Archaeology and Indigenous Issues in Hokkaido Island, Japan

Part of: Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Archaeology and Indigenous Issues in Hokkaido Island, Japan" at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

While many advances have been made in Japan with regard to the recognition of the Ainu as the Indigenous people of Japan, there remains much to be done in decolonizing the practice of archaeology and increasing community-based and Indigenous archaeological practice. This session presents a spectrum of topics related to decolonizing research practices around the Ainu on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. These include a call for understanding the origin of place names and the important role that archaeological and anthropological research can play in helping reestablish ties to place, concepts of heritage to the Ainu peoples with regard to aspects of tangible and intangible cultural history and the protection of archaeological sites, and a reporting on the alternative 2022 international field school.

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  • Documents (4)

Documents
  • Current Issues of Archaeological Decolonization in Hokkaido (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Hirofumi Kato.

    This is an abstract from the "Archaeology and Indigenous Issues in Hokkaido Island, Japan" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Archaeologists have the authority to recognize and name archaeological sites. The Ainu, at this moment, are not guaranteed the opportunity to participate in this nomination process. Many archaeologists in Hokkaido are non-Ainu experts and are aware that they are researching the history and culture of others. However, it is not...

  • Field School on the Road: An Archaeological Experience without a Site (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Carol Ellick.

    This is an abstract from the "Archaeology and Indigenous Issues in Hokkaido Island, Japan" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Hokkaido University’s Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies sponsors an annual International Archaeological Field School on Rebun Island. The site, spanning epi-Jomon to historic Ainu periods, sits on a sandbar that has over time cut off a freshwater source to the Sea of Japan, creating an ideal occupation area. The summer...

  • Japanese or Ainu? Does the Term “Jomon” Delegitimize the Ainu as an Indigenous People? (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Joe Watkins.

    This is an abstract from the "Archaeology and Indigenous Issues in Hokkaido Island, Japan" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Some politicians and writers in Japan have proposed that the Jomon are the cultural precursors of the contemporary Japanese, while others recognize the Ainu as the descendants of the Jomon people of Hokkaido. Japan’s “Jomon archaeological culture” helps create conflicting interpretations and influences the expansion of...

  • Unresolved Indivisibility: Protecting and Respecting Ainu Intangible and Tangible Heritage (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only George Nicholas.

    This is an abstract from the "Archaeology and Indigenous Issues in Hokkaido Island, Japan" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Ainu conceptions of “heritage” connect worldview and place, knowledge and object, intent and action. As is the case in North America and elsewhere, current protection of Indigenous ancestral sites in settler countries foregrounds the tangible and its scientific value, at the expense of cultural values and needs. In the wake of...