Maurice Vidal Portman

Who was Maurice Vidal Portman?

Maurice Vidal Portman was a British naval officer, who is best known for his documentation and pacification of several Andamanese tribes between 1879 and 1901.

M. V. Portman was the third son of Maurice Berkeley Portman who was in turn the third son of the Edward Portman, 1st Viscount Portman. He joined the Royal Indian Marine at the age of 16 and was some time in charge of the Viceroy's yacht. In July 1879 he was stationed at Port Blair in the Andaman Islands and made Officer in Charge of the Andamanese, a post which he held for more than 20 years with few interruptions. He was able to befriend the natives to pacify some previously hostile tribes, especially the Onge people of Little Andaman Island, but he did not hesitate in using force against them on occasion.

During his stay at Port Blair he took a large number of photographs of the Andamanese, including some at the request of British Museum and the British Government of India. These plates are now scattered among several museums and may be partly unpublished. He also wrote two books, Notes of the Languages of the South Andaman Group of Languages and A History of Our Relations with the Andamanese.