In 2010, with the death of Boa SR, yes Extinct forever the Bo languageone of the oldest idioms of the Andaman Islands. This event marked the end of a cultural bond of beyond 65,000 years with one of the oldest indigenous communities in the world.
Boa Sr was the last person to speak this language fluently, but in the last years of his life in his mother tongue. The disappearance of the Bo represented an irreparable loss not only for its community, but also for the Anthropological and linguistic research.
The Andaman Islands, located in the Gulf of Bengala and governed by India, have undergone profound changes from the arrival of the British colonizers in 1858. The impact of colonization led to a drastic decline of the indigenous populationdecimated by diseases and conflicts. Over the years, many tribes have tried to preserve their independence by taking refuge in the forests and rejecting strangers, but the construction of roads and the expansion of modernization have accelerated the Process of assimilation and cultural loss.
Thanks to the Anvita linguist, have some words, stories and songs of this language survive
Boa Sr lived dramatic historical events, from Japanese employment during the Second World War to the 2004 tsunami, who managed to survive climbing a tree. Without multiple interlocutors in his language, it is said that in recent years he has started contact birds and natureas if he were looking for a dialogue with the only world that still included it.
The Anvita Linguista Abbi has dedicated years to the study of the Bo language and to the documentation of the latest oral testimonies of Boa Sr. thanks to her, Some words, stories and songs of this language survivealthough they can no longer be used for daily communication.
The extinction of the Bo represents an emblematic case of the fragility of indigenous languages in the face of globalization and external pressures. Organizations such as Survival International have underlined the importance of protecting the still existing cultures, so that other communities do not undergo the same fate. Unfortunately, however, with the loss of Boa SR it is A unique piece of human history has vanishedleaving us with the warning of how urgent it is to preserve the linguistic diversity of the world.
