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Reexamining the Importance of Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Continuity and Change in Landscape Practice in Rural Japan from the Prehistoric Jomon Period to the Present
Professor Junko Habu, Department of Anthropology, UC Berkeley
This presentation argues that Japanese archaeology can make a unique contribution to the current discussion of landscapes, traditional ecological knowledge, and ecosystem resilience in Anglo-American archaeology. Rural Japan is rich with ethnography and memories of traditional ecological knowledge on environmental management and wild resource use, the roots of which can be traced back to the prehistoric Jomon period (ca. 6000-4500 cal. BP). Archaeological data from Early-Middle Jomon sites in the northern Tohoku region are examined in the context of continuity and change in landscape practices and peoples’ identities.