Origins of the Coconut
Conflicting theories concerning the location of the origin and domestication of the coconut palm have argued for Polynesia, Asia and even South America, where fossils of the oldest known coconut relative are found. Most scholars argue that dwarf trees were domesticated versions of tall trees.
Recent studies, however, suggest that there are two genetically distinct groups of coconuts, corresponding to two separate domestication events (marked by light brown ovals in the map on this page). The earliest was likely in the islands of southeast Asia, from the Malay peninsula to New Guinea. The Lapita culture people who left the region and colonized the Pacific Islands beginning 3,400 years ago, were certainly fueled in part by domestic coconuts. Coconuts have been recovered from pre-Lapita sites dating to 5,800 years ago, but the first evidence of dwarf characteristics (relatively short, self-pollinating, high milk content) is from early Lapita sites, ~1200 BC.
The second domestication event was located along the southern coast of India, including Sri Lanka, the Maldives and the Laccadives. Archaeological recovery of coconut shells and sennit rope from the site of Arikamedu, near Pondicherry, as well as linguistic and textual evidence suggests coconuts were under cultivation in India by 2,500-3,000 years ago.
Despite wide dispersal of both types of coconuts, mostly driven by historic and prehistoric oceanic voyages, the two domesticates remain genetically identifiable. Interestingly, both domesticates are talls, and only a few coconuts from the Pacific basin developed the dwarf characteristics.
Global Dispersal
Since they float, coconuts are naturally adapted for dispersal by sea currents, but genetic studies suggest the historically-documented dispersal by humans has been ongoing since for 3400 years or so.
Coconuts were dispersed throughout the world by human seafarers along three major navigation routes. The earliest of these were Austronesians throughout the Pacific beginning 3,400 years ago and reaching the Pacific coast of the South America coast sometime before European contact with the New World. A complex trading system including domestic coconuts was in place between Austranesians and Arab traders throughout the Indian Ocean beginning ca AD 400; and finally, Europeans brought coconuts from India into West Africa by AD 1500 and the Caribbean coast by ca. AD 1550.
Sources
A bibliography has been assembled for this project.
