Marco Polo uses the term Angaman in 1292 to refer to the group of more than two hundred islands located in the Bay of Bengal and known as the Andaman Islands.
The indigenous Andamanese, ethnically related to the Negrito peoples of Malaysia and the Philippines, have dark brown skin and tightly curled black hair, and speak a language not identified as related to any linguistic family.
The Anadamanese of this age reportedly have no knowledge of agriculture or fire, use tools made of stone, and lack domesticated animals.
As hunter-gatherers, the Andamanese collect wild fruits, roots, and nuts, hunt wild pigs with the bow and arrow, and, in outrigger canoes, obtain turtles, fish, and shellfish with nets and harpoons.
The animistic Andamanese religion includes ceremonies held to honor or placate environmental and ancestral spirits.
The Andamanese apparently trace genealogical descent through both parents.
