The goal of this research was to investigate the strategies used by hunter-gatherers to colonize and inhabit the challenging landscapes of the Kuril Islands of Northeast Asia.  Due to their relative geographic isolation and dynamic natural environment, the Kuril Islands provided an attractive setting with which to examine the diverse adaptations necessary for living in regions at the limits of marginality.   

In order to explore the colonization and occupation of the Kuril archipelago, this project developed a systematic and quantitative approach to examining the manufacture, use and exchange of ceramic artifacts.   The goal of investigating ceramic technology was to understand how Kuril potters adapted their technological knowledge and exchange relationships to an environmental setting with novel challenges and constraints. 

In contrast to initial expectations, differences in Kuril pottery are most significantly influenced by their cultural affiliation rather than regional environmental conditions.  Based on results from descriptive analysis as well as organic residue analysis, it can be hypothesized that the cultural differences in pottery artifacts are linked to different cooking strategies used by the Epi-Jomon and Okhotsk cultures that occupied the island chain between 2800 and 700 years ago.  Preliminary results suggest that the Okhotsk culture, unlike the Epi-Jomon culture, used pottery vessels for the specialized production of marine oil.  As ethnographic evidence from around the North Pacific Rim shows, marine oil was an important commodity in the winter storage of food collected during the summer months.  Marine oil produced in the Kuril Islands would have been a valuable trade item to neighboring groups in Hokkaido and Kamchatka that relied heavily on lean fish to survive the winter months.   

The investigation of pottery movement between archaeological sites in the Kuril archipelago aimed to explore the potential of archaeological data to reconstruct past exchange networks.  Results from archaeometric research indicated that the amount of pottery produced locally at each archaeological site is highly variable ranging from 0% to 93% of site assemblages.  In general, archaeological sties located in less remote regions of the island chain tended to have a higher proportion of locally produced pottery compared to sites in more remote locations. 

One of the most significant intellectual contributions of this research is a novel and quantitative approach to reconstructing and analyzing hunter-gatherer exchange patterns from archaeological data.  Through the use of social network analysis tools, exchange networks reconstructed from Kuril pottery support expectations that populations living in more remote locations will tend to invest more heavily in maintaining exchange partners at a wide range of spatial scales.  By focusing research on the adaptive role of social networks within hunter-gatherer societies, this research contributed to the broader understanding how network partnerships are used in managing the diverse environmental challenges of the Kuril Islands.

 In addition to intellectual contributions, this research project also provided numerous broader impacts.  This included professional training and the opportunity for the co-investigator (Erik Gjesfjeld) to expand pilot research into a completed and successful dissertation project.  Products of this research project also include a journal article, a book chapter and two conference presentations.  This research further strengthened collaborative research ties with international colleagues in Japan and Russia.  Undoubtedly, the connections developed through this research project will help facilitate a career in researching and teaching about the North Pacific....

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