Man trains for years to convert an uncontacted tribe in ‘Satan’s last stronghold.’ The tribe prepared for him to never leave

In November 2018, 26-year-old American missionary John Allen Chau was killed by the Sentinelese people on North Sentinel Island in the Indian Ocean.

The young adventure blogger and evangelical Christian had spent years getting ready for this trip. He believed it was his life’s purpose to bring Christianity to one of the world’s last uncontacted tribes. His death started a big debate around the world about missionary work, the rights of native people, and the dangers of trying to contact isolated communities.

According to The Guardian, Chau grew up in Vancouver, Washington, where he had two big interests that would later decide his fate. He loved outdoor adventures and was devoted to his Christian faith. As a child, he read survival stories and dreamed of following explorer missionaries like David Livingstone and Bruce Olson. When he was in high school, he first learned about the Sentinelese through a missionary website called the Joshua Project. The website said they were people who needed to know about God. It asked people to pray for the Indian government to let Christians live among them.

In his diary entries from the island, Chau wrote about why he went there. “Lord, is this island Satan’s last stronghold where none have heard or even had the chance to hear your name?” he wrote. He thought the island was “Satan’s last stronghold on Earth” and felt he had to share the gospel with the people there. Even after being shot at with an arrow that went through his Bible during an earlier try, Chau went back to the island several more times.

He spent years getting ready for the trip

Chau did not just suddenly decide to go. He spent almost 10 years getting ready for the trip. In 2017, he went to missionary training with All Nations, a Christian group based in Kansas City. The training included going through fake native villages where staff members pretended to be angry natives with fake spears. He learned medical skills and became certified as a wilderness emergency medical worker. He also took language classes, got 13 shots to protect against diseases, had laser eye surgery, and stayed away from other people for 11 days. He did this so he would not give the tribe any sicknesses from the outside world.

Chau paid local fishermen $400 to take him close to the island in November 2018. On November 16, he went to the shore by himself. The fishermen later said they saw the tribe members pulling his body across the beach and burying it. Indian police tried to get the body back but later gave up. They said it was too risky because the tribe might attack them.

The Sentinelese have lived alone for thousands of years. Indian law protects them and makes it against the law to go within five miles of the island. The tribe has always been unfriendly to outsiders. In 2006, they killed two fishermen who came to the island. People think there are between 50 and 400 tribe members, but no one knows for sure. The Indian government has a policy to watch the island from far away but not bother the people. This protects both the tribe and anyone who might try to visit from dangerous encounters.

His father later said the missionary community was to blame for putting extreme Christian ideas in his son’s head. He called his son an innocent child who died because of these dangerous beliefs. All Nations, the group that trained Chau, called him a martyr. They said the “privilege of sharing the gospel has often involved great cost.” Many people said Chau’s actions were careless. They said he could have brought diseases to the tribe that might have killed all of them. The story made people ask questions about whether it is right to contact isolated communities. It also raised concerns about whether extreme religious beliefs can lead to tragedy.