Andamanasia (7,821 – 6,094 BCE) Early Holocene — Canoe Villages, Sago Groves, and Reef Harvests

Geographic and Environmental Context

Andamanasia encompasses:

• Andaman Islands (North, Middle, South Andaman) and Nicobar Islands.

• Aceh in northern Sumatra, with nearby islands (Simeulue, Nias, Batu, Mentawai).

• The Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

• The Preparis, Coco, and Little Coco Islands (off Myanmar).
  
  Anchors: North–South Andaman coasts and reefs, Nicobar Great Channel, Aceh’s Weh Island and Lhokseumawe–Banda Aceh corridor, Simeulue–Nias–Mentawai arc, Preparis/Coco islets, Cocos (Keeling) lagoon.

• Andamans: lush rainforest belts; estuaries at river mouths.

• Nicobars: mangrove channels, coconut palms, breadfruit groves.

• Aceh/Nias: forested capes, tidal flats.

Climate & Environmental Shifts

• Holocene optimum: warm, wet, productive reefs; monsoons stable.

Subsistence & Settlement

• Semi-sedentary canoe hamlets on Andamans/Nicobars; diets: pigs, deer, shellfish, turtle, fish, pandanus, coconut, sago.

• Outer islands: subsistence on breadfruit, taro, reef fish.

• Canoe traffic distributed goods, food, and kin links.

Technology & Material Culture

• Ground-stone adzes, shell fishhooks, net weights; barkcloth; dugout canoes.

• Early pottery may appear at Aceh’s coastal villages.

Movement & Interaction Corridors

• Island-hopping along the Nicobar–Andaman–Aceh arc; canoe convoys moved resin, shell, dried fish.

Cultural & Symbolic Expressions

• Ancestor shrines near canoe landings; ritual feasts at turtle nesting seasons.

Environmental Adaptation & Resilience

• Seasonal scheduling: turtle rookeries, sago harvest, yam patches buffered variability.

Transition

By 6,094 BCE, Andamanasia’s forager societies had canoe-linked resilience strategies.