| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
FITZHUGH W.W 米国立自然史博物館, 極北研究センター, 所長
NIIMI Michiko Nagoya University, 大学院・人間情報学研究科, 助手 (10262065)
DERIHA Koji Historical Museum of Hokkaido, 学芸部, 学芸員 (40142088)
KIRIKAE Hideo Hokkai Gakuen University, 教養部, 助教授 (20205040)
NISHIMOTO Toyohiro National Museum of Japanese History, 考古研究部, 助教授 (70145580)
SASAKI Toshikazu Tokyo National Museum, 資料部・第二研究室, 室長 (80132702)
FTIZHUGH William W Arctic Stucies Center, Smithsonian Institution
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| Research Abstract |
Frederick Starr's Ainu collections and related documents, which are now stored at the Brooklyn Museum, Logan museum of anthropology (Beloit College), State Historica Society of wisconson, University of Chicago Library, and University of Oregon (Library, Art Museum and State Museum of Natural History on its campus), are one of the largest and most important in the world. We regard it as a matter of urgency to publish all sorts of information his Ainu collections in the very near future.
Comparisons of Euro-American Ainu collections tell us interesting historical episodes on why European scholars became interested in Ainu studies as well as collections of Ainu specimens. After Franz von Siebold's monumental works, the Ainu were regarded as a possible case of "Noble Savages, " "Lost Europeans" or "Vanishing Hunter-gatherers" and this intelectual trend spurred scholars to visit the Ainu and to secure their material culture. Around the mid-19th century, the so-called "Ainu=Caucasoid" hypothe
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sis gave more influences to Euro-American scholars, who were basically trained in natural history, and they continued to build Ainu collections. This trend came to an end with the World War I (1914-18). It is a regretful fact that Japanese scholars started Ainu researches and nuseum collections only after the WWI,aftre Ainu traditional village life was changed on a large scale.
Arctic Studies Center, Smithsonian Institution, has begun preparations for an Ainu special exhibit on the basis of our research results. We think it one of the best ways to make research results available both to concerned north americans and Japanese. finally, Euro-American scholars, who are interested in Northern Cultures, highly regard our current research projectas the first trial to accumulate all the information on museum collections of one particular ethnic group, and we are confident our project would be a model for them to proceed the Jesup II project, which will be launched at the American Museum of Natural History. Less
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