A journal belonging to the American missionary killed by members of a remote, uncontacted tribe last week reveals he feared for his life in the days leading up to his death.
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John Allen Chau, 27, was reportedly killed by bow and arrow after attempting to minister to the tribe on North Sentinel Island, who reject contact with the outside world and are known to act aggressively towards visitors.
The Washington Post has obtained the journal he kept before his death, revealing that he attempted to speak to the Sentinelese people days before fishermen reportedly saw members of the tribe bury his body on the beach.
“I hollered, ‘My name is John, I love you and Jesus loves you,’” Chau wrote from the fishing boat he used to access the island, adding that he attempted to sing “worship songs” to them on November 14.
He said young members of the tribe responded by firing arrows in his direction, and that one of the projectiles struck his Bible. He returned to the boat afterwards.
Two days later, he recognised that some people might see his quest as ill-advised, writing “you guys might think I’m crazy in all this but I think it’s worthwhile to declare Jesus to these people”.
In his final note before returning to the island, Chau wrote “God, I don’t want to die.”
Indian authorities are struggling to devise a plan to retrieve his body from the island. Although the Andaman Island chain falls under Indian jurisdiction, there are laws in place keeping outsiders from interfering with the tribe.
