Joe Watkins, "Indigenizing Japan: Ainu Past, Present, and Future" (U Arizona Press, 2025)

Oct 26, 2025

Joe E. Watkins, a Senior consultant in archaeological and cultural education with Choctaw heritage, dives into the rich history of the Ainu, Japan's Indigenous people. He explores their ancient arrival in Hokkaido, unique lifestyles, and complex relationships with the mainland. Watkins highlights pivotal events like the 1997 Nibutani Dam case and the 2007 recognition of the Ainu, showcasing their ongoing struggle for cultural preservation. He advocates for greater awareness and scholarship about Ainu issues within both Japan and the global Indigenous movement.

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ANECDOTE

A Four-Day Trip That Changed A Career

Watkins's 2007 visit to Sapporo began 17–18 years of collaboration with Hokkaido University and Ainu communities.
That short trip evolved into long-term archaeological projects and deep engagement with Ainu issues.

INSIGHT

Distinct Genetic Histories Of Island Peoples

Genetic studies show distinct ancestries formed by migration and isolation across the Japanese islands.
The Ainu in Hokkaido carry genetic input from Amur/Sakhalin regions distinct from mainland Yayoi-derived Japanese.

INSIGHT

Diverse Hunter-Gatherer Economies

Archaeology reveals varied Ainu lifeways: riverine deer hunters, shellfish gatherers, and marine-based whale hunters.
These economic differences helped drive cultural divergence from rice-farming mainland populations.

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In Indigenizing Japan: Ainu Past, Present, and Future (University of Arizona Press, 2025), archaeologist Joe E. Watkins provides a comprehensive look at the rich history and cultural resilience of the Ainu, the Indigenous people of Hokkaido, Japan, tracing their journey from ancient times to their contemporary struggles for recognition.

Relaying the deep history of the islands of Japan, Watkins tells the archaeological story from the earliest arrivals some 40,000 years ago to 16,000 years ago when local cultures began utilizing pottery and stone tools. About 2,300 years ago, another group of people immigrated from the Korean peninsula into the Japanese archipelago, bringing wet rice agriculture with them. They intermarried with the people who were there, forming the basis of the contemporary Japanese majority culture. As the Japanese state developed on the central Islands of Honshu, Ryukyu, and Shikoku, the people of Hokkaido continued developing along a different trajectory with minimal interaction with the mainland until colonization in the mid-nineteenth century, when the people known as the Ainu came under Japanese governmental policy.

Watkins's insightful analysis highlights the Ainu's enduring spirit and their resurgence as part of the global Indigenous movement. Key events such as the 1997 Nibutani Dam case and the 2007 recognition of the Ainu as Japan's Indigenous people are explored in depth, showcasing the Ainu's ongoing fight for cultural preservation and self-determination. By situating the Ainu's experiences within broader global colonial histories, Indigenizing Japan underscores the shared struggles and resilience of Indigenous communities worldwide.

Joe E. Watkins is a senior consultant for Archaeological and Cultural Education Consultants (ACE Consultants), based in Tucson, Arizona. His study interests concern the ethical practice of anthropology and anthropology's relationships with descendant communities and populations on a global scale.

Caleb Zakarin is editor of the New Books Network.

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