著者

中島 正博

出版者

広島市立大学国際学部

雑誌

広島国際研究 (ISSN:13413546)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.9, pp.177-192, 2003

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This paper considers a man-and-nature relation through a hunter-gatherers lifestyle in the Japanese prehistoric Jomon period. The Jomon people developed their lifestyle by hunting and gathering natural resources in the forests, rivers and seas in the Neolithic Age, when the forest widely regenerated after the glacial period. They utilized natural resources not only by collecting resources but also growing and processing them. Because of these active operations upon the nature, there was strain between man and the nature due to overuses and among peoples for the access to the resources. The Jomon people developed communities where a social order was imbedded to sustain the nature and people's life, i. e. , coexistence of the nature and man. By considering hunter-gatherers lifestyles in the past and present, it is thought that the Jomon people looked upon the nature as cyclic lives repeating life and death and as well as partners whom they had to associate or even negotiate with. Since nature's prosperity was vital for the people's life, they associated with the nature to enhance her prosperity by spiritual attitude of thank, awe and respect with such an expression as offerings. These are Jomon people's views on the nature and life and on their man-and-nature relation.