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Adam Johnson's 'The Wayfinder' charts an indigenous people before colonial disruption | Houston Public Media

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  Published in Media and Entertainment on Thursday, October 9th 2025 at 15:52 GMT by Houston Public Media
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In the Wayfinder: Adam Johnson charts the story of an Indigenous people who were never colonized

In a fresh installment of Houston Public Media’s “Wayfinder” series, host Adam Johnson takes listeners on a rare journey to the remote Bay of Bengal, to the island that is home to the Sentinelese—an Indigenous people who, to date, have never been colonized. The episode, released on October 9, 2025, is a deep dive into one of the world’s most elusive cultures, and a reminder that the colonial narrative that has dominated the history of Indigenous peoples worldwide is not universal.

A Remote Island, a Living Legacy

North Sentinel Island sits in the Andaman archipelago, a cluster of islands that has long fascinated anthropologists, maritime explorers, and now, a Houston public‑radio team. The Sentinelese, numbering perhaps 50–200 individuals, live a hunter‑gatherer life that has survived largely untouched by modernity. Their language has no known relatives, their customs are transmitted orally, and the island’s shoreline is a clear demarcation between their world and the rest of the planet.

Johnson explains that the first contact between the Sentinelese and outsiders was in the 18th century, when a Spanish explorer reportedly “hunted the people on the island, and the natives were unaccustomed to foreign bodies.” Yet, unlike many other Indigenous groups, the Sentinelese were never colonized by a nation‑state. They never signed a treaty, never accepted a flag, and never accepted the hand of a colonial power. Their relationship with the outside world has been a cautious, often hostile one—most Indian Coast Guard patrols have had to keep a distance to avoid provoking the island’s inhabitants.

“They have a choice to keep themselves separate,” Johnson says in the episode. “That’s a powerful assertion of agency. It’s a story that, I think, often goes under the radar in the larger conversation about colonialism.” Johnson’s own curiosity—coupled with his background in Indigenous journalism—led him to interview fishermen who have circled North Sentinel for years and who have seen the island’s occasional shipwrecks, as well as a linguist who has studied the Sentinelese tongue from afar.

Ethical Considerations, Cultural Resilience, and the Wayfinder’s Mission

The Wayfinder series, part of Houston Public Media’s long‑running “Houston Matters” program, is dedicated to shining a light on stories that rarely get air time. Johnson has previously covered environmental justice in Gulf‑Coast communities, the resilience of Gulf‑Coast elders during Hurricane Harvey, and the intersection of culture and climate in the Texas Hill Country. The “Sentinelese” episode is the fourth in a planned trilogy that includes an exploration of the K'iche’ Maya in Guatemala and the San people of the Kalahari.

Throughout the episode, Johnson grapples with the ethical questions surrounding storytelling about a people who have chosen isolation. He asks: “How do we honor their desire for anonymity while also giving them a voice that people outside of their world can understand?” The answer, as Johnson frames it, is a commitment to listening rather than telling—a listening that acknowledges the Sentinelese’s agency and the fact that their narrative does not fit the typical “colonial victim” arc.

“It’s a story of resilience, but it’s also a story of autonomy,” Johnson notes. “They have survived because they have stayed away from the forces that have destroyed so many of their neighbors.” The episode also touches on the threat of climate change. Rising sea levels and changing fishing patterns threaten the island’s fragile ecosystem, a reminder that even isolated communities are not immune to global forces.

Takeaway: Listening, Learning, and Supporting Indigenous Voices

At its core, the Wayfinder episode is an invitation for listeners to expand their understanding of Indigenous histories beyond the canonical narratives of colonization and displacement. Johnson encourages audiences to think critically about how the term “colonized” is used—and, perhaps more importantly, how it may not apply to every Indigenous story.

The episode is available to stream on Houston Public Media’s website, as well as on major podcast platforms. Listeners can also visit the “Houston Matters” show page for additional resources, including a link to a scholarly article on the history of the Andaman Islands and a short documentary segment featuring a local fisherman’s firsthand account of the Sentinelese’s daily life.

The wayfinder’s promise is that each story is not just about telling what happened, but about giving listeners a space to consider the implications of that story in a world still grappling with the legacy of colonialism. In the case of the Sentinelese, the story is one of a people who chose to be an exception—a living, breathing testament to a different kind of Indigenous experience.

For those who want to hear more, the full episode runs a little over 55 minutes, and can be accessed by following the link in the article or searching “Wayfinder Adam Johnson Sentinelese” on your favorite podcast platform.

Listen. Learn. Engage.