The ethnobotanical knowledge of the Onge tribal community is impressive. The Italian anthropologist Lidio Cipriani, who studied the community in the 1950s, was among the first of many experts to recognize this Onge legacy. In 1966 he wrote: «In their continuous search for food, the Onge have acquired botanical and zoological knowledge that seems almost innate, and they know properties of plants and animals of which we are completely unaware. Almost every day in Little Andaman I came across this. It was enough for me to make a sketch of an animal and it was immediately clear where to find it; only thanks to them was I able to find the various amphibians, which then turned out to be new species.' Among the best-known examples of Onge knowledge is the method used to extract honey from the hives of the giant rock bee. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay To ward off bees, they use the leaves of a plant, which they call tonjoghe (Orphea katshalica). To quote Cipriani again: '... the juice of a certain plant which they call tonjoghe... has the power to discourage bees, and this knowledge (which) has been handed down from generation to generation, is applied with delightful simplicity.. There are tonjoghe bushes everywhere... Onge simply take a handful of leaves and pop them in their mouths. With vigorous chewing they are quickly reduced to a greenish mush, which is smeared all over the body... Another huge morsel is chewed on the way up and spat at the bees to ensure they are dissuaded... The bees fly away from combing without sting and the honey can be cut...' without causing harm to either the honey collector or the bees. Ignoring such knowledge, attempts are made to transmit modern technology to the Onge people. A few years ago, the Fisheries Department sent a fisheries inspector and two fishermen to Dugong Creek to teach Onge modern fishing methods. The fishermen later admitted that they had a lot to learn from the tribals about fishing in the island's waters. More recently, a controversy erupted when senior researchers at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) tried to patent a discovery that would likely lead to a cure for cerebral malaria. The issue has attracted international attention. The source of the medicine in question is a plant that the Onge use to treat fever and stomach ailments. The size and nature of the wealth found on the home island of the Onge people is largely unknown. What is more important is that if the current situation continues, the Onge people may not survive long and with them will go a huge bank of invaluable knowledge..