Shompen

For the frst time, members of the Shompen, one of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) took part in the election process by casting their votes in the Andaman and Nicobar Lok Sabha constituency.

• The Shompen are an indigenous group of people who live on Great Nicobar Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• They are hunter-gatherers who hunt wild game, forage for fruits and forest foods, and farm yams, roots, vegetables, and tobacco.
• The Shompen are one of the most populated tribes in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with around 200–300 people living mainly on Great Nicobar Island.
• They were first contacted in the 1840s and are designated as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
• They have nuclear families comprising husband, wife, and their unmarried children.
• The family is controlled by the eldest male member, who controls all activities of the women and kids.
• Monogamy is the general rule, although polygamy is allowed too.