Episode 69 - Japanese Archaeology and the Ainu

This week, it’s a sponsored episode (thanks Elizabeth!) and part one in a two-part series on ancient Japan. This week—the Jomon, prehistoric Japanese hunter-gatherers, and their descendants, the Ainu indigenous people. Also, some bears.

To learn (and see!) more, check out:

Spotlight on Research: What Can Archaeology Tell Us About the Prehistory of the Japanese Islands? (Hokkaido University) 

The Untold Story of Japan’s First People (Sapiens)

 A-hunting we will go! (Heritage of Japan)

In Search of Japanese Roots (Discover)

Tattooing Among Japan’s Ainu People (Lars Krutak)

Ainu Decorative Needlework (TRC Leiden)

20 Vintage Portraits of Japanese Ainu Women With Their Traditional Tattooed Lips (Heritage Daily)

Photo credit: Ainu Crafts (Aborigines of Japan from the Island of Hokkaido or Yezo, Department of Anthropology, 1904 World's Fair), public domain.