Podcast Summary:

New Books Network – Joe Watkins, "Indigenizing Japan: Ainu Past, Present, and Future"
Release Date: October 26, 2025
Host: Caleb Zakrin
Guest: Joe Watkins, archaeologist and affiliated faculty at the University of Arizona

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode explores the overlooked history, identity, and ongoing resilience of the Ainu, the Indigenous people of Japan’s northern Hokkaido island. Joe Watkins discusses his new book, "Indigenizing Japan: Ainu Past, Present, and Future," aiming to provide an accessible starting point for understanding Ainu genetics, culture, historical marginalization, and the broader struggle for Indigenous rights within Japan’s national narrative.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Joe Watkins: Background & Connection to the Ainu

• Watkins' Introduction
  • Member of the Choctaw Nation (Oklahoma), with over 55 years in archaeology.
  • Work spans the U.S., France, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.
  • First visited Hokkaido in 2007 after invitation from Hirofumi Kato, leading to 18 years of collaboration and research on Ainu archaeology and identity.
  • Quote:

    “I joke that this book was 18 years in the making.” (05:33)

2. Early Genetic and Archaeological Origins of the Ainu

• Initial Migration:

  • First populations arrived in Japan around 40,000 years ago via the Korean Peninsula.
  • Spread across islands, including Okinawa (south) and Hokkaido (north).
  • Genetic divergence due to isolation and limited interaction; the Ainu retained a distinct genetic signature over millennia.

• Influence of Later Migrations:

  • Arrival of new groups (~3,000 years ago) brought rice agriculture and additional genetic mixing on the main islands, further separating the Ainu of Hokkaido.

• Summary of Differences:

  • The Ainu are genetically and culturally distinct from the mainland Japanese (Wajin) and the Ryukyuans (Okinawa).
  • Quote:

    “Think about mainland Japan as forming the nucleus or what has become… the ethnic Japanese… that is what has separated the group that eventually became the Ainu in Hokkaido...” (09:29)

3. Archaeological Evidence & Traditional Ainu Life

• Diet & Lifestyles:

  • Northern Hokkaido Ainu adapted to marine environments: hunting whales and seals.
  • Eastern populations relied on rivers: deer, fur-bearing animals, and salmon.
  • Southern groups (Hokkaido/northern Honshu): deer, shellfish (evidenced by large shell middens).
  • In contrast, mainland Japanese shifted to rice agriculture and complex social structures.

• Cultural Differences:

  • Diverse lifestyles developed based on region and resource availability.
  • Quote:

    “We had this very broad group called the Ainu… who occupied the entire island of Hokkaido in a very broad hunter gatherer based lifestyle, very different from… the Yayoi on the mainland…” (14:42)

4. Historic Relations with Wajin Japanese

• Pre-19th Century:

  • Economic trade (Ainu traded deer skins, eagle feathers for rice and metal goods).
  • Trade alliances (Basho system) often benefited Japanese more than Ainu.
  • Exploitation led to Ainu uprisings—e.g., Shakushain’s War.

• Meiji Period & Colonial Assimilation (post-1860s):

  • Hokkaido colonized as Japanese “frontier,” mirroring U.S./British settler colonialism.
  • 1899 Former Aborigines Act: stripped Ainu identity, enforced assimilation, offered small land plots, and framed Ainu as lowest Japanese caste.
  • State sought total erasure of Ainu culture and language.

• Quote:

  “Essentially trying to say that if you want to be Japanese, then you give up everything there is to be Ainu and we will give you little bits of land…” (20:16)

  “Very similar to… what the United States was trying to do to American Indians… and what the Australian government was trying to do to the aboriginal populations, and the British… to the Maori…” (21:22)

5. Comparative Colonialisms—Differences and Similarities

• Similarities:

  • Japanese government invited American assimilation experts; policies closely mirrored U.S., British settler colonial regimes.

• Key Differences:

  • No treaties between Japanese state and Ainu (unlike U.S./British formal agreements with Indigenous nations).
  • Ainu lack constitutional recognition or enforceable Indigenous rights under Japanese law, despite recent symbolic recognition.
  • Quote:

    “The Japanese government never entered into any sorts of treaties with the Ainu… while in the United States… governments entered into treaties [that] set the stage for how those governments treat their indigenous populations today.” (24:44)

6. Ainu Identity, Political Mobilization, and Cultural Revitalization

• Early 20th Century:

  • Hokkaido Ainu Association (1935): part quasi-governmental, used for distributing resources and as a conduit for local Ainu voices.
  • Served similar functions as U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

• Post-1960s-70s:

  • Inspired by global Indigenous and civil rights movements (e.g., American Indian Movement).
  • Protests and assertion of rights in Sapporo, Tokyo; involvement in international Indigenous fora (e.g., UN Working Group).

• Current Activism:

  • Still pressing for recognition and full application of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

• Quote:

  “The Ainu started becoming more involved in global indigenous rights and it continues today.” (31:19)

7. Current Status: Language, Culture, and Discrimination

• Language:

  • Ainu language is endangered; few native speakers remain.
  • Language revitalization through local communities, “language nests,” and university courses—sometimes modeled after American Indian language programs.
  • Quote:

    “They would love for the entire world to be able to speak Choctaw. I think… there are teachers at Sapporo University who teach the Ainu language. There are groups… who have language courses and who teach the Ainu language to the youth…” (33:44)

• Culture:

  • Monthly community meetings, active ceremonies, festivals (e.g., Shakushain Ceremony)—crucial for cultural transmission.

• Discrimination:

  • Many non-Ainu Japanese believe Ainu “disappeared” in the early 20th century.
  • Persistent stereotypes: Ainu seen as primitive, visibly distinct.
  • Watkins aims for his book to be translated into Japanese to raise awareness and understanding.

• Quote:

  “Many of the Wajin… believe that the Ainu disappeared in the 1900s… There’s still a great deal of discrimination against the Ainu people…” (39:28)

8. The Book’s Aims & Hopes for Further Scholarship

• Aims:

  • Provide a foundational, accessible English-language introduction to Ainu history, culture, and identity.
  • Not intended as the ‘final word’, but as an entry point for wider research and understanding.
  • Hopes for greater scholarship and more works written from Ainu perspectives.
  • Call for translation into Japanese to reach both Ainu and Wajin audiences.

• Quote:

  “There’s a lot of information about Japanese relationships with the Ainu, but there’s really only two or three volumes available in English… There’s not a lot that has been written from an Ainu perspective…” (38:18)

• Watkins on the Impact:

  • Emphasis on global Indigenous movements and the commonalities between Ainu and other Indigenous struggles.
  • Quote:

    “The similarities between American Indian struggle for identity and the Ainu struggle for identity within a rapidly global global indigenous grouping has really opened my eyes…” (43:15)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Book’s Purpose:

  “It is just one word on the Ainu in Japanese archaeology.” – Joe Watkins (06:36)

• On Cultural Revitalization:

  “It is a time of rejoicing. It’s a time of regaining acquaintances, and it’s a time of celebration of Ainu identity, Ainu culture and Ainu history.” – Joe Watkins (35:41)

• On Global Comparisons:

  “Very similar to what the United States was trying to do to American Indians in the 1800s…” – Joe Watkins (21:22)

• On Discrimination:

  “The Ainu appeared to be more of a Caucasian… They had very thick, wavy hair. They had very heavy beards and just looked different than the ethnic Japanese. So they were always discriminated against.” – Joe Watkins (39:55)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:08 – Introduction, Watkins’ background
• 04:50 – How Watkins became involved with Ainu studies
• 08:21 – Ainu genetic history and divergence
• 13:16 – Archaeological sites and traditional lifestyles
• 16:45 – Ainu-Wajin relations before the 19th century
• 19:25 – Meiji period, colonial assimilation, and legal changes
• 24:20 – Comparative analysis: Japanese, U.S., British approaches
• 27:26 – Evolution of Ainu identity and organizations
• 33:10 – Current status of language, culture, and community
• 37:35 – Watkins’ hopes for further research and translation
• 39:28 – Persistence of discrimination and misconceptions
• 43:15 – Final thoughts on Indigenous identity and global movements

Closing Remarks

Joe Watkins’ conversation underscores the urgent need to foreground Indigenous voices in both scholarship and public discourse. His book serves as a critical bridge—inviting not just further academic study but also deeper public reckoning with Japan’s multicultural history and the ongoing struggles of the Ainu.