Characteristics of the Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies


1. Interdisciplinary approach
The first characteristic of the Center is its interdisciplinary approach. The Center fully demonstrates the strengths of the university as its members consist of experts not only in cultural anthropology, history, archaeology, linguistics and other humanities, but also social sciences, such as law, political science, sociology and pedagogy, as well as environmental science and other natural sciences.


Although research results on ethnology and cultural anthropology in Japan are remarkable, when Western researchers of indigenous peoples visit Japan, they question in unison why Japanese research institutions do not have any legal departments. It would not be an exaggeration to say that research on and the practice of legal rights have helped improve the political and socioeconomic status of indigenous people since the early 20th in the U.S. and since the 1970s elsewhere in the world. Therefore, the Center has welcomed as its members experts in law. Capitalizing on this comprehensive and interdisciplinary composition, we are committed to promoting comprehensive research on the culture of the Ainu and indigenous peoples and accelerating research on the nature of their legal rights in conformity with the global standards for the research concerning indigenous peoples.


However, claiming rights alone does not suffice to realize them. Not only those who assume obligations but also those who claim rights have things to prepare and consider, such as the establishment of systems to exercise their rights. It is our hope that the Center will take advantage of its objectivity and expertise and be able to offer propositions to both the national and regional governments and to the Ainu and indigenous peoples.


2. Collaboration with the Ainu
The second characteristic of the Center is that collaboration with the Ainu in research activities and operational aspects serves as its bedrock policy.We promote close cooperation with the Ainu Association of Hokkaido, the largest Ainu organization. Established in conformity with the Law for the Promotion of the Ainu Culture and aiming to promote Ainu culture and develop diverse cultures in Japan, the Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture is also an important partner of the Center. The Center will conduct its activities while treasuring collaboration with related organizations as well as the Ainu in and outside Hokkaido who are not represented by the Ainu Association of Hokkaido.
The operation of the Center is a manifestation of our policy of collaborating with the Ainu. The Center’s operational decisions, including personnel matters, are made at the steering committee, which includes two Ainus. The involvement of private persons in the operation of a research center is unprecedented at Hokkaido University.


Also in research activities, we will pave the way for the Ainu’s participation in the Center as research members so that they can conduct research activities according to their interest or in cooperation with programs sponsored by the Center. We would like to establish in Japan, albeit somewhat belatedly, the research methodology taken for granted outside Japan, i.e. the method of indigenous people researching their own rights and culture. A great Ainu scholar named Dr. Mashiho Chiri once belonged to Hokkaido University. We believe an essential mission of the Center is to produce more academics like Dr. Chiri.
(Photo: An Ainu explaining rituals of the Center's opening ceremony on 14, April, 2007 at HU)


3．Emphasis on Education
The third characteristic of the Center is its emphasis on education as well as research.
Above all, we will provide education geared to arm HU students, who are prospective leaders that will create a new society, with interest in and accurate understanding of the Ainu and other indigenous peoples. In addition, we will embark on the preparation of teaching materials and educational programs for junior high and high school students in cooperation with teachers at these schools. Through the aforementioned education, we would like to deepen our understanding of the Ainu and indigenous peoples and eliminate irrational discrimination, thus contributing to the development of diverse cultures in Japan.


We believe that education for the Ainu about the Ainu is as important as or more important than education for the young, and we at this Center are pleased to be helpful in this regard. There are Ainu people who complain that since they have not had any opportunity to learn about their people’s culture, history and rights, they are unable to take a further step forward. Fortunately, however, the Ainu are beginning to reclaim their identity. We believe that it is also crucial for us to provide the Ainu with learning opportunities.




Activity schedule of the Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies
The Center, which was inaugurated in April 2007, will have its activities evaluated in five years’ time to decide whether or not it will continue to operate. Our social contribution will be evaluated but our academic achievements will also be weighed heavily. Hence, we are doing our utmost to produce academic results


In FY 2007, we will regularly hold public lectures and professional workshops by inviting the participation of those engaged in the dissemination of Ainu culture and researchers of indigenous peoples. We will also hold an international symposium attended by indigenous peoples and researchers to be invited from around the world tentatively scheduled for December 2007.


We will also launch various research projects: a rights strategy project aiming to study specific ways to realize the rights of the Ainu and indigenous peoples; a teaching materials project in which curricula and teaching materials for schools will be drawn up; an ecotourism project designed to expedite our understanding of indigenous peoples, improve their economic standing and contribute to the betterment of Hokkaido; an Ainu language project that aims to create an Ainu language database; and a social survey project with the aim of conducting fact-finding surveys on the Ainu that will withstand academic scrutiny.We will keep the public informed about these activities through the Center’s home page, newsletters and so forth.




Message from the Director
There is no denying that Hokkaido University implicitly began its history as the vanguard of the Japanese government’s colonization policy. It is a fact that during the course of 130-odd years of its history, the university was called into question for its basic stance toward the Ainu. Former President Mutsuo Nakamura declared in 2005 that the university would establish a system of comprehensively promoting research and education concerning the Ainu and other northern peoples, which brought about a new era at Hokkaido University. After examining the proposed system for three years, we established the Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies in April 2007. We believe it is our Center’s responsibility to etch these experiences deep into our memory and promote future-oriented activities that will enable many people to understand and support one another.


Mr. Shigeru Kayano(*1) said on the occasion of the enactment of the New Ainu Law(*2) that although the law was not perfect, if we plant a seedling, we can grow leaves and branches and then produce flowers. As a seedling planted on the ground, the Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies is committed to propagating leaves and branches and producing flowers with your generous cooperation.


This article was contributed in May, 2007 by Teruki TSUNEMOTO, Professor of Law and Director of Hokkaido University’s Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies.


Contact
Hokkaido University Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies
N8W5, Sapporo 060-0808, Hokkaido, Japan
TEL & Fax: +81-(0)11-706-2859
E-mail:ainu[at]let.hokudai.ac.jp




References

＊1: Shigeru Kayano (1926 – 2006)
Being Ainu, Shigeru Kayano was a researcher of Ainu culture who undertook activities aimed at preserving and transmitting Ainu culture and language. As the first Ainu lawmaker in Japan, he served as a member of the House of Councilors from 1994 to 1998. He is also well known for asking questions in Ainu at a Diet committee for the first time during his tenure.

*2: The official name of the law is the “Law for the Promotion of the Ainu Culture and for the Dissemination and Advocacy for the Traditions of the Ainu and the Ainu Culture” (1997 Law No. 52)