| Research Abstract |
This study is intended as an investigation of the Ainu hunting activities of small animals in the late Edo period at Yoichi district in southwestern Hokkaido.
The numerical amont of the animals which the Ainu hunted in the period from 1828 to 1857 in that district by analyzing historical documents. I pointed out the Ainu in this district hunted small game such as foxes, otters, and marterns, being more than bears. The Ainu offered these furs to Unjyo-ya office due to the order of Matsumae clan. And Matsumae used those furs to trade with northern peoples for glass beads and some kind of Manchurian robes at a trading post in Sakhalin.
The other hand, Chin dynasty and lmperial Russia strongly demanded small animal's furs sch as martens, foxes, and otters. The proples in lower Amur river region and in Sakhalin were hunted those animals to offer both of those imperial country under complsion.
The chronic demand of fus in this district influenced the Ainu and their hunting activities were chaged. The hunting activities of the Ainu at this time were not planed by the Ainu on their own initiative, but depended on the demand of Chin dynasty and Imperial Russia.
I also compared hunting implements among the peoples, I pointed out common morphological features among several implements of them. The reason for the similarity I noticed that a gradual increase of the demand of furs of small animals represented such as sables by the Ming dynasty in middle 15 the century to the Chin dynasty or Imperial Russia had the p roples accept several types of hunting tools.
Among hnting implements, spring-bows and traps using bow using bow for automatic hunting were distributed widely among at least the Ainu, Nivhi and Nanai peoples. For the reaon I insisted not only simple diffusion of these tools but also a strong influence by the nations.
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