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OUTH PACIFICPACIFIC NEWSLETTERNEWSLETTER
OUTH

KAGOSHIMA UNIVERSITYRESEARCH
CENTERKAGOSHIMA
UNIVERSITYFOR THEINTERNATIONAL CENTER
FOR PACIFICISLAND ISLANDSSTUDIES
1-21-24, Korimoto, Kagoshima, 890-8580 JAPAN ●T E L: +81-99-285-7394
FAX: +81-99-285-6197

⿅児島⼤学国際島嶼教育研究センター
郵便番号 890-8580
⿅児島市郡元１丁⽬21番24号
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ファクシミリ 099-285-6197

E-mail: shimaken@cpi.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
Website:http://cpi.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/index.html

March
No.31
March 2200 21 05 No.26

KAGOSHIMA UNIVERSITYKAGOSHIMA
INTERNATIONALCENTERUNIVERSITYFOR ISLAND STUDIESRESEARCH
CENTERFORFOR
THETHE
PACIFICISLANDS(formerly
RESEARCH
CENTER
PACIFICISLANDS)

CONTENTS
Page
YAMAMOTO S.: Establishment of the International Academic Exchange Between the Center for Jeju
Studies, Korea, and International Center for Island Studies, Kagoshima University···············1Introducing my Research

KERE, G.: Protecting our Marine Resources Within our Waters and Boundaries: the Solomon
Islands···································································································2
TAKAMIYA, H.: Unique Aspects of the Prehistory of the Amami and Okinawa Archipelagos,
Japan·····································································································7
Research Seminars ······························································································12Recent Publications ·······················································································20

Cover photo: Dolharubang from Jeju Island, June 2019 (by Hiroto TAKAMIYA)ESTABLISHMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC EXCHANGE
BETWEEN THE CENTER FOR JEJU STUDIES, KOREA, AND INTERNATIONALCENTER FOR ISLAND STUDIES, KAGOSHIMA UNIVERSITY
Sota YAMAMOTO
International Center for Island Studies, Kagoshima University
Our institution, International Center for Island Studies, Kagoshima University,
launched an international academic exchange program with the Center for Jeju Studies,
Korea, on June 10th, 2019, at the department level. The Center for Jeju Studies wasestablished in 2011 as one of the research branches within the Jeju Research Institute, whichstarted in 1997 as the think-tank for the policy and other strategies for the special
self-governing Jeju Province. The Center for Jeju Studies encompasses four fields: scientificresearch (mainly humanities), the Jeju language, policy, and archives (data digitalization).
Scholars from the Center for Jeju Studies have conducted their research intensively andextensively about the Jeju Island. At the same time, they have actively engaged in revealing
their discoveries to the public, for example, publication of books covering topics such as thehistory of the Jeju Province and the dictionary of the Jeju languages. After the establishmentof the international academic exchange, our full-time scholars, as well as concurrent scholars,
will cooperate with the members of the Center for Jeju Studies to conduct international
research on the Amami Archipelago and the Jeju Island. It is hoped that the cooperation
between the two centers will further accelerate international academic exchange in the
future.

Signing the contracts (left: professor Hyekyung CHOA from Center for Jeju studies and right:
professor Kei Kawai from International Center for Island Studies)11All the participants at the signing ceremony
INTRODUCING MY RESEARCHPROTECTING OUR MARINE RESOURCES WITHIN OUR WATERS AND
BOUNDARIES: THE SOLOMON ISLANDS
Glorisa KERE
Graduate School of Fisheries, Kagoshima University
My name is Glorisa Kere and I came from a beautiful country in the South
Pacific called the Solomon Islands (Fig. 1). I graduated from the University of the South
Pacific Law School in 2016 with a Bachelor of Law and Bachelors of Arts Program. In 2017
for my Professional Diploma in Legal Practice, I did my placement at the Forum
Fisheries Agency Legal Unit. It was during my placement that I realized the22great importance of protecting our marine resources within our waters and boundaries. This
then motivated me to continue with my Masters in Fisheries Law and Management. I wasthen fortunate enough to be awarded a MEXT scholarship in 2018 to continue with mystudies here in Japan. This opportunity to me is a dream come true therefore, I would like tothank the Government and the people of Japan for this opportunity.
More than 80% of the Solomon Islands population live along the coastal areas
and rely on marine and coastal biodiversity as a source of livelihood and food security. For
us Solomon Islanders the ocean has been part of us and it has enriched our lives physically,
culturally, spiritually and recreationally in many different ways. The ocean divides ourisland and Provinces. The most used transportation is by Outboard Motor canoes and Ships.
Regardless of the abundant marine resources that we have our people are not deriving the
economic benefits fully from our resources and in particular our tuna resources caught byforeign fishing vessels and as well as other marine species. Also today more and more issues
are affecting our marine or ocean resources from climate change to human threats
everywhere, and this really concerns me because it is affecting my home and my people.
For my Research thesis, I chose to focus more on Marine Protected Areas which
is one of the tools of coastal fisheries management. In recent years and from past studies it
has been reported that although marine protected areas have been established, sufficienteffects have not been obtained (Fig. 2,3). In the Master’s program, we will clarify the current
status and issues of coastal fishery management in the Solomon Islands and in particular
Choiseul Province. Using conditions of fishery management in Japan we are goingto empirically clarify the conditions and issues for effective fishery management.
The Managing of the Fisheries Resources is to search for the best method of theutilization of fishery resources, as fisheries resources is a renewal through self- reproduction.
The fluctuation of these resources volumes may be the result of the diverse factors, such as
through fishing pressure, caught fish before reaching reproduction stage and population
increases in the coastal communities as the case in the Solomon Islands. The management ofthese resources varies greatly depending on the type and species and the management
methods that are suited must be applied.
Brief introduction on research sitea) Fisheries in Choiseul Province
33

I wish to talk on the fisheries itself on the specific Province which I chose for myresearch, Choiseul Province. Actually I came from Choiseul Province which is situated in
the Western part of Solomon Islands. Choiseul is a German name.

The Island is named

after the explorer’s wife. Choiseul Province did have the total population estimated to be
26,000 with

sixteen

Provincial

wards

and

three

electoral constituencies.

Its

provincial headquarter is at Taro, Northwest region of the Island.
In the northwest part of the Island 12 nautical miles it did have better fishingground for tuna especially tuna species, particularly skipjack and yellow fin (Fig. 4).
Choiseul Province as part of the Solomon Islands has the equal rights and opportunity to
tap into and participate into this lucrative fishing industry. To date there are nocommercial fishing companies operated and owned by the Province. However, there are
growing concerns from the local resource owners of foreign owned vessels fishing illegallyin the Provincial water jurisdiction, 3 miles from the shoreline. There is a need forbetter enforcement to curb such illegal fishing activities as it is depriving the rights of
the indigenous coastal communities to benefit from their resources.
The inshore or coastal fishery is predominantly of reef finfish. Apart from
finfish resources, Choiseul Province has abundant of valuable marine resources such asshells, sea cucumber, crayfish, and mangrove crab and other value marine resources. The
sustainable harvesting of these resources will provide cash opportunity for the coastal
communities surrounding the island. Choiseul Province fisheries are mostly subsistence
and an artisanal majority of the catch taken from the inshore fisheries.
b) Partnership Work
The Provincial Fisheries division is the core centre of contact any program to dowith fisheries related issues in Choiseul Province, this both in marine and fresh water fishery.
The Provincial Division did have long history working partnership with Lauru Land
Conference for Tribal Community (LLCTC), a local registered NGO, and the Nature
Conservancy (TNC). Other regional organizations are also board partnering some work in
the Province. With support being rendered through partnership work, awareness program
was initiated and conducted in bigger communities within the Province. Biological andscientific assessments were conducted for the inshore resources through the partnershipwork in some selected sites. Most resources and support for the establishments of the Marine
Protected Area comes under the Lauru Marine Network. The work is financially supported
44

by the Nature Conservancy (TNC), Lauru Land for Tribal Community (LLCTC) andother partners. In support of the work, the Choiseul Provincial Government has enacted
its Fisheries and Conservation Ordinance to support the management of these Marine
Protected Areas. With support from partners the Fisheries Division deployed 8 fish
aggregating devices (Rafter) at some selected sites within the Province. These rafters
diverted fishing pressure from the coastal reefs as local fishermen went offshore fishingfor pelagic species such as tuna and wahoo and dolphin fish.
c) Resource Management across Choiseul Province
Resource management has been part of our culture from our ancestors until to date(Fig.5). Our ancestors have managed their resources basically for food from generation
after generations. However, due to the increases in population and an increase in the
cash economy, there is depletion in resources. Since 2003, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) a
US based Non-Governmental Organization signed a MOU with our Indigenous Organization,
the Lauru Land Conference of Tribal Community (LLCTC) and Choiseul Provincial
Government to consider areas of collaboration in managing our natural resources. Thispartnership has resulted in the establishment of more than twenty Locally Managed Marine
areas and more than 10 terrestrial managements. The goals and objectives of LLCTC withregards to Natural Resource Management and Sustainable use of resources have been carriedout in Choiseul Province with the support from partners. The environment program under
LLCTC has grown over the years and the establishment of Choiseul Province Ridges toReefs Conservation Plan, a document that guides the management of natural resources (Fig.
6).
The work is linked with the relevant goals and objectives of LLCTC and Choiseul
Province Government. The tribal communities manage the areas that they conserve or
periodically harvest. Each Conservation serving community have management committees
to oversee the development of their managed areas.
Partners support in terms of technical areas and advice. Community-based resource
management across Choiseul has formed a network of managed areas known as“Lauru Protected Areas Network” (LPAN) guided by the Choiseul Ridges to Reefs
Conservation Plan that was developed in 2009. The network has increased over the years by
the tribal community and traditional leaders across Choiseul. Apart from this initiative, there
is an intervention through the national Government in support of the existing activities. This55

is known as the Choiseul Integrated Climate Change Adaptation Program, that addresses
issues of Climate Change.
Arigato gozaemasu and I am looking forward to be sharing with you my learningjourney!

Fig. 1 View from airplane

Fig. 2 Turtle hatchlings

Fig. 3 Turtle breeding season

over an island in the western

on Arnavon Marine

on Arnavon Marine

province, Solomon Islands

Protected Area inProtected Area (Photo credit:

Solomon Islands (Photo

Arnavon MPA)

credit: Arnavon MPA)

Fig. 4 Fresh catch for dinnerFig.5 A fishing trip on a dug

Fig. 6 Boiled seashells

outside one of the Marine

out canoe with my cousin

picked from the reef byProtected Areas in Choiseul

and grandmother

women ready to be served

Province

on the dinning table.

6
6

UNIQUE ASPECTS OF THE PREHISTORY OF THE AMAMI AND OKINAWA
ARCHIPELAGOS, JAPAN
Hiroto, TAKAMIYAInternational Center for Island Studies Kagoshima University
Introduction
The Amami and Okinawa archipelago, located between Kyushu and Taiwan Islands(Fig. 1), is well known for its numerous endemic species. For example, Amami rabbit(Pentalagus furnessi), Amami jay (Garrulus lidthi), three species of Tokudaia, and Okinawa
rail (Gallirallus Okinawa) can now be found only in these islands. Because of the richnessof its biodiversity, including the endemic species, the islands have been proposed by theJapanese government to be added to the UNESCO World heritage (inscription) list by thissummer.

Fig. 1 Map of the Ryukyu Archipelago

77While the islands are eminent for their richness of biodiversity, prehistory of thisregion has not been paid attention to as much. However, recent studies on the Amami andOkinawa archipelago have demonstrated that the prehistory of the islands is equally worth astheir biodiversity. In this paper, I would like to introduce the significance of the island’sprehistory to the world.
The islands Homo sapiens inhabited before 10,000 years ago
Homo sapiens originated in Africa sometime around 200,000 years ago. From there,
they spread to Europe (ca. 40,000 years ago), East Asia (ca. 40,000 years ago), Australia (ca.
50,000 years ago), and North America (ca. 15,000 years ago). The fact that they reached thesouthernmost part of South America from Alaska 10,000 years ago proves their highadaptability to various environment. Furthermore, they were hunter-gatherers, which also
shows their high adaptability as hunter-gatherers in various environments.
While hunter-gatherers were able to conquer different environments in the world
10,000 years ago, only a handful islands witnessed the presence of Homo sapiens at the time.
These islands include the Channel Islands of California, New Britain, New Ireland, Manus,
Buka, Timor, Cyprus, and several others.
Three Paleolithic sites in Amami-Oshima Islands and two in Tokunoshima Island
were reported. These sites date back to approximately 30,000 years ago. In Okinawajima
Islands, the oldest site is dated ca. 37,000 years ago. In addition, four Paleolithic sites wererecorded. Furthermore, two paleolithic sites were noted on the Iejima Island and one in
Kumejima Island. In terms of human presence on the islands, the Tanegashima Islands
unearthed four paleolithic sites dating more than 30,000 years ago. The Miyakojima Island
yielded human fossil bones dating around 25,000 years ago. Recently, the Ishigakijima
Island exhibited Paleolithic site dating ca 27,000 years ago.
Thus, in the world, only a handful islands were known to have been occupied by
Homo sapiens; eight islands (Tanegashima, Amami-Oshima, Tokunoshima, Iejima,
Kumejima, Okinawajima, Miyakojima, and Ishigakijima) in the Ryukyu archipelago
witnessed the presence of Homo sapiens. The prehistory of the Ryukyu archipelago can becompared to the world prehistory in terms of Homo sapiens colonization in the islands prior
to 10,000 years ago (Takamiya et al. 2019)88

The islands where hunter-gatherer-fisher thrived
When Cherry (1981) studied human colonization in the Mediterranean islands, herealized that the colonization took place during the Holocene. His conclusion from the study
was that in order to successfully colonize islands, agriculture was indispensable. Indeed, allislands in the Mediterranean were colonized by agriculturalists. Almost all islands in the
Oceania and Caribbean were peopled by agriculturalists.
However, there were some exceptions to this. That is, some islands were occupied byhunter-gatherers. The features of these islands are as follows: 1) large islands (e.g.,
Tasmania), 2) closely located from a continent or large island (e.g., Channel Islands), 3) sea
mammals were an important food source (e.g., Chatam Islands), 4) hunter-gatherers
translocated edible plants and/or animals (e.g., New Britain), and 5) combination of 1) to 4)
was possible (Channel Islands of California 2) and 3)).
None of the above features apply to the islands of the Amami and Okinawa. However,the last two decades of faunal analysis has shown that the only domesticated animal
recovered from the islands during the prehistoric times was dog (Canis lupus familiaris).
The analysis of plant remains have also been intensively conducted with an introduction of
flotation method in this region from 1992. In addition, well preserved wet sites wereexcavated around the year 2000. The only cultigen found from the archaeological site wasbottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) from the Ireibaru site (ca. 5000 years ago). The earliest
cultigens recovered from the islands dates between the 8th and 12th centuries AD. Thus, theislands were occupied by hunter-gatherer-fishers at least from 7000 to 1000 years ago(Takamiya et al. 2015).
The islands where the subsistence change from hunting-gathering-fishing to agriculture
occurred
As discussed above, the hunter-gatherer-fisher thrived in the Amami and Okinawa
archipelago from ca. 7000 years ago to ca. 1000 years ago. The beginning of agriculture wasone of the main themes of research among the archaeologists for a long time. However, lackof adequate amount of plant remains in archaeological sites made it difficult to study them.
The last three decades, with an application of flotation to the prehistoric sites andexcavations of the wet sites, shed light on this research theme. While several hypotheses,suggesting that food production was practiced during the Shellmidden period, have been
99

proposed, no cultigen except bottle gourd has been unearthed in the last thirty years.
Therefore, all Shellmidden period hypotheses should be rejected.
The analysis of plant remains recovered from flotation successfully identified theearliest cultigens in this region. They were mostly foxtail millet (Setaria italica), barley(Hordeum vulgare), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and rice (Oryza sativa). These cultigens
were also directly dated by carbon 14 dating method. The dates of these cultigens were
between the 8th and 12th centuries AD in the Amami-Oshima and between the 10th and 12th
centuries AD in Okinawajima. The results indicated that the transition fromhunting-gathering-fishing to agriculture took place between the 8th and 12th centuries AD(Takamiya and Chida 2014).
In the context of island archaeology, this transition was an extremely rare
phenomenon. As mentioned, almost all islands in the world were colonized byagriculturalists, and there was no period of hunter-gatherers. On the other hand, those few
islands occupied by hunter-gatherers had remained as hunter-gatherers’ societies until theEuropean or other immigrants “discovered” them. Thus, there was no period of
agriculturalists. The fact that the transition from hunter-gatherer-fishers to famers happenedin the island environment is noteworthy, since this transition is one of the most importantresearch topics in archaeology and anthropology.
The islands where the changes of social organization from the band to kingdom happened
The evolution of social complexity is another most important topic in archaeology
and anthropology. Because of this, many scholars have discussed and considered how andwhy the human society evolved from simple hunter-gatherer band society to state society. It
is believed that human society evolved from the band society to the tribal society and fromthe latter to chiefdoms. Stronger chiefdoms conquered weaker ones, and this process led tothe establishment of the state society. When anthropology was born as one of the disciplines
of social sciences more than 100 years ago, most anthropologists thought that state society
was the most advanced form of human social organization. It was thought that humansociety “progressed” in this sequence. However, once anthropologists started actual fieldwork with human groups of their interests, this Western centered view did not accurately
describe human societies.
1010Intensive and extensive studies on the evolution of social complexity for last four
decades have indicated that the emergence of social complexity is not an easy process.
Accordingly, numerous hypotheses have been proposed in order to explain the emergence ofsocial complexity.
The islands of Amami and Okinawa will contribute to our understanding of theevolution of social complexity. First of all, on the islands of Okinawa, the state society,known as the Ryukyu Kingdom, emerged during the early 15th century AD. Furthermore, theisland witnessed the evolution of social complexity from hunter-gatherer band society to thestate. In the context of islands, the islands of Okinawa might be the only region where such
evolution of social complexity took place. As mentioned above several times, since mostislands in the world were colonized by agriculturalists, they did not possess the stage of band
societies. On the other hand, some islands that were colonized by hunter-gatherers witnessed
the evolution of social complexity from band to chiefdom level (such as Kodiak Islands) but
no stage of the state. Thus, an analysis on the social complexity in the islands will likely
shed light on this topic (Takamiya 2005).
Furthermore, the Amami Islands witnessed the evolution of social complexity fromthe bands to chiefdoms. The emergence of chiefdoms was 100 to 200 years earlier in the
Amami as that of the Okinawa. Why did a state society not emerge in Amami but inOkinawa? The comparison between these islands based on the emergence of the state will
also provide us significant clues on our understanding of the emergence of state society.
Conclusions
According to island archaeology, the Amami and Okinawa archipelagos exhibit atleast four unique aspects: 1) They were colonized during the late Pleistocene; 2) they weresuccessfully occupied by hunter-gatherer-fishers, whose adaptation strategies werepreviously unknown in archaeology and anthropology; 3) they witnessed the transition fromhunter-gatherer-fisher economy to agriculture economy; and lastly 4) they witnessed theevolution of social complexity from the band to the state (especially the Okinawa
archipelago). These cultural phenomena are extremely unique in the context of islandarchaeology. Thus, examination of these cultural phenomena will provide very important
clues regarding human adaptation to island environment.
1111

References
CHERRY, J. 1981. Pattern and Processes in the Earliest Colonization of the Mediterranean
Islands. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 47:41-68.
TAKAMIYA, H. 2005. Shima no Senshigaku: paradaisu deha nakatta Okinawa shoto nosenshijidai (Prehistory of the Okinawa Islands: it was not a paradise). 226pp. Boda-ink:
Okinawa (in Japanese).
TAKAMIYA, H., HUDSON, M. J., YONENOBU, H., KUROZUMI, T., and TOIZUMI, T. 2015. An
Extraordinary Case in Human History: Prehistoric Hunter-gatherer Adaptation to theIslands of the Central Ryukyus (Amami and Okinawa Archipelagos), Japan. The
Holocene, 26(3):408-422.
TAKAMIYA, H., KATAGIRI, C., YAMASAKI, S., and FUJITA, M. 2019. Human Colonization of
the Central Ryukyus (Amami and Okinawa Archipelagos), Japan. The Journal of Island
and Coastal Archaeology, 14(3):375-393.
Research Seminars
No.194, 11 March 2019
“Dental Practice in Remote Islands”
Norihiro TAGUCHI (Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University)[ABSTRACT]In the past, major dental diseases have been caries and periodontitis. In Japan,
the rate of suffering caries has been gradually decreasing, and most of Japanesepeople have got to pay attention to their oral health. However, in Kagoshima
Prefecture, an infant’s rate of suffering caries is still high. Kagoshima Prefecture
also has a large population in remote islands and a high aging rate, so a uniquestrategy in a dental practice supply system is needed. One of them should be“Patrol dental practice in remote islands”, which Kagoshima dental association
carries out, supported by Kagoshima Prefecture. In this project, a dental
professional team visits remote islands that do not have dentists and serves adental practice for a few days almost two times per year. Kagoshima University
Hospital also has been sending dentists and totally support to this project for
decades.
1212

In this presentation, I will show dental problems in Kagoshima Prefecture andthe dental practice supply system in remote islands. Moreover, I will introduce ouractivities (related to the curriculum reform of Faculty of Dentistry, Kagoshima
University, in 2015) for contributing to the development of the local community.
No.195, 22 April 2019
“The Characteristics of Sakitsu Village in Amakusa as One of the 12 Components of
the World Cultural Heritage: Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region”
Kei NAKAYAMA (Cultural Division, Tourism and Culture Department, Amakusa City)[ABSTRACT]The “Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region”, which was registered on July 2018by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is a serial
property comprising 12 components, made up of ten villages, one castle remains, and one
cathedral dating from between the 17th and 19th centuries. They reflect the era of prohibition of
the Christian faith, as well as the revitalization of Christian communities after the official
lifting of the prohibition in 1873. Among the 12 components, Hidden Christians in Sakitsu
Village in Amakusa continued their religious faith in a unique way, substituting everyday
items that were used in their daily life and work in the fishing village for Christian devotional
tools during the ban on Christianity, which significantly contributed to demonstrating theproperty’s exceptional significance (OUV: Outstanding Universal Value) of the heritage.
In this study, after introducing a brief overview of “Hidden Christian Sites in the
Nagasaki Region”, I would like to explain 1) the way of conservation based on the Law for theProtection of Cultural Properties, i.e., the characteristics of the Cultural Landscape of
Sakitsu-Imatomi as “important cultural landscapes” selected by the Agency for Cultural
Affairs and 2) the way to verify the tradition of Hidden Christians for contributing to OUV.
No.196, 27 May 2019“Introduction of Vegetation in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia”
Eizi SUZUKI (International Center for Island Studies, Kagoshima University)
Northern part of Sumatra Island has still rather wide area of primitive tropical rain forest
though most areas of Indonesia have lost forests. The area is also famous for rich fauna,elephant, orang hutan, tiger, etc. I visited Geumpang―Pameu area of Aceh Province, located1313

at the northern end of Sumatra Island in 2009, and Tangkahan area of Gunung Leuser National
Park, North Sumatra Province in 2014 and 2015. I will show you the vegetation in these areasat this seminar.
No.197, 17 June 2019
“The Boat as a Living Space: Lianjiachuan Yumin Who Keep Moving on the Water
and Living in Settlement-Oriented Society in Southern Fujian, China”
Miyoko FUJIKAWA (Faculty of Humanities, Nanzan University)[ABSTRACT]The nomadic people in the world have been pressured to settle down in aparticular place by the emergence of the modern nation-state. In fact, for boat
dwellers, what does it mean to acquire a house on land? Does it mean, as many
researchers and government officials in modern countries have assumed, adeparture from the “harsh world on the water” to salvation on the “enticing worldof the land”? Through presenting an ethnographic study of the history of
the lianjiachuan yumin (連家船漁民) living on the sea or rivers in the southernpart of Fujian Province, China, this presentation aims to explore the reasoning
behind their way of life, which cannot be simply reduced to a one-sided moveaway from a nomadic life on water to settlement on land.
No.198, 8 July 2019
“A Research for the Origin of Human Cultures in the Ryukyu Archipelago”
Shinji YAMASAKI (Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum)A research about paleolithic human remains in Okinawa well developed through the
excavations of Yamashita-cho cave site (Naha City) and Minatogawa site (Yaese Town)
carried out from 1960s to 70s. But a big mystery was concerning to a living place and cultural
remains of the palaeolithic people, because only human bones without any artificial material
were found from those sites.
Our new research project that aimed at the discovery of new human fossil and paleolithic
artifact was planned in 2006, and we have conducted continuous excavations of limestone
caves in the southern part of Okinawa-jima Island more than ten years. As a part of the project,
we started the excavation of Sakitari-do cave site (Nanjo City) in 2009. As a result, well
1414

preserved sediments dated from approximately 40,000 years ago to recent days werediscovered. We found shell tools containing the world oldest fishhook, stone artifacts, animal
remains, and human bones from the palaeolithic layers of the Sakitari-do cave site. These areimportant clue to solve the question about the origin of human culture in Okinawa. In thispresentation, I report our new findings at Sakitari-do cave site and discuss the palaeolithic life
styles and their chronological change in the Ryukyu archipelago.
No.199, 30 September 2019“Freshwater Crabs in Insular Environments”
Tohru NARUSE (Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus)[ABSTRACT]
A total of 24 species of the freshwater crabs are known from Japan; 24 species from the
Ryukyu Islands (Tanegashima to Yonagunijima; 22 spp.), 1 species from Osumi Peninsula, 1
species from the Koshiki Islands, 1 species from Kuroshima/Uji/Kuchierabu islands, and 1
species from Nakanoshima/Osumi-Satsuma peninsulas to Aomori Prefecture. The center ofthe distribution of the freshwater crabs is from tropical to subtropical climate zones. Numberof described species is so far around 1300, and this number is still increasing and accounts forabout 18 % of whole known crabs from the world (ca. 7200 species). The freshwater crabs
usually inhabit streams, relatively upstream of slow-flowing rivers and around suchenvironments in temperate zone, such as Kyushu and Honshu, but they adapted to various
environments in tropical and subtropical zones. Another characteristic feature of the
freshwater crabs is that they practice direct development, and their life histories are therefore
land-locked, which has promoted their high endemism in insular environments. This
presentation overviews the freshwater crabs’ possible origin, diversification and endemism
and adaptation to insular environments.
No.200, 25 November 2019
“The Charm of the Remote Islands for Environment of the Personnel Training which
Support All Residents’ Community Lives”
Sayoko NIWA (School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University)
Michiyo KANEKO (Education Center for Nurses in Remote Island and Rural Areas, Faculty of
Medicine, Kagoshima University, Previous Occupation)
15
15

[ABSTRACT]In our country, in order to cope with advanced age multi-death society and 2025
Problem, structuring community-based integrated care systems are an important subject.
Therefore, we have been providing intervention for remote islands and areas based on an
education program for human resource development to support all residents’ community
lives since 2015. This time, we introduce the outline of this educational program and theactual condition of training in remote islands. Moreover, we consider the charm of theremote islands for environment of the personnel training which support all residents’community lives.
No.201, 27 January 2020
“Island Research and Border Studies”
Akihiro IWASHITA(Slavic-Eurasian Research Center, Hokkaido University／International Center for Island
Studies, Kagoshima University)[ABSTRACT]
Border Studies shares with Political Geography a question of how to analyze space. Island
Research is a field that examines the space of islands, defining this space through concepts
like “maritime”, “liminality”, and “insularity”. These concepts understand islands as ‘singular’
spaces, but this is often questionable. For example, the Northern Territories are often glossed
as four islands, but one of these, Habomai, is in reality a series of islets, rather than a single
island. Tsushima, too, is often treated as a unitary space, although this seems unjustified given
the historical division between Kami-Tsushima and Izuhara.
From this critical perspective, Border Studies is able to deconstruct and reconstructIsland Research. In this paper, I would like to deploy the three border studies tools of‘timeline’, ‘permeability’, and ‘social structure’ in order to reconsider the issue of island
spatiality.

No.202, 10 February 2020
“Buckwheat Production and Sixth Sector Industrialization in Islands Areas”
Norio SAKAI (Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University)

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[ABSTRACT]
Buckwheat grows quickly even on barren soil, does not require much labor, and can be
stored for a relatively long time. Therefore, it was once cultivated mainly in mountainous
areas in Japan. It was also widely cultivated in Kagoshima Prefecture. After that, buckwheat
production declined, but it stopped declining in the 1970s. From around 2000, the buckwheatarea increased sharply, mainly in cold regions such as Hokkaido, Tohoku and Hokuriku.
Buckwheat is also produced in island areas where natural conditions and transportation
are disadvantaged. This is because the production and distribution of buckwheat reduces the
disadvantages of the islands. Under the condition that expansion of cultivation area isrestricted, buckwheat is processed and sold (sixth sector industrialization) in some islands.
First, I describe the situation of production and distribution of buckwheat in Japan. Next, I
examine the actual conditions and characteristics of buckwheat production, processing, andsales in Tsushima, Tanegashima, Miyakojima, and Ogimi Village, which are buckwheat
production areas.
Special Research Seminar, 4 March 2019
“Evolution of Habu: Accelerated Evolution of Venom Proteins”
Shosaku HATTORI (Amami Laboratory of Injurious Animals, Institute of Medical Science,
University of Tokyo)[ABSTRACT]
Habu (Protobothrops flavoviridis) is a venomous snake belonging to subfamily
Crotalinae family Viperidae, and inhabits the south part of the Tokara Islands,
Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Okinawa Island and its surrounding islands.
Among snakes of the subfamily inhabiting Asia, Habu is the largest species, growing to alength of 2 m and a weight of 2 kg. Because Habu has a wide range of action, nearly 50 casesa year of bites of Habu are reported in Amami-Oshima and Tokunoshima islands.
Habu releases 1 ml of venom by a bite and it contains various venom proteins. Among theproteins, the accelerated evolution has been confirmed in phospholipase A2 and its isozymes
having myonecrotic activities. Three isozymes of them with strong myonecrotic activities are
specific in the Tokara Islands, Amami-Oshima Island, and Tokunoshima Island, but not in
Okinawa Island. Differences between the islands were also found in body color, external
morphology and habits. These differences are due to the earth history of the formation of the1717central parts of the Ryukyu Archipelago.
Habu and Sakishimahabu are important as animals characterizing the biodiversity ofAmami-Oshima, Tokunoshima, Okinawa, and Iriomote islands, which the government aims
to register as a World Natural Heritage Site. Habu is a viper that harms residents and is a god,a treasure of biological resources, and a tourism resource in this region. I will introduce Habu
with its latest research findings.
14 January 2020
“To Be or Not to Be Father: Male Reproductive Skew in Primate Multimale Groups”
Antje ENGELHARDT (School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John
Moores University)[ABSTRACT]Kin selection is a strong driver of social relationships. Thus, the degree to which
individuals of the same group are related to each other can have significant implications forthe group’s social life. At the same time, the genetic composition of a group or population is
also important from a conservation point of view, with inbreeding potential posing potential
harm to the population’s survival. In female-philopatric groups, genetic diversity is majorly
influenced through the migration patterns and reproductive performance of males. In primatesliving in mutlimale groups, the degree to which individual males get the opportunity toreproduce and thus keep their genes in the pool various astonishing between different species.
The reason for this difference in male reproductive skew still remains obscure. Furthermore,primates are special in the degree to which females show non-procreative mating and exhibit
sexual signals. There is good reason to assume that these traits play an important role forindividual male reproductive success in primates. We have studied the occurrence andfunction of female sexual signals, and potential causes for the variation of male reproductive
skew across a number of macaque species. I will present our results in this talk.

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Recent Publications+++ Journal +++South Pacific Studies Vol.40, No1, 2019
Research Papers
CHO, S. Y.: The Copra Dealer of the South Sea Islands: A Korean Named HWANG
YEONGSAM and HIJIKATA HISAKATSU
Research Note
川原大基・鈴木英治・脇山尚美：屋久島・春田浜海岸植生の 15 年の遷移
KAWAHARA, D., SUZUKI, E., and WAKIYAMA N.: Succession of Coastal Vegetation on
Haruta-hama Coast, Yakushima Island for 15 Years
South Pacific Studies Vol.40, No2, 2020
Research Papers
FUJIKAWA, M.: Differentiated Concepts of Home for Boat Dwellers in Southern Fijian,
China
KAWAI, K., MORIWAKI, H., OKUNO, M., FUJIKI, T., MCCORMACK, G. COWAN, G. and
MAOATAE T. P. : Shell Color Polymorphism in Populations of the Intertidal
Gastropod Nerita Plicata (L., 1758) from the Cook Islands+++ Occasional Papers +++Occasional Papers No. 61 (March 2020)
2016-2019 Project Progress Report:Biodiversity and Its Conservation in
the Satsunan Islands (SUZUKI, E. and KAWAI, K. eds.)+++ Kagoshima University Toushoken Booklet +++No. 10 YAMAMOTO S.:Ethnobotanical Aspects of Chili Peppers in the Asian Pacific Region(March 2019)No. 11 TOMIYAMA, K.: Giant Agrical Snail as Invasive Alien Species (March 2019)

Kagoshima University Toushoken Booklets No. 10 and No. 11
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