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In the Indian Ocean, an isolated tribe lives on a secluded island, armed with spears and bows, known for their hostility towards outsiders who venture too near.
Despite the dangers, some missionaries remain determined to make contact with the North Sentinel Islanders.
Mary Ho, leader of the Christian missionary organization All Nations International, expressed that courageous missionaries may once again attempt to reach the enigmatic Sentinelese, considered the world’s most isolated community.
In an exclusive conversation with the Daily Mail, Ho mentioned that her group isn’t planning a new mission to North Sentinel Island soon, following their 2018 effort. However, she emphasized that the island remains a potential target for future missions.
“We have no specific restrictions regarding North Sentinel Island,” Ho stated, pointing out that various mission organizations exist and will pursue their own paths, regardless of her group’s involvement.
Her remarks come in the wake of a new film, “Last Days,” which revives discussions about John Allen Chau, the 26-year-old missionary from Washington state, who was killed by the islanders in November 2018.
John Allen Chau (pictured), 26, a missionary, was killed while trying to convert a remote tribe to Christianity
The controversy around his mission has been reignited by the release of Hollywood movie Last Days (pictured)
Chau was part of Ho’s organization, which trains and equips missionaries to spread Christianity in the most remote corners of the globe.
His death shocked the world and unleashed a storm of criticism against All Nations.
Critics accused the group of being reckless, arrogant and even dangerous – pushing a naive young man into the path of certain death.
Chau’s father, Patrick Chau, said All Nations was part of a ‘whirlpool of radical faith’ and that his ‘innocent’ son had been manipulated by ‘extreme Christianity’ into a fatal mission.
Survival International, a UK-based nonprofit that campaigns for isolated peoples, called the mission ‘reckless and dangerous.’
But Ho stood firm. She insisted to the Daily Mail that Chau’s journey to North Sentinel Island was no reckless stunt, adding that it was nearly a decade in the making.
‘John himself was extremely well-trained,’ she told the Daily Mail.
‘He was probably one of the most equipped young men I know.’
From the age of 18, Chau felt ‘called’ to reach the Sentinelese, Ho said.
She claimed that he shaped every part of his life around that mission – studying sports medicine, training as an EMT, staying single, and toughening his body and faith for the challenge ahead.
In 2018, Chau finally set off for the Andaman Islands, between India and Myanmar.
Under Indian law, it is illegal to approach within 3 nautical miles of North Sentinel Island, part of the archipelago, to prevent violence and protect the native tribe from disease.
Experts say even a mild cold could devastate the population as they lack immunity to modern pathogens.
Chau was met with hostility from the tribe on North Sentinel Island (pictured) and his final attempt to make contact would prove to be fatal
Chau (pictured), 26, was killed after he went ashore on North Sentinel Island, off the coast of India, in 2018
He had previously visited the Andaman Islands, which includes North Sentinel Island, in 2015 and 2016 – his goal was to return to build a long-term relationship
He paid local fishermen $325 to ferry him close to shore, towing his kayak for the final leg of the journey.
His diary shows how he tried to befriend the tribe – leaving gifts, singing hymns and shouting messages of love.
But the Sentinelese rejected his advances, and a boy shot an arrow that pierced his Bible, an entry in his journal claimed.
Chau fled, but vowed to return.
The next morning, he swam back toward the beach – but this time, he never left.
The fishermen later reported that they saw tribesmen dragging his body across the sand and burying it.
Indian police decided it was too dangerous to retrieve Chau’s remains. The fishermen were arrested for helping him reach the island.
Chau’s death divided the world – and even the Christian community.
Some hailed him as a martyr who died for his faith. Others said he was a fool who ignored the islanders’ clear wish to be left alone.
Ho said his death left a ‘deep, deep mark’ on All Nations, a tight-knit community of about 400 missionaries and field workers.
‘We didn’t just train and send John,’ she said. ‘He ate at our table, played with our children and was a friend to many of us.’
All Nations has since introduced stricter security checks and tougher training for anyone going into dangerous or remote regions.
Mary Ho (pictured), head of the Christian missionary group All Nations International, says future missions to North Sentinel Island are possible
John Allen Chau is played by Sky Yang in the movie about his life and death, Last Days (pictured)
The two-hour movie was directed by Justin Lin, best known for the Fast & Furious franchise
Still, All Nations has not banned returning to North Sentinel Island – though it remains illegal under Indian law.
Instead, Ho said, members now take a ‘posture of prayer’ for the islanders, asking God to one day open the door for peaceful contact.
Ho defended Chau’s motives fiercely.
She told the Daily Mail he was not driven by arrogance or a desire for glory, but by compassion and faith.
He wasn’t planning to charge in preaching, she said, but to live quietly among the Sentinelese and show kindness.
‘His goal was to be their friend and advocate,’ Ho claimed.
‘Showing love and compassion rather than proselytizing.’
She said he took extraordinary precautions to protect the tribe, including vaccinating himself, quarantining before his trip and minimizing risk of infection.
Last Days, directed by Fast & Furious filmmaker Justin Lin, dramatizes Chau’s fatal mission.
Sky Yang plays Chau, and Radhika Apte plays the Indian detective trying to stop him.
Lin said in a statement that the story made him question his assumptions about missionaries.
‘I’m not religious, so I couldn’t wrap my head around someone’s motivation to kayak to a remote island, potentially bringing disease and other dangers with them,’ Lin said.
‘Then I saw his face and thought, “That’s somebody’s kid, that’s somebody’s brother. Who am I to judge someone so quickly?”‘
The film recreates his All Nations ‘boot camp’ in Missouri, which included a mock hostile village where staff waved fake spears.
Chau’s father later claimed the 26-year-old (pictured) was an ‘innocent child’ who died from trying to realize an ‘extreme vision’ of Christianity
At the time, the Daily Mail obtained the letter Chau wrote to his parents prior to his death that detailed how he was committed to teaching the tribe about Jesus
It has reignited fierce arguments about the ethics of missionary work and the rights of uncontacted peoples.
For Lin, it is a ‘cautionary tale of how the pressures of ambition and conviction, when not tempered by accountability and wisdom, can overshadow discernment and lead to tragic consequences.’
The Sentinelese – with an unknown population estimated at between 50 and 200 – are hunter-gatherers who have lived in isolation for thousands of years.
Indian authorities monitor the island’s waters closely to stop anyone from approaching.
Yet Chau hasn’t been the last to try.
In April 2025, YouTuber Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov was arrested after illegally landing on North Sentinel Island.
The ‘thrill-seeking’ influencer documented his dinghy ride to the island – and reportedly left behind a can of Diet Coke.
The stunt was condemned around the world and reminded everyone of Chau’s fate.
For All Nations, Chau remains a symbol of sacrifice and faith.
Each November, members honor his life and mission by praying for the people who killed him.
Ho knows many see his story as one of tragedy and folly. But to her, it is something deeper.
Chau (pictured) organized his visit to the island through a friend who hired several fishermen for $325 to take him there on a boat
The Chau family posted this statement to Instagram following the death of the missionary, saying they had ‘forgiven those reportedly responsible’
‘We know John,’ she told the Daily Mail. ‘He was humble, loving, and very intentional. That’s the man we honor.’
Ho accepts that the world may never agree on Chau’s legacy, or on whether anyone should ever return to North Sentinel Island.
But speaking to the Daily Mail, she was certain of one thing: Missionaries will keep trying.
The world’s most isolated tribe: Who are the Sentinelese and why are they hostile to outsiders?
The Sentinelese tribe has attacked almost everyone who has entered their territory, according to local officials.
Because of their rejection of the outside world, little is known about them – including what they call themselves.
What is known has been gleaned from viewing the people from boats moored far enough away from the tribespeople, who have been seen carrying spears, bows and arrows, or from the few times the tribe allowed authorities to come close enough to hand over coconuts to the locals.
The Sentinelese attracted international attention in the wake of the 2004 Asian tsunami, when a member of the tribe was photographed on a beach, firing arrows at a helicopter that was checking on their welfare.
Today, the island is out of bounds even for the Indian navy in a bid to protect its reclusive inhabitants who have an unknown population estimated at between 50 and 200, according to several sources.
The Sentinelese attracted international attention in the wake of the 2004 Asian tsunami, when a member of the tribe was photographed on a beach, firing arrows at a helicopter (pictured)
Campaigns by non-profit and local organizations have led the Indian government to abandon plans to contact the Sentinelese.
Survival International works to ensure that no further attempts are made to contact the tribe.
It is now illegal to have any contact with the tribe, and the Indian government said even taking photographs or making videos of aboriginal Andaman tribes would be punishable with imprisonment of up to three years.
They say the Sentinelese have thrived on the small forested island, which is approximately the size of Manhattan, for up to 55,000 years.
The women have been seen wearing fiber strings tied around their waists, necks and heads. The men have also been spotted in necklaces and headbands, but with a thicker waist belt.
From a distance, they appear healthy and thriving, and observers have noted many children and pregnant women at times.
According to Survival, the Sentinelese hunt and gather in the forest, and fish in the coastal waters by make narrow outrigger canoes, which can only be used in shallow waters as they are steered and propelled with a pole.
