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.

Research Results

This inter-university research project was an interdisciplinary comparison of the cultural commonalities and differences produced historically among indigenous societies of the North Pacific Rim, from the perspective of three fields: archaeology, linguistics, and cultural anthropology.
(1) The archaeological researchers in our research group examined the results of interdisciplinary studies that incorporated findings from genetic genealogy, paleoenvironmental studies, and other fields. These studies revealed the following: Humans had already reached the high Arctic regions of Siberia approximately 40,000 years ago, prior to the Last Glacial Maximum. Social groups formed multiple times in Siberia after the Last Glacial Maximum. It is highly likely that human migration to the New World occurred before the Last Glacial Maximum (26,500–19,000 years ago). Furthermore, their spread after arriving in the New World likely occurred via the Pacific coastal route and the ice-free corridor between the Cordillera and Laurentide Ice Sheets.
(2) A hypothesis was proposed by E. Vadja, a linguist, regarding a common origin between the Ket and Na-Dene language families, but very little has been revealed by linguists about the relationship between Old and New World languages. A large number of languages from different families, concentrated along the Northwest Coast of North America, share common phonological and grammatical features. It has been noted that there are similarities in vocabulary with Old World languages, but phonological relationships have not been demonstrated. Upon examining the above points, it was revealed that the similarities between the languages of the North Pacific Rim are highly likely to be the result of factors such as contact and loanwords, rather than stemming from a common linguistic family.
(3) The cultural anthropologists in our research group conducted a comparative study of the changes and current state of indigenous societies in the North Pacific. Based on this, they identified the following commonalities among these societies: They all experienced periods of autonomy, contact with an external society, co-existence with an external society, colonization by an external society, assimilation under the colonizers’ regime, and political re-autonomy, in that order. They currently strive to build a future society through means such as engaging in indigenous activism and promoting new industries, while facing the impacts of globalization, climate change, resource development, and other issues.
(4) Through discussions at several domestic and international symposiums, the researchers came to the understanding that in order to synthesize the results of the aforementioned fields of research and advance efforts to shape the future of indigenous societies in the North Pacific Rim, they would need not only to carry out interdisciplinary comparisons but also to conduct transdisciplinary research with the active collaboration and/or participation of local indigenous people.