Sustainable Blood Kin Relationships among Settlement Dwellers through Fluid Residential Groupings of the Ainu as Hunter-Gatherers in the Mitsuishi District of Hokkaido, Japan, 1856-1869

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  • 集団の空間的流動性からみたアイヌ集落の持続的な血縁関係―１８５６～１８６９（安政３～明治２）年の東蝦夷地三石場所を例に
  • シュウダン ノ クウカンテキ リュウドウセイ カラ ミタ アイヌ シュウラク ノ ジゾクテキ ナ ケツエン カンケイ 1856 1869 アンセイ 3 メイジ 2 ネン ノ ヒガシエゾチ ミツイシ バショ オ レイ ニ

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Abstract

Membership within a residential group is not stable in hunter-gatherer societies, such as those of the San, Mbuti Pygmy, Hadza, Hare Indian, Inuit, Orochon, and Ainu. Fluid residential groupings among hunter-gatherers have been regarded as one way to mitigate conflict in a society. Under this concept, it is acceptable for groups to split with each other, although it is not clear who, when, or why people join the same settlement. The purpose of this study was to measure the degree of fluidity of each residential grouping and to investigate the splitting and joining processes of fluid residential groupings in terms of blood kinship relations. The study focuses on the Ainu as hunter-gatherers in the Mitsuishi district of Hokkaido, Japan, 1856-1869. The findings of the analysis can be summarized as follows:<br> 1) Many of the settlement locations changed and the resident members of the settlements also changed substantially. Fluid residential groupings were based on two processes: the splitting process of the resident members to various settlements and the joining process from various residential groups. The former is termed “splitting fluidity” and the latter “joining fluidity”. The numerical value of the degree of splitting fluidity per settlement was within the range of 0 to 1 (mean 0.82). Regardless of settlement size, there were many settlements for which the degree of splitting fluidity was high (S < 0.82). On the contrary, the degree of splitting fluidity was low (S > 0.82) especially in small settlements of less than 5.3 households.<br> 2) The numerical value of the degree of joining fluidity per settlement was within the range of 0 to 1 (mean 0.79). Regardless of settlement size, there were many settlements for which the degree of joining fluidity was high (J < 0.79). On the other hand, the degree of joining fluidity was low (J > 0.79) especially in small settlements of less than 5.9 households. It was found that 66.7% (14/21)of the settlements for which the degree of joining fluidity was high (J < 0.79) included households of newcomers not part of the households of their former settlement members. This result shows that the joining fluidity of settlement members can not be interpreted only by the conflict-resolving theory based on the splitting of inhabitants.<br> 3) Focusing on the 39 settlements in 1864, 1865, 1868, and 1869, the blood ratio of settlements (the number of households that have parent-child and/or sibling relations with any other household within the same settlement/total number of households) was 71.9%. That is, 71.9% of 242 households had some close kin relations with at least one household within each settlement. In addition, 94.9% of 39 settlements had a greater than 50% blood kin rate, 84.6% (33/39) more than 60%, 61.5% (24/39) greater than 70%, 33.3% (13/39) greater than 80%, and 25.6% (10/39) greater than 90%. Thus many settlements were constructed mainly by households that had parent-child and/or sibling relations with each other. The average blood kin rate of high joining fluidity settlements, in which the degree of joining fluidity was high (J < 0.83), was 73.4%. Therefore the main part of settlements were always assembled by households that had parent-child and/or sibling relations with any other household.<br> 4) It is recognized that fluid residential groupings had the function of ensuring sustainable blood kin relationships among settlement members. The resident members of the same household (family of orientation) spread out into various settlements primarily as a result of marriage. With each of their new families (family of procreation), they and/or their close kin then moved their home base to another settlement to reside with members of their family of orientation.

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