On the Issue of Jomon and W. Pacific Rim
- From: prd <X_header@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2006 20:56:46 GMT
Anticipating Peters next complaint.
Keeping it shorter than previous.
This issue of the Jomon culture is both one of
science and entertainment. Certainly I enjoeyed my
visits to the archaeological museums in Japan and
all the wonderful stuff they are doing. But when I was there
I did not ask the museums curator just questions about
the artefacts but also the culture and the transitions.
The importance of Japan's Jomon culture goes far beyond
Japan.
1. Because of Japan's affluence and because it is
structurally developing society the density on known archaeological
sites is high, we can argue that it is as higher or higher
than in europe. Because of the density of representation
we are more likely to find particularly old human remains.
2. In fact some of the west pacific rims oldest are in Japan, on
the southern island, and are structurally not Jomon. More research
needs to be done on sites that might contain pre-iJomon remains.
The issue concerns broadly the origins of eskimoes, south
americans, the skulls in baja california, and early south american
crania.
3. The culture of Japan is appreciably old, and advanced for its
age.
1. Oldest pottery is located in
1. SW JAPAN
2. N JAPAN
3. Amur river
4. N China.
These sites are important because an important global
industry for food storage, food consumption and ornamentation
appears to have arisen. The issue of potteries origin is not
resolved and it pertains to the entire super himalyan region from
amur all the way to persia.
4. Food cultural arguments I am going to create another post.
5. The migrations to other places. Technically Japan as an island
is not a place one imagines long range migrations take place from.
In the late pleistocene and early holocene Japan was a peninsular
region that protruded into the western pacific, a last stopping
place on voyages that are largely maritime. The maritime culture
when Japan was still elevated at LGM sea level minima needs to be
investigated. This can be pertinent to cultures that ranged far
more north of Japan.
6. The genetic argument and the relationship of Japan's pre-Yayoi
genetic makeup can be linked to the west pacific rim. The estimated
frequency of A24, an A allele that appears to have founded the
eastern eurasian population is elevated along the west pacific rim
populations, particularly in the austronesia and taiwan aboriginal
population, it is also high in some siberian populations and very
high in the eskimoe population.
Japans pre-yayoi genetic makeup when corrected appears to have a
phyletic relationship with certain peoples in south america,
particularly in the northern lowlands.
Also important in this concern is the redistribution of peoples
as a result of the LGM and post LGM migrations from the west. To
the south of Japan the levels of A24 and some other WPR alleles
appears to be linear gradient, where as north and west of Japan A24
presence is often punctate, depedent on a specific people.
This is an area where good archaeology would clear up competing
theories about origins. The archaeology of the paleolithic and
transitions needs to be intensely researched many sites are known
but archaeology is largely devoted to the post Jomon period. More
molecular genetics needs to be done, including intense subregional
sampling to genetic retentions. This could directly and finally
answer the issue of NA founders.
7. The genetic argument of the Ainu by the same token links the
Ainu and siberian groups to the highland population of the
americas. As Brace has argued these west pacific rim dwellers may
have migrated to the new world. The absense of evidence in the
northern part of the northern hemisphere and the presence of both
archaeology and genetic evidence in the southern hemisphere
suggests that this wave may have had a more direct route. Maritime
archaeology one either side could prove the case. This maritime
route could be followed by a siberian or aluetian route into the
new world. Critical in this analysis is the source of elevated DQ8
in the new world population and its point of origin(s) in the east.
Archaeology in Japan that can show a stronger link between clovis
and incipient Jomon culture may be an explanation _or_ showing a
bilateral trail of cultural divergence to Japan and the New World
may also explain. Based on the incipient Jomon culture it seems
logical that an association either local or distal will be shown.
As many have stated the Ainu moved into their present local, the
problem with this claim is that Jomon skulls from a much earlier
period match the Ainu, and historical documents from the Japanese
affiliate the ancient N. Honshu with Ainu-like peoples. This is not
an excuse for the Ainu being Japanese, but if could reflect a
specific gradient of asian/caucasian/WPR people who lived along the
sakalan/hokkaido/honshu regions during the pleistocene and
holocene. More study is needed on when and where these peoples
settled, More importantly can remnant micronodes of elevated
freq be isolated from within the sakalin, Japanese, manchurian
populations. More area of molecular genetic research is needed.
8. The cultural argument. As the study of Japanese archaeology on
shikoku, an eastern island, revealed that culture flowed long
distances in the pre-Yayoi period. Although the specific arguments
are not clear as to the precise division between early yayoi and
late jomon in every area, we see for instance evidence of trade
with china in addition to korea during this early period. Mainland
cultural flow seems to have been bidirectional as the maritime
cultures of Japan appear also to have influenced southern korea.
In addition the chinese pottery finds postdate the earliest chinese
finds.
The onset of the incipient Jomon is complex, I am by no means an
expert on this is anyone is. Original theories projected the gene
flow of peoples, Ainu-like into northern Japan during the period
after the LGM, the cultural influences changed over time suggesting
a protracted period of cultural flow into Japans largely
paleolithic culture. During the period that followed however more
studies have indicated cultural flow from korea also into Japan.
Therefore the culture of northern china and korea seems to have
been connected to Japan before the isolation of the landmass to
more a degree than first realized. More archaeological study is
needed in this area.
9. The complexion of asia has changed, we see this everywhere. The
expansion of B46, the differences between Korean and (putative)
Jomon indicate that after isolation almost all of the ariable lands
of asia have undergone sinitization. A likely region is a push of
farmers from the southern lowlands in the early mid holocene. This
push probably moved the indigenous peoples north, admixing with
Transbiakal dwellers and becoming the eastern turko mongols. this
process has altered and distorted the genetic makeup, and has
thwarted ancestry studies. The Jomon dwellers of Japan may have
retained cultures as other cultural icons faded across asia. One
such icon are the Keyhole mounds that are presnet from vietnam to
northern Japan. Representations of an age of burials which had a
common cultural tie.
10. The ryukyu islands appear to have a special and recent
relationship with SE asia. The ryukyuan wild pig is the putative
ancestor of the vietnamese potbelly pig. Certain Ainu/Ryukyu like
genes are found in SE asia, and certain SE asian objects are found
in ryukyans. THe ryukyuans appear also to be linked to the Jomon,
and extends a comma shaped gradient of western or central eurasian
genes from northern amur region into Japan tailing off in ryukyu.
These genes do not stop however and evidence of some alleles are
punctate in SE asia and austronesia.
Conclusion.
The study of pre Jomon, Jomon culture and the West pacific rim from
the most ancient habitation to the the late prehistoric period has
implications to a region broader then just Japan, it covers a
region from austonesia to aral mountains to the entirety of the
americas. This is not only my opinion, but also is support by
different perspectives, like CL Brace. The study of Jomon culture
and its predescessors can be used as a surrogate for studies of
other places, but it is not a true surrogate, and these studies
anticipate the rise of archaeology in other WPR and Siberian
regions with the hope of supporting or disproving any given theory.
It is notable that Jomon archaeology is important, as one favors
ideas of potential direct long range links, but it is also
important because it has come to represent west pacific rim
archaeology, and because the chain covers such a long front with
the western pacific, some of the discoveries could be of great
importance. We should all hope and support the other archaeologist
of the world, including those who do not have the resources or
manpower to investigate their own lands as a result of political or
social problems. Jomon archaeology should not become a icon of
Japanese supremacy(intellectual, monetary, or social), and it is up
to people who support archaeology to help spread the idea that
Jomon is only a word, and in shikoku I learned there is not a
single Jomon, but many, and some of the poeples who lived their
were shell mound builders with a distinct culture of their own. IOW
Jomon archaeology represents diversity of japanese past, before the
time when a singular group of people invaded, including diversity
that extended to Taiwan and the philipines, korea, china and
Siberia, as distinct but interacting peoples.
.
- Follow-Ups:
- Re: On the Issue of Jomon and W. Pacific Rim
- From: a . manansala
- Re: On the Issue of Jomon and W. Pacific Rim
- From: Peter Alaca
- Re: On the Issue of Jomon and W. Pacific Rim
- Prev by Date: Archaeological discovery at Hal Resqun l/o Gudja
- Next by Date: Climate and the Collapse of Maya Civilization
- Previous by thread: Archaeological discovery at Hal Resqun l/o Gudja
- Next by thread: Re: On the Issue of Jomon and W. Pacific Rim
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
