to how we have no idea how to deal with these things really and it’s just a case of mob rule or majority votes.

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    Mute Graham Light
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    Nov 24th 2018, 7:30 PM

    @David Daly: Not too long ago we jailed gay men in this country but I think I understand what you are trying to say. However the difference being these people live in a very remote location and pose no danger to anybody they cant leave the island.

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    Mute David Daly
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    Nov 24th 2018, 9:06 PM

    @Graham Light: just the same as a bear or a lion can’t hold a gun. Put yourself in a dangerous position either known or unwittingly, you can’t put a blame on someone or something in these cases. Killing the animal isn’t going to send a message to the animal kingdom. I was just making the point that we seem to demand action in some cases but others were quite happy to sit back but it’s based on absolutely nothing. These guys killed that man because that’s what they do, bears kill people because that’s what they do but there would be a manhunt to find the bear. I dunno just an observation

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    Mute White Rabbit
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    Nov 24th 2018, 10:27 PM

    Carpet bombing is required to protect American lives.

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    Mute Graham Light
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    Nov 24th 2018, 9:12 PM

    No very valid point and I cant argue with your logic. All I can say is I dont believe the lion nor the Bear should be destroyed. Respect should be given for such magnificent beasts and unfortunately although rare these events happen.

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    Mute paul jones
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    Nov 24th 2018, 11:25 PM

    I agree he shouldn’t have been there but if he was a loved one of mine unfortunately I’d have no choice but to wipe that tribe out, just as I would if I had a child and he was bitten by snake then the snake would die. I’d probably send in some diseased fruit.

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    Mute Brian Ó Dálaigh
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    Nov 25th 2018, 12:02 AM

    @paul jones: so, if bitten by a snake, you’d kill the snake. But, if attacked by a man, you’d wipe out their entire ethnicity?

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    Mute David Daly
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    Nov 25th 2018, 12:34 AM

    @Graham Light I rest my case

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    Mute paul jones
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    Nov 25th 2018, 4:17 AM

    @Brian Ó Dálaigh: yes

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    Mute Trotter Rodney
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    Nov 25th 2018, 10:55 AM

    And this is the word of the Lord.

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    Mute Liam Russell
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    Nov 25th 2018, 12:00 PM

    50 people, must be like our indigenous tribe interbred.

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