Negrito – Indigenous Peoples of Southeast Asia and the Andaman Islands The term Negrito refers to various indigenous ethnic groups found in isolated parts of Southeast Asia and the Andaman Islands. These groups include the Andamanese peoples of India (such as the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, and the uncontacted Sentinelese), the Semang of Peninsular Malaysia, the Maniq of southern Thailand, and numerous tribal communities across the Philippines, including the Aeta, Ati, Mamanwa, and Tumandok. Despite being spread across different regions, these communities share similar physical traits, such as short stature and dark skin, which led early European colonists to group them under the Spanish term Negrito, meaning “little black person.”…