'Natives of North Andaman'. Photograph by E H Man. © Royal Pavilion, Libraries & Museums

Brighton Museum & Art Gallery holds more than 150 objects and 50 photographs relating to life on the Andaman Islands. The objects include a large number of bows, arrows and spears, also clothing, accessories, domestic and ceremonial items. Most were collected by Edward Horace Man and Richard Carnac Temple, both of whom worked on the Islands in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The photographs were taken by Man who, in addition to his colonial duties, was a passionate amateur anthropologist.

The Andaman Islands are made up of 204 islands. Two of the main island groups are Great Andaman and Little Andaman. The capital of the area, including the Nicobar Islands, is Port Blair.

Before British presence took its toll, many indigenous communities thrived on the islands. Each community was distinctive but shared a nomadic lifestyle. Many traditional objects used by the Andaman people can be linked to hunting, including bows, arrows and harpoons. Pigs and turtles were valuable catches and the dugong, a marine animal, was also highly prized. The skulls of these animals were often kept as trophies because they were so difficult to catch.

The dress and accessories in Brighton Museum's collection were worn by different Andamanese communities. Because the islands have a warm climate, clothes such as these were worn to decorate rather than to protect the body.

Today, there are large Bangladeshi and Indian populations on the Islands, and only two indigenous communities remain, the Jarawa and the Onge. Although these people live in isolation, away from immigrant communities, life has changed significantly since the colonial period. Most of the objects in the collection are no longer used.