The Peoples of Northeast Asia Through Time : Precolonial Ethnic and Cultural Processes along the Coast Between Hokkaido and the Bering Strait

The Focus Of Richard Zgusta's The Peoples Of Northeast Asia Through Time Is The Formation Of Indigenous And Cultural Groups Of Coastal Northeast Asia, Including The Ainu, The 'paleoasiatic' Peoples, And The Asiatic Eskimo. Most Chapters Begin With A Summary Of Each Culture At The Beginning Of The Colonial Era, Which Is Followed By An Interdisciplinary Reconstruction Of Prehistoric Cultures That Have Direct Ancestor-descendant Relationships With The Modern Ones. An Additional Chapter Presents A Comparative Discussion Of The Ethnographic Data, Including Subsistence Patterns, Material Culture, Social Organization, And Religious Beliefs, From A Diachronic Viewpoint. Each Chapter Includes Maps And Extensive References--provided By Publisher. Introduction: Historical Methods And Northeast Asian Coastal Cultures -- Hokkaido Island : Ainu -- Sakhalin Island : Nivkh -- Lower Amur Valley : The Amur Complex (nanay, Ulcha, Orochi, Udehe, Ulta) -- Amur And Okhotsk Tungus (negidal, Eastern Ewenki, Okhotsk Ewen) -- Northeast Asian Tundra And Taiga : The Yukagir-chuwan (northern Paleoasiatic) Complex -- Kamchatka Peninsula : The Itelmen-kamchadal Complex -- Far Northeast Of Asia : Ethnogenesis Of The Koryak-chukchi (northeastern Paleoasiatic) Complex -- Western Bering Strait : Asiatic Eskimo -- Cultural Connections -- Conclusion: Pacific Northeast Asia In Time And Space. By Richard Zgusta. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 367-439) And Index.