Hermeneutics of Ainu Oral Lieterature

• Project/Area Number: 23520208
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Japanese literature
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: SAKATA Minako 東京大学, 総合文化研究科, 教務補佐員 (30573109)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2014)
• Budget Amount: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥260,000 (Direct Cost: ¥200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥60,000); Fiscal Year 2012: ¥390,000 (Direct Cost: ¥300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥90,000); Fiscal Year 2011: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000)
• Keywords: アイヌ / 口承文学 / エスノヒストリー / 歴史認識 / モチーフ・インデックス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of this project is to create a methodology to read Ainu oral literature. For this purpose, I picked up　recurrent motifs and themes and made a motif map, so that we can see a network of stories which we should refer to when reading a certain story or conceiving notions of motifs. As an example, I analyzed stories of village regeneration. A protagonist of those stories is an orphan　who regenerates parents’ village which once died out. There are three patterns in reasons of village extinction; night attack, jealousy and small pox. Analyzing the relations between those three motifs, or relations with other motifs, meaning of three motifs or village regeneration theme emerges. By this methodology, text analysis of Ainu oral literature based on its own context will become possible.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] トゥクピタの首長の物語：アイヌ=エスノヒストリーを創造する (2011)
  • Author(s): 坂田美奈子
  • Journal Title: 北海道・東北史研究 Volume: 7
  • NAID: 40018904212
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] 村の再生の神話：アイヌ・エスノヒストリーの物語枠組みを考える (2011)
  • Author(s): 坂田美奈子
  • Organizer: 特別展「千島・樺太・北海道 アイヌのくらし」関連国際シンポジウム 温故知新：アイヌ文化研究の可能性を求めて
  • Place of Presentation: 国立民族学博物館
• [Presentation] アイヌ口承文学の認識論：疱瘡モチーフの物語を通して考えるアイヌ・エスノヒストリー
  • Author(s): 坂田美奈子
  • Organizer: 社会教育学会六月集会
  • Place of Presentation: 筑波大学
• [Presentation] Refiguring Indigenous History: Through Ainu Stories of Village Regeneration
  • Author(s): Minako Sakata
  • Organizer: Uppsala Third Supradisciplinary Feminist Technoscience Symposium
  • Place of Presentation: Uppsala University
  • Invited
• [Book] RE-Mindings: Co-Constituting Indigenous/Academic/Artistic Knowledges (2014)
  • Author(s): Minako Sakata, May-Britt Ohman, Hiroshi Maruyama, Kaori Arai, Jorge Calbucura, Gunilla Larsson, Eva J:son Lonn, Stefan Mikaelsson, Markus Nystrom, Marrie Persson, Agneta Silversparf, Kim Tallbear, Eva-Lotta Thunqvist, Tor Lundberg Tuorda, Vladislava Vladimirova, Feances Wyld and Lilian Mikaelsson
  • Total Pages: 291
  • Publisher: The Hugo Valentin Centre, Uppsala University
• [Book] MINERVA世界史叢書総論『「世界史」の世界史』 (2013)
  • Author(s): 坂田美奈子
  • Publisher: ミネルヴァ書房
• [Book] アイヌ口承文学の認識論〈エピステモロジー〉 (2011)
  • Author(s): 坂田美奈子
  • Total Pages: 227
  • Publisher: 御茶の水書房