著者

大塚 和義

出版者

国立民族学博物館

雑誌

国立民族学博物館研究報告 (ISSN:0385180X)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.19, no.4, pp.543-585, 1994

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Though undergoing a rapid socio-economic change since the beginningof this century, the Nivkh people (Gilyak) of today, who live in thenorthern half of Sakhalin Island and at the mouth of the Amour Riveron the continent, still maintain to a large extent their traditional way oflife, in which fishing and seal-hunting are of paramount importance.Based on research conducted intermittently during 1990 to 1993 atLuplova (Romanovka) , a small Nivkh village on the northwestern coastof Sakhalin, the author describes (1) modern and traditional seal-huntingmethods, (2) the utilization of the game (the process of dismembering,meat consumption, fur preparation, oil extraction, etc.), and (3)the ritual of sending back the seal spirit to the sea world.The ethnographical material presented here proves that the Nivkhcultural complex related to seal-hunting has a strong consistency (cf.Kreinovich 1934, 1973) , and shows a close resemblance to those of theUilta and the Ainu (cf. Chiri and Yamamoto 1979, etc.) .The author suggests that this resemblance comes from a commoncultural tradition whose origin can be traced back to the OkhotskCulture, once diffused widely in the area from 8th to 12th centuries. Archaeologicalevidence examined verifies the author's hypothesis.