Indigenizing Japan: Ainu Past, Present, and Future

In Indigenizing Japan, archaeologist Joe E. Watkins provides a comprehensive look at the rich history and cultural resilience of the Ainu, the Indigenous people of Hokkaido, Japan, tracing their journey from ancient times to their contemporary struggles for recognition. Relaying the deep history of the islands of Japan, Watkins tells the archaeological story from the earliest arrivals some 40,000 years ago to 16,000 years ago when local cultures began utilizing pottery and stone tools. About 2,300 years ago, another group of people immigrated from the Korean peninsula into the Japanese archipelago, bringing wet rice agriculture with them. They intermarried with the people who were there, forming the basis of the contemporary Japanese majority culture. As the Japanese state developed on the central Islands of Honshu, Ryukyu, and Shikoku, the people of Hokkaido continued developing along a different trajectory with minimal interaction with the mainland until colonization in the mid-nineteenth century, when the people known as the Ainu came under Japanese governmental policy. Watkins’s insightful analysis highlights the Ainu’s enduring spirit and their resurgence as part of the global Indigenous movement. Key events such as the 1997 Nibutani Dam case and the 2007 recognition of the Ainu as Japan’s Indigenous people are explored in depth, showcasing the Ainu’s ongoing fight for cultural preservation and self-determination. By situating the Ainu’s experiences within broader global colonial histories, Indigenizing Japan underscores the shared struggles and resilience of Indigenous communities worldwide.

About the Author :
Joe E. Watkins is a senior consultant for Archaeological and Cultural Education Consultants (ACE Consultants), based in Tucson, Arizona. His study interests concern the ethical practice of anthropology and anthropology's relationships with descendant communities and populations on a global scale.

Review :
"Who are the Ainu and why have they been largely invisible in Japanese history and culture both inside and outside of Japan until recent decades? Joe Watkins addresses that question through examination of archaeological, biological, and historical sources guided by fifteen years of collaboration with Ainu people and archaeologists in Hokkaido. Through a comparative analysis of colonial engagements with and resilience of Indigenous communities in five global regions, Watkins places the Ainu struggles for recognition and self-determination into the global context where readers can appreciate their achievements and better understand their journey as a people rooted in the deep past of northern Japan." — Ben Fitzhugh, co-editor of Maritime Prehistory of Northeast Asia "This work is the first in English to offer a general introduction to the Ainu people and their contemporary issues, including groundbreaking chapters on the genetic origins of the populations of Japan and an overview of the archaeology of northern Japan, which argue convincingly for the identity of the Ainu as an indisputably distinct ethnic group and Indigenous residents of Hokkaido. The book's fine attention to the complexities of Ainu identity could only be written by someone who is himself Indigenous, as Choctaw author and professional archaeologist Dr. Joe Watkins is. This volume is a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary Ainu issues, the issue of Ainu rights, or, just anyone interested in gaining a brief introduction to the archaeology of Japan." — Jeff Gayman, Hokkaido University, Japan