Ainu Bones Discovered

Basically for academic purpose, scholars had been collecting bones of deceased indigenous people called Ainu. From the perspective of protecting human rights, the collection faced broad criticism on exclusive possession of the remains. The scholars are going to return the bones to the tribes. Now, the people realized that not only university, but the museums in Hokkaido have been keeping the bones.

Hokkaido Shimbun reported that three museums in Hokkaido had been possessing bones of 16 Ainu. It is not rare in Hokkaido that those bones are discovered in excavation research. They are regarded as buried cultural properties in Cultural Properties Protection Act and kept in each cities or towns. Those discoveries will be properly reported. Hokkaido Shimbun had a research to all museums in Hokkaido whether those facilities did not possess bones of Ainu without appropriate process.

Hakodate Museum replied to the research that it kept the bones of 10 Ainu. Four of them were donated by a wife of former professor of Hokkaido University and the rest was discovered in public construction works. Hokkaido Museum in Sapporo city has five, which were donated from a history researcher or medical doctor. Muroran Museum also has one.

It is known that 12 universities in Japan are keeping 1600 Ainu bones for academic purpose. The scholars took an anthropological approach to study the history of indigenous people. Some see a possibility of ethnic character of Ainu close to Anglo-Saxon. However, regarding dark history of oppression, exploitation or discrimination on Ainu, the possession of their remains with no appropriate legal process could not be tolerated in terms of comprehensive human rights for every ethnic group.

To appeal ethnic co-existence in Japan to the visitors for Tokyo Olympic in 2020, Japanese government has a plan to build a new national showcase on Ainu ethnicity in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, which includes memorial center for Ainu. The collected bones will be returned to their families, if they are properly identified. Other unidentified bones will be stored in the memorial center. Now, the government is wondering how big the center should be, regarding current discovers of Ainu bones.

“Why now?” Ainu people wonder. Legitimacy of that bone collection had been questioned from 1980s. It is necessary to have thorough research about how those bones were discovered and treated afterward. If the government wanted to show “co-existence” with ethnic minority, it needs to guarantee fundamental human rights of Ainu.