Hunter‐gatherer ecosystems and archaeological patterns of subsistence behaviour on the south‐east coast of India: An ethnographic model

The littoral, hinterland and forested ecosystems on the south‐east coast of India are characterized by surficial Stone Age occurrences of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. Coinciding with the Stone Age sites are the habitats of tribes like the Yanadi, Chenchu, Yerukula and Boya, which indicates that hunter‐gatherer ecosystems that were originally inhabited by Stone Age groups continue to support primitive groups, notwithstanding the fact that they are now depleted. As no archaeolozoological and palaeoethnobotanical evidence is available at these sites, it is suggested here that ethnographic analogy can with care be used to build predictive models for Stone Age subsistence behaviour.