This project explored the ways pre-contact commodities trade networks, originating in distant nation-states and empires, could trigger changes in social relations far from market centers and in the process generated novel identities. The Okhotsk culture (400 to 1000 CE), a subarctic maritime-adapted group found in the coastal regions of the Okhotsk Sea, represents an example of pre-colonial expansion in which Indigenous communities became engaged in and entangled with commodities markets that would later channel settler-colonial dynamics. Geochemical and morphological analysis of pottery sherds were used to examine changes in the production of pottery through time at the primary site of analysis, Hamanaka 2 located on Rebun Island, Hokkaido, Japan. This research reveals a significant change in pottery production in Northernmost Japan roughly 3000 years ago that suggests growing diversity in both pottery manufacturing and inter-community exchange. This change pre-dates expectations for the emergence of commodities exchange and draws attention to the possibility of previously unrecognized social networks beyond Rebun Island. 

The thin section data shows that the oldest layer is significantly different from all other layers at the site, indicating that these earliest occupants may not have been related to those who followed. The thin section is consistent with geochemical data that show a fewer clay sources and means of production in the oldest layers. The diversity in sources and production techniques increases through the middle stratigraphic layers before constricting again in the youngest layers. This matches one of our initial predictions but was not considered the most likely outcome. The results also suggest more diversity in production methods of pottery produced both locally and non-locally. For example, it appears that in all groups there is a bimodal production process: both cruder and more refined types appearing in each source group. 

By extending understanding of the cultural heritage and emergence of ethnographically known Indigenous communities in northern Japan and examining the earliest histories of commodities exchange, this research works to counter settler-colonial narratives that treat indigenous communities as passive recipients of capitalist commodities expansion. The project emphasizes the agency of Indigenous people to resist and the highlight the unique colonial configurations that resulted from these acts of resistance. Community outreach associated with this project have led to collaborations with a wide network of scholars and Indigenous community members. These connections are facilitating the development of a future research project that aims to operationalize archaeological research that builds capacity for present-day Ainu communities through archaeological storytelling. Here, work is centered on public and community engagement to bring attention to Ainu sovereignty issues and provide opportunity for Ainu folks to engage in archaeological research through the reexamination and reinterpretation of archaeological artifacts through the creation of object-oriented children’s stories. This research also contributes to the breadth of application of material science analytics around petrography and geochemical sourcing. This project contributed directly to the professional training of a Ph.D. student and provided opportunities for five undergraduates to conduct independent research projects.

Last Modified: 06/30/2024
Modified by: Erin J Gamble