Interdisciplinary Comparison of Historical Change, Current of State, and Future　of Indigenous Societies along the North Pacific Rim: From a Perspective of Human History

Keywords

North Pacific Rim,Indigenous Societies　
Interdisciplinary Comparison

Objectives

For over 100 years it has been known that there are similarities and commonalities in the indigenous cultures and societies of the North Pacific Rim (both Old and New World continents). A wide range of surveys and studies, both small and large, have been attempted in order to shed light on these similarities and commonalities, such as Franz Boas’s Jesup North Pacific Expedition (1897 – 1902). The objective of this research project is to conduct an interdisciplinary comparative examination of historical changes, the current state, and the future of the indigenous languages, societies, and cultures of the North Pacific Rim based on three perspectives — 1) history and archaeology, 2) linguistics, and 3) cultural anthropology, across six periods — 1) independence period, 2) contact period, 3) colonial period, 4) state-forced assimilation period, 5) political autonomy period, and 6) future; elucidate aspects of their differences as a whole; and envision the future of the indigenous societies in the region. We will shed light on the cultural similarities and commonalities seen across the indigenous societies along the east and west coasts of the North Pacific, how their languages, societies, and cultures have changed, what their current state is, and how they may change in the future.