International Symposium “Prehistory, Language and Culture of Indigenous Societies in the North Pacific”

Introduction

　Systematic North Pacific Rim Studies at the National Museum of Ethnology began with a joint research project related to the 2001 special exhibition “Sea Otter and Glass Beads.” The leader of this project was Kazuyoshi Ohtsuka, with the participation of Shiro Sasaki and Nobuhiro Kishigami, among others. This project not only organized the exhibition but also published the exhibition catalog “Sea Otters and Glass Beads” (National Museum of Ethnology ) and “Indigenous Trades and Arts and Crafts in the North Pacific” (Shibunkaku Publishers). The project’s main argument was that indigenous trade and fur trade between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples contributed to the revitalization of indigenous cultures.
　Subsequently, as part of the Jesup II Project led by Laurel Kendall and Igor Krupnik, Kazuyuki Tanimoto and Koichi Inoue held the international symposium “Raven’s Arch” in Sapporo, Hokkaido, in 2000. Starting from October 2002 until March 2025, they conducted a joint research project at the National Museum of Ethnology titled “The Jesup North Pacific Expedition (1902-2002) Revisited: Cultural Transformations of Indigenous Peoples in Far East Siberia and North America.” As a result of this research, they published “Raven’s Arch (1903-2002): The Jesup North Pacific Expedition Revisited” (Senri Ethnological Research Reports 82) in 2009.
　Building on this foundation, Nobuhiro Kishigami from the National Museum of Ethnology, in conjunction with esteemed scholars David Koester from the University of Alaska, Benedict Colombi from the University of Arizona, Thomas Thornton from Oxford University, and Ben Fitzhugh from Washington University, organized the international symposium “Comparative Studies of Indigenous Cultures around the North Pacific Rim: Focusing on Indigenous Rights and Marine Resource Utilization” in January 2014 at the museum. While certain challenges prevented the publication of the results in an English paper collection, some portions were documented in “Indigenous Cultures in the North Pacific Rim” (Senri Ethnological Reports 132), published in Japanese.
　Furthermore, Nobuhiro Kishigami later organized and conducted a joint research project at the National Museum of Ethnology, including “Interdisciplinary Comparative Studies on Changes, Current Situation, and Future of Indigenous Societies in the North Pacific Rim: From the Perspective of Human History” (October 2020 to March 2024) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) project “A Comparative Study of Emergence, Current Status, and Future of Indigenous Cultures in the Alaska and the Northwest Coast Regions of North America” (April 2019 to March 2024). As part of the research outcomes, a thematic exhibition titled “Screen Prints of Canada’s Northwest Coast Peoples” was organized, alongside an International Symposium “Prehistory, Language and Culture of Indigenous Societies in the North Pacific.”
　In this symposium, distinguished scholars Dr. A. King, an expert in Koryak culture, Dr. Thomas Thornton, a leading authority on Tlingit’s environmental knowledge and marine resource management, and Dr. Ben Fitzhugh, a renowned archaeologist specializing in the North Pacific region, have been invited as keynote speakers. They will present their latest research findings on indigenous cultures in the North Pacific region, fostering valuable discussions and insights. It is our fervent hope that this symposium will significantly contribute to the continued advancement of research in this field.
　Furthermore, as the organizer of this symposium, I, Nobuhiro Kishigami, am scheduled to retire from the National Museum of Ethnology at the end of March 2024. Hence, this symposium will mark my final international symposium organized and conducted at the museum. I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all colleagues at the museum and researchers from other institutions who have collaborated on and supported my research endeavors throughout the years. Your contributions have been invaluable. Thank you very much.
　Finally this symposium is carried out as a research meeting of the National Museum of Ethnology’s 2023 joint research project “Interdisciplinary Comparative Studies on Changes, Current Situation, and Future of Indigenous Societies in the North Pacific Rim: From the Perspective of Human History” (N. Kishigami), with support by JSPSKAKENHI Grant Number JP19H00565 “A Comparative Study of Emergence, Current Status, and Future of Indigenous Cultures in the Alaska and the Northwest Coast Regions of North America” (2023, N. Kishigami). I thank the museum and JSPS for their financial supports.
　
Nobuhiro Kishigami
National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan

Program

International Symposium “Prehistory, Language and Culture of Indigenous Societies in the North Pacific”

Time: November 3 – 5, 2023
Place: The fourth Seminar Room, National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan

November 3 (Friday)

November 4 (Saturday)

November 5 (Sunday)