This document summarizes Christopher Lowman's research into the provenance and documentation of the Ainu collections at the Hearst Museum. It provides background on the Ainu people and outlines Lowman's research questions. It then describes the extent and types of Ainu collections at the Hearst, ranging from 1906 to the 1970s. Examples are given of the documentation in the museum's records, including accession folders, donor information, and photographs. Next steps are identified to fill gaps and follow up on additional research leads.

1. From “Moustache Lifter”
to Kamui Pasui
Investigating Documentation of
the Ainu Collections at the
Hearst Museum
Christopher Lowman, UC Berkeley

2. Research Questions
• What are the proveniences of the Ainu collections at the Hearst
Museum?
– (Who were the major donors? Who were the collectors? Were materials
archaeological or ethnographic in origin, and how is this reflected in the
associated museum documents?)
• How did recording practices change over the course of the museum’s
history?
– (By studying the museum records, is it possible to determine changes in the
understanding of Ainu cultural practices? What changes reflect the development
of museum records as a whole?)

3. The Ainu
• Indigenous people native to Hokkaido,
Japan. Previously lived on Sakhalin
(Russia) and on the Kuril Islands north of
Japan.
• “Ainu” means human in their own
language, separate from Japanese.
• Ethnic issues surrounding identification
and prejudice. Recent political recognition.

4. Extent of the Ainu Population in the Past:
Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands
http://www.tofugu.com/2011/12/20/japans-resilient-native-people-the-ainu/
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_Ainu_in_Hokkaido.svg

5. Ainu Museums, Collections, and Exhibitions
• Japan:
– The Ainu Museum in Shiraoi
– Nibutani Ainu Cultural Museum (Hiratori)
– Tokyo National Museum
• United States:
– The Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center
– National Archives of Anthropology,
Washington DC
– American Museum of Natural History, NYC
– The University Museum of Archaeology
and Anthropology, UPenn
– Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago
– Los Angeles County Museum of Natural
History, California.
– Elsewhere catalogued by Yoshinobu Kotani.
Shiraoi Ainu Museum (Porotokotan)
Nibutani Ainu Cultural Museum (Hiratori)

6. Ainu Collections at the Hearst
• Approximately 150 objects, 18 accessions, 5 minor accessions
• All 20th century, but ranging between 1906 and 1970s
• Clothing and textiles, baskets, stone implements, carved
wood, ceremonial objects.
Belt, Sakhalin, 1930sRush mat, tannic iron dye Bark bagPouch, 1931

7. Example of the Spreadsheet:
Organized by Accession Number

8. Example of the Spreadsheet:
Organized by Accession Date

9. Example of the Spreadsheet:
Organized by Collection Date

10. Example Accession Folder # 1226
Accession Folder
Doorbook
Record
Thank You
to Donor
Postcards

11. Example Accession Folder # 4574
Accession Folder
Doorbook
Record
Thank You
to Donor
Additional Comments Museum Acceptance Letters from Donor

12. Minor Accession 100 KZ: Pottery reconstruction from Kashiwai Shellmounds, Chiba, Japan.
“Aino” Pottery. Collected and illustrated by Mamoru Kurahashi.

13. From “Moustache Lifter” to Prayer Stick to Kamui Pasui
• Minor Accession 500 E-I: Collected by K.R. Stewart in
Nitai (Forest) Village on Sakhalin and donated by Mr.
and Mrs. Omer C. Stewart. Likely gathered in the
1930s.
• Accession 838: Blair Memorial Collection. Collected in
Alaska in 1934, accessioned in 1945. From a collection
that includes Western and Southwest Native American
tribes.
• Accession 4574: The most recent material both
collected and accessioned. It was collected in 1970 and
accessioned in January 1993, by Haruo Aoki.

14. Next Steps
• Record the objects and photographs
that have missing information.
• Follow-up research using the names
of the collectors and donors.
• Make contact with Yoshinobu
Kotani to find out more about his
documentation of Berkeley’s
collections.
• Synthesize research so far in the
context of class readings.
25-302 lacks an Accession #, but does have information
about the collector (Dr. Ronald L. Olson (1895-1979)

15. Thank you—
Ira Jacknis
Junko Habu
William Fitzhugh
Laura Fleming
The Arctic Studies Center at the
Smithsonian