[M-IS12] Paleoclimatology and paleoceanography

[MIS12-02] Human History of Islands in the Ocean Currents.

★Invited Papers

*Hirofumi KATO¹ (1.Hokkaido University)

Keywords:Remote Island, Human History, Maritime Hunter-Gatherer Culture, Environmental History

Rebun Island is a remote island located at the north-western end of Hokkaido Island. The area around the island is crossed by ocean currents from the north and south and has been known as a rich fishing ground. In the early stages of human history in the Japanese archipelago, the Jomon people visited Rebun Island riding the ocean currents from the south to the north. On the other hand, from around 1000 years ago, the maritime hunter-gatherer culture blossomed as groups migrated from the north to the south, in contrast to previous human migrations. We have investigated the history of successive peoples' activities from the Final Stage of the Jomon Culture to the Early Modern Ainu Culture through the investigation of multi-layered archaeological sites formed on dunes in the northern part of the island. In this paper, I would like to report on the correlation between the life history of prehistoric peoples and the environmental history of the island, which has been obvious as a result of previous research.