A missionary’s journey to the world’s most isolated tribe | Forensic Files

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our website i revealed myself to those who did not ask for me i was found by those who did not seek me
to a nation that did not call on my name i said here am i here am i all day long i have held out my hands to
an obstinate people who walk in ways not good pursuing their own imaginations [Music]
at the age of 10 john alan chow stumbled across a copy of robinson crusoe in his
father's study the classic novel tells of a sailor shipwrecked on a deserted island
captivated by the tale john told his dad he wanted to live on a tropical island one day
born in alabama in 1991 john chow spent most of his childhood in vancouver washington
it was in the wilderness around his home where john developed a lifelong passion
for the outdoors as he got older this love of nature morphed into something deeper
he saw it as a means to connect more fully with god john was raised as an evangelical
christian and faith played a critical role in his life as he devoured christian literature and
stories john found himself attracted to one facet of the religion in particular missionaries
mission work has been a part of christianity since its inception verses in the gospel of matthew quote
jesus christ as telling his apostles to make disciples of all nations these passages are known as the great
commission and have led some christians to believe they must save souls through conversion
as a teenager john chao encountered stories from the 19th and 20th centuries about famous missionaries who had
converted people in africa and south america in an article published by outsider
magazine journalist alex perry describes how jon felt a particular affinity to american
missionary jim elliot elliot's mission failed however when he was killed by an isolated ecuadorian
tribe in 2008 john experienced his first taste of missionary life when he traveled to
mexico to help build an orphanage the trip was a success it inspired jon mission work was the perfect path for
him john returned from mexico curious about other places where he might complete a
mission he turned to the joshua project based in colorado springs the joshua project is a christian organization that
collates information on ethnic groups around the world to provide data for missionaries
visitors to the joshua project website can scroll through its databases of unreached peoples the organization's
term for non-christian cultures users can search by language country or religion to find more than six thousand
societies that are deemed in need of saving john didn't want to go to a destination
where others had already been he wanted to reach people far away in the kind of remote locations he'd only
ever read about clicking through the joshua project website john discovered a page that
caught his eye it showed a tiny blurry photo taken from the safety of a boat it showed a small group of people
gathered on a beach's shoreline naked except for some loin cloths the entry was titled
sentinelese in india in the late 1870s british naval officer maurice portman sailed through the bay
of bengal 1 370 kilometers east of india's mainland around him were the andaman islands an
archipelago of over 800 separate islands characterized by white sand beaches lush
rainforests crystal clear lagoons and colourful coral reefs portman had been made officer in charge
of the andamanese for the next 20 years he traveled from ireland to ireland to quote civilize the
native peoples often times using force in january 1880 portman arrived on an island known as north sentinel a
forested landmass roughly the size of manhattan after days of searching portman discovered the island's inhabitants the
sentinelese people theorised to have migrated to the island from the african continent tens of
thousands of years prior the sentinelese were a hunter-gatherer society that lived in makeshift hearts
the adults stood between five foot three to five foot five and their skin was described as quote shining black
the islanders fled from portman and his group of armed men and local trackers undeterred they continued their search
of the island until they came across an older couple and their child the man raised his bow but was tackled
and disarmed before being taken hostage along with his family [Music] portman also managed to capture three
more children and took the six abducted sentinelese back to his house in port blair the region's capital on south
andaman island not long after their arrival the couple grew sick and died realising their illness was likely due
to their contact with the outside world portman quickly sent the children back to north sentinel island along with an
abundance of gifts he didn't want to ruin his chances at making connections with the community
portman later wrote about the incident noting this expedition was not a success we cannot be said to have done anything
more than increase their general terror of and hostility to all comers after maurice portman's ill-fated trip
he kept trying to go back to north sentinel but he never established a relationship
with the island's inhabitants many attribute his inhumane and fatal actions as to why the sentinelese remain
famously wary of outsiders to this day throughout the years many others have attempted to reach out to the small
population but have been met with hostilities the sentinelese have made it clear that
they desire isolation above all else [Music] attempts at settlement in the 18th century devastated the five indigenous
communities that resided on several of the andaman islands foreign infectious diseases and the
introduction of drugs and alcohol by invaders decimated the native peoples one tribe became extinct
only one group managed to resist outsiders the sentinelese considered the most secluded tribe in the world
it's believed that their population currently ranges between 100 and 150 the indian government has made it
illegal for anyone to visit north sentinel island or even go within three miles of it both for the protection of
the highly vulnerable residents and that of any would-be visitors [Music] the joshua project's write-up about the
sentinelese explained that their language was unwritten and had no biblical resources
it did note that visiting the island was banned but concluded sentinelese people need to know that the
creator god exists and that he loves them and paid the price for their sins as soon as seventeen-year-old john chow
read about the sentinelese in 2009 he felt certain of one thing he had discovered his destiny
north sentinel was the last frontier he'd dreamed of since childhood a remote unexplored island with residents who
needed to hear christ's message and it had been left near untouched for him alone to discover and save
john began to speak of the sentinelese often and openly one day his father patrick overheard
john talking about the island with some friends john knew his plan was dangerous but at
the same time the risk made it all the more important patrick felt nothing but dismay
this didn't sound like a plan that would work out well for his son between 2012 and 2015
john flew to cape town for a university mission trip went to kurdistan with a christian soccer charity and took an
evangelical tour of israel then in october 2015 he finally made his way to india
over the next few years jon would travel to the andamans a total of four times as he spent more time there he became
increasingly convinced of going to north sentinel he noticed a number of signs that
pointed to him being the only person who could convert the sentinelese his chinese heritage helped him blend in
with the local fishermen so he'd be better placed to sneak out to the island when the time finally came
and like the sentinelese john was on the smaller side at 5'6 and 130 pounds this would make him appear less
threatening to the tribe in the summer of 2017 john attended a two-month course on translating the
bible into new languages at the canadian institute of linguistics his dream was to learn sentinelese a
language known by no one except the islanders and interpret the bible for them if the tribe accepted him jon hoped to
stay with them for many years maybe even forever in october 2017 he flew to missouri to
participate in a rigorous three-week long boot camp with missionary organization all nations
the program was intended to teach john how to interact with foreigners who had little or no understanding of
christianity in one instance john was blindfolded and driven to an isolated location
he had to walk until he came across a pretend village members of all nations dressed in
clothes from thrift stores and carried spears in an effort to look like remote tribespeople
they pretended they couldn't understand what john was saying and took on hostile
postures john thrived during his training the organizers were very impressed by him
john avoided romantic relationships so he'd have fewer ties to home he got vaccinations for 13 infectious
diseases he stuck to a healthy diet and exercised regularly sometimes he took his kayak out in
choppy waters to practice what it might be like to row out to north sentinel over the course of two years he read
more than 100 books on mission work and anthropology he also sought advice from others who
had completed missions with uncontacted peoples according to gq magazine john put
together a 27-step plan outlining how he would undertake his mission first he'd win the sentinelese over with
gifts and would use drawings to communicate his desire to stay with them then he'd learn the language and
translate relatable stories from the bible for them once he forged good relationships with
the tribe's leaders the entire group would join the christian faith by fall of 2018 john chow was finally
ready he booked a flight to port blair and landed on october 16. days later he caught a 10-hour ferry to
the island of little andaman it lay some distance south of north sentinel and was home to the yonki tribe
one of the other remaining indaminese peoples according to outside magazine john hoped
to convince some of them to accompany him to north sentinel but was unable to for reasons unknown
on november 3 john traveled back to port blair his mission was one he'd have to undertake alone
perhaps it was better that way the sentinelese would be less threatened by one person than a group
john entered a self-imposed quarantine for the next 11 days he gathered supplies including pencils
tools multivitamins medicine abdominal pad dressings and dental forceps to remove arrows that might be shot at him
john also collected gifts that he would offer the islanders safety pins scissors tweezers fishing
line and hooks one day two friends of john's showed up both were evangelical christians from
america and were aware of his plan john was excited when one of them shared good news
they had found some people who were willing to help him reach his goal case file will be back shortly thank you
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a crew of local fishermen had agreed to take john out to north sentinel they couldn't speak english but they
were christians and were sympathetic to john's cause because they'd be taking a great risk by
helping him they wanted 25 000 rupees the equivalent of 360 us dollars john readily agreed
a plan was made for them to set sail for the island on the evening of wednesday november 14.
hours before they were due to leave john scribbled an entry in his journal he asked god for help and gave thanks
for being shaped and molded as christ's ambassador sailing under cover of darkness the crew
was careful to avoid the indian coast guard as they approached north sentinel jon
spotted three large fires burning on its eastern shoreline but lights from boats in the distance
prompted the crew to head south to avoid being caught by authorities they moored and waited for dawn to break
when he closed his eyes john saw what he could only describe as a vision built across an island was a city
skyline topped with the jagged spires the scene was cast in a purple coloured hue
john saw a meteorite fall to earth he felt troubled and uneasy but then the purple light and sharp
spires faded they were replaced with a pure white glow john was no longer scared
at 4 30 a.m the crew steered the boat into a cove on the west side of the island
a large hut crafted by the sentinelese was visible on the shore a few hours later
john began his approach he loaded up a kayak with his gifts and personal documents as well as two large
fish that his crewmates had caught john paddled towards the shore as he drew closer he heard women yell
and cry out he kept rowing two sentinelese men suddenly appeared and ran towards him both carrying bows
and arrows john called out my name is john i love you and to jesus loves you jesus christ gave me authority to come
to you here is some fish the men ignored him and knocked arrows into their bows john hastily threw one of the fish
towards them then the other before paddling backwards to a safe distance the sentinelese men retrieved the fish
john decided to return to the boat for now hours later john was ready for his second attempt
this time he paddled his kayak loaded up with more fish and gifts to the island's
north shore once again the sentinelese shouted upon seeing the stranger when six sentinelese men called out
words that john couldn't understand he tried to mimic them in an effort to communicate
this caused the group to laugh then two islanders dropped their weapons and steered a handmade canoe out to meet
him john delivered the fish and some presents from a distance the encounter seemed to be going well
then a young woman and a child emerged from the dense forest and walked towards the sand
both thaming bows at him john gestured that they should drop their weapons they ignored him
by this time the waves had picked up and john's kayak drifted towards some shallow coral behind him blocking him in
wondering if this was his moment of reckoning john pulled out his waterproof bible and recited verses from the book
of genesis one unarmed islander stood just inches away so jon handed him more gifts
when he got out of his kayak to show that he had two legs just as they did the sentinelese saw an opportunity and
seized his vessel john held his bible in front of his chest still speaking to the crowd
then the young boy who'd been aiming a bow released an arrow directly at him it landed in the middle of john's bible
he yanked the arrow from the book threw it back towards the boy then dove into the water
with his kayak gone he had no choice but to swim back to the boat fit and strong john was able to power
through the water quite easily he breathed a sigh of relief when he finally reached the boat
when he checked his bible john saw that the arrow had pierced the book of isaiah
chapter 63 verse 5 to chapter 65 verse 2. in the scripture the prophet isaiah predicts imminent judgment but eventual
restoration for obstinate people one section begins i revealed myself to those who did not
ask for me and goes on to encourage the reader to reach out to those who walk in ways not
good in order to get them to commit to faith john was shaken he'd known that being shot at was a
probable outcome of his attempts it was well recorded that the sentinelese pelted intruders with rocks
spears and arrows but the experience had scared and upset jon nonetheless plus when he lost his kayak he had also
lost everything it contained including his passport and official documents in his journal john debated what to do
would it be wiser to leave and let someone else continue no i don't think so i'm stuck here anyway without a passport
it almost seems like certain death to stay here yet there is evidential change in two
encounters in a single day decided to rest on the boat overnight to regain his strength then try again early
the following morning he was afraid of dying but he was even more worried about who would take on the
role of saving the sentinelese if he gave up on his mission as he watched the sunset
john began to cry he knew it might be the last time he ever saw such a sight he missed his family and friends
none of the fishermen could speak english and john desperately wanted someone to talk to
the next morning he woke early to write once more in his journal and pen some letters to his friends and family
a little after 6 20 am john stripped down to his underpants so he would more closely resemble the naked
islanders he got back in the water then he began swimming in the direction of the hut he'd visited the previous day
that day the five fishermen who'd taken john out to north sentinel remained at sea completing their usual work schedule
afterwards they spent another night out on the boat then the following day they headed back
to north sentinel to check on john they strained their eyes as they steered around the perimeter of the island
then they noticed something a few of the sentinelese were using rope to drag something across the sand
it was a human corpse with the rope wrapped around the neck nearby was a recently dug grave
the fisherman recognized the body instantly it was john chow they watched as the sentinelese dropped
jon into the grave and buried him the fisherman rushed back to port blair word soon got back to john's mother
linda a missing person's report was immediately issued the andaman's director of police had
north sentinel island scanned from the sky and water but none of the officers could see any
sign of jon on november 21 police issued a press release titled urgent death of u.s
national it detailed how 26 year old john alan chau had been killed during a misplaced
adventure trying to interact with uncontacted peoples in a highly restricted area
the bizarre story caught the attention of the world's media many criticized the jon's decision to
attempt a mission in the area by doing so he had not only broken the law but shown extreme disregard for the
survival of the sentinelese and their culture [Music] some expressed regret that jon had been
killed while also pointing out that his actions had been stupid at best others were more scathing describing jon
as dumb with a misguided sense of moral superiority the director of survival international a
group that advocates for indigenous riots issued a statement that read the sentinelese have shown again and
again that they want to be left alone and their wishes should be respected i hope this tragedy acts as a wake-up
call to the indian authorities to avert another disaster and properly protect the lands of both the sentinelese and
the other andaman tribes from further invaders all nations the missionary organization
that john had trained with also released a statement it concluded throughout church history the privilege
of sharing the gospel has often involved a great cost we pray that john's sacrificial efforts
will bear eternal fruit in due season indian law enforcement was faced with the difficult question of what to do in
the wake of john's death in his final letter to his family john had acknowledged the likelihood
that he could die and requested that his body not be retrieved the police agreed with this
attempting to do so would be too dangerous both for their officials and the sentinelese
the killing of john chow raised a unique ethical question he was by definition murdered
however those responsible for his death were extremely isolated from modern society and oblivious to the laws that
govern it the process of accessing the island to formally charge inhabitants was yet
another risky proposition both for law enforcement and the islanders though it was considered initially
this notion was quickly put to rest when the u.s government announced that it had
not asked the indian government to pursue any sort of sanctions against the tribe
nor would they do so themselves most members of the public believed the blame for john chow's murder lay
entirely at his own feet that he had invited the aggression of the tribe as it was well known that they
violently resisted outsiders unlike the sentinelese those who'd taken jon to meet with his killers could be
pursued illegally the five fishermen had broken the law by abetting john's trip to the island
they were all arrested as was a local tour guide and the friend john stayed with in port blair
the wife of one of the fishermen told the new york times i am frustrated hearing john's
name he has filled my family with sorrow for our whole life the chow family asked for the release of
the arrested individuals as they knew such a development would have deeply upset jon
the arrestees were soon freed on bail as of the release of this episode there has been no news as to how prosecution
is proceeding in july 2020 news website op india reported that anderman police were
planning to send a summons letter to john chow's two american friends who visited port blair in the days before
his death they had put him in touch with the fishermen investigators had hinted that they
believed john had been brainwashed into completing his mission although there are many records showing
it had been his personal passion project for many years john's father patrick has been the most
outspoken member of the family openly blaming what he calls an extreme brand of christianity for his son's death
in emails he exchanged with a journalist from the guardian patrick described religion as the opium of the masses
and said john's fixation with faith had been a long-standing issue between the two of them
the chows have left john's instagram account online as a tribute to his life comments are now restricted but all of
john's photos from his many adventures remain visible the final and most recent picture is one
his family uploaded several days after his death it features a photograph of john beaming
in front of a rushing river with mountains in the distance it is accompanied by the caption
words cannot express the sadness we have experienced he was a beloved son brother
uncle and best friend to us he loved god life helping those in need and had nothing but love for the sentinelese
people we forgive those reportedly responsible for his death he ventured out on his own free will
[Music] john chow remains buried on north sentinel island in his final letter to his friends and
family penned november 16 2018 he wrote [Music] you guys might think i'm crazy in all
this but i think it's worth it to declare jesus to these people this is not a pointless thing
the eternal lives of this tribe are at hand and i can't wait to see them around the throne of god worshiping in their
language as revelation chapter 7 verses 9 to 10 states i love you all and i pray none of you
love anything in this world more than jesus christ written from the cove on the south west
dish of north sentinel islands [Music] [Music] in 2016 case file covered the disappearance of 22 year old shano
callahan all you can see is headlights of a car flashing it's blatantly obvious that she got in that car whoever had
taken her had done it for criminal purposes now hear firsthand from loved ones and
lead investigator steve fulcher as we unravel how the case unfolded and the minefield of legal and ethical dilemmas
encountered along the way therefore there's only one way to do this it was at that point that steve
fortune decided to take an extraordinary gamble her life is my responsibility all
i could do was plead with him for her life when a killer confesses do you listen he said you and i should
have a chat the fact of his guilt was unequivocal but what if one interpretation of the
law says you shouldn't accept the confession when he got taken to swindon he got a
lawyer all that conversation those vital confessions disappeared of no value what they were doing what
were they doing what happens to the cop who believes he's making the right choice the whole reason we were there
was losing sight what was wrong in getting a confession from a murderer it obviously rehearsed
this line that he ended with which was it was a pleasure to ruin your career you corrupt bastard if it had been your
loved one steve bulger was looking for what would you have wanted him to do to crucify somebody
for trying his best to get closure for two families doesn't make a lot of sense case file presents the detective's
dilemma available for free on march 14 only on spotify [Music]

Case 208: John Chau

In 2018, American missionary John Chau sailed out to North Sentinel, a forested island off the coast of India. He intended to spread the word of God to the Sentinelese, a small population of indigenous people considered the most remote tribe in the world. Yet, the Sentinelese have made it very clear to outsiders that they desire isolation above all else...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-208-john-chau

Brief Summary

John Chow's missionary journey leads to his death at the hands of the Sentinelese tribe, raising ethical questions about his actions.

Key points

John Chow's Mission Begins. At 17, John Chow discovers the Sentinelese and feels destined to reach them.
First Encounter with the Sentinelese. John attempts to communicate with the Sentinelese but faces hostility.
A Dangerous Decision. After being shot at, John contemplates the risks of his mission.
John Chow's Tragic Adventure. John Chow, a 26-year-old missionary, was killed while trying to contact an uncontacted tribe.
Ethical Dilemmas Post-Death. John's death raised questions about the responsibilities of outsiders and the tribe's isolation.
Family's Heartfelt Tribute. John's family shared their grief and forgiveness after his tragic death.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Here am I, here am I.

0:45WatchApr 23, 2022

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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