C.Study on the Photo Collection Related to Munro's Ainu Research, Focused on the Materials from the National Museum of Japanese History

Type of Research	NIHU Joint Research projects
Project Title	Trans-disciplinary projects of cultural resources
Research Title	C.Study on the Photo Collection Related to Munro's Ainu Research, Focused on the Materials from the National Museum of Japanese History
Head of the Research Team	UCHIDA Junko
Research Period	2005–2008
Research Team	MORIOKA Kenji (Historical Museum of Saru River) DERIHA Koji (Historical Museum of Hokkaido) TEZUKA Kaoru (Historical Museum of Hokkaido) YOSHIHARA Hideki (ainu museum of nibutani) OKADA Kazuo(ECJA) Susanne Hammacher (Royal Anthropological Institute(RA)) Sarah Walpole (Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI)) Arek Bentkowski (Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI)) MIYATA Kimiyoshi
Purpose	Among the historical materials of Ainu Culture belonging to Munro collection, for porceline, are well catalogued except for the photos, movies and documents. The purpose of this research is to examine and conduct comparative research by making a list and creating digital contents for these materials under cooperation with research institutes inside and outside of Japan, and to create an infrastructure for research development which gives significant consideration to the human rights of the Ainu people.

2008

Progress

Workshop & Studies
June 8 to 9 (Hiratori City) We attended a meeting to "Commemorate Professor Munro" (Venue: Nibutani Laboratory of Faculty of Letters of Hokkaido University). With the members, we held a review session of Munro related movies held by Hokkaido University (Venue: Historical Museum of the Saru River). June 13 to 15 (Hiratori City, Sapporo City) We attended the "First Course 2008 of the Center and Satellite for Ainu & Indigenous Studies" and shared the latest research information about Munro. November 24 to 29 (London) We made a presentation of the latest research results of the movies of Munro at Royal Anthropological Institute. We also discussed the disclosure method of research results and the agreement which will be signed by the participating institutes of digitalization project of Munro related materials. We investigated the materials left by the Ainu of Hiratori City when they visited at Japan-England Exposition in 1910 at British Museum. March 2 to 9 (London, Hamburg and Lübeck) We had a final discussion about and obtained the approval for the final draft of the digitalization project agreement at Royal Anthropological Institute. We studied and we agreed to discuss, the following year, the details in connection with the sharing methods, the disclosure limit and the disclosure methods of research results of the digital data held by each institute. We visited the family of Munro in Lübeck and explained to them about digitalization of Munro related materials and future utilization of such materials, and obtained their approval.

Workshop & Studies

June 8 to 9 (Hiratori City)
We attended a meeting to "Commemorate Professor Munro" (Venue: Nibutani Laboratory of Faculty of Letters of Hokkaido University). With the members, we held a review session of Munro related movies held by Hokkaido University (Venue: Historical Museum of the Saru River).
June 13 to 15 (Hiratori City, Sapporo City)
We attended the "First Course 2008 of the Center and Satellite for Ainu & Indigenous Studies" and shared the latest research information about Munro.
November 24 to 29 (London)
We made a presentation of the latest research results of the movies of Munro at Royal Anthropological Institute. We also discussed the disclosure method of research results and the agreement which will be signed by the participating institutes of digitalization project of Munro related materials. We investigated the materials left by the Ainu of Hiratori City when they visited at Japan-England Exposition in 1910 at British Museum.
March 2 to 9 (London, Hamburg and Lübeck)
We had a final discussion about and obtained the approval for the final draft of the digitalization project agreement at Royal Anthropological Institute. We studied and we agreed to discuss, the following year, the details in connection with the sharing methods, the disclosure limit and the disclosure methods of research results of the digital data held by each institute.
We visited the family of Munro in Lübeck and explained to them about digitalization of Munro related materials and future utilization of such materials, and obtained their approval.

Result

This year, we continued our research which is deeply relevant to the cooperative research of the National Museum of Japanese History "Research Centers on Photographic Materials of Ainu Collection of Munro". At the same time, we studied if the disclosure standard of the National Museum of Japanese History could be applied to the related materials held by English institutes. English institutes showed their understanding of our proposal and we agreed to disclose the related materials held by Japanese and English institutes almost on the same standard. However English institutes pointed that there is still a possibility that such disclosure infringes on the Ainu people's human rights and there is a necessity to conduct further study on disclosure methods. We agreed to discuss the further details by exchanging e-mails.

We boosted mutual understanding concerning a difference between Japanese and English Copy Right Law. Via such mutual understanding, we were able to get a grasp on the current situation of the Copy Right Law, which is subject to amendment in European countries. This knowledge will be profitable when conducting international projects in the future.

We were able to make stides in the examination and analysis of Munro related movie films held by Hokkaido University which have been digitalized and collected within the framework of Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research "Research of the Ainu Culture Imaged in the European and American Anthropological Movies and Photos" (Head of the Research Team: Junko Uchida, 2006 to 2008) which has been cooperatively conducted with this research project.

The research results of this cooperative research will be summarized with and a global report which will be made together with the research results of the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research "Research of the Ainu Culture Imaged in the European and American Anthropological Movies and Photos" (Head of the Research Team: Junko Uchida, 2006 to 2008).

2007

Progress

A．Studys in England and Germany
(1) Period: June 25 to July 7, 2007 Contents: At the workshop of the International Ethnographic Film Festival held at University of Manchester (organized by "Royal Anthropological Institute" hereafter referred to as "RAI"), the video program "AINU Past and Present - The Legacy of Neil Gordon Munro's Films" (held by the National Museum of Japanese History 2006) was screened, which summarizes the research results of Munro's movies. After the screening, we held an audience question-and-answer session (June 27 to 28). We visited and interviewed family members of Munro (in Lübeck, Germany) and obtained their approval for digitalization of Munro related materials (June 30). Visited Dundee (Scotland) where Munro was born (July 3). We held a meeting at the National Gallery of Scotland about digitalization of the Munro related materials held by this gallery (July 4). (2) Period: June 29 to July 8, 2007 Contents: We visited the family of Munro (Lübeck, Germany) with the participants of the investigative tour of (1) (June 30). Study of movie materials at the Institute for Scientific Films (Goettingen, Germany) (July 2 to 3). Study of movie materials at RAI (July 4 to 6).
B．Studies in Italy and Germany
Period: December 1 to 9 Contents: Study of Munro related materials extracted from a collection held by Fosco Maraini, an anthropologist who was associated with Munro, at Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Firenze, Italy) (December 3 to 5). Studq of Ainu related picture materials at Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde München (December 7).
C．Study in England
Period: January 5 to 20, 2008 Contents: We visited and observed the digitalization of Munro related materials by comparing the digitalized data and original materials. This digitalization project was funded by the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research "Research of the Ainu Culture Imaged in the European and American Anthropological Movies and Photos" (Head of the Research Team: Junko Uchida, 2006 to 2008).
D．Study within Japan, Workshops and Meetings
(1) Study within Japan and Meetings with Research from RAI Contents: The researchers of RAI came to Japan in order to discuss the draft agreement of digitalization project. They visited and held a meeting at the National Museum of Japanese History, the Historical Museum of Hokkaido and a Division of the Shimonaka Memorial Foundation. (2)September 29, 2007 at Matsumae Town Center, Museum of Matsumae Town Contents: We discussed how to summarize this project including sharing the research results with the research team of "Ishu Retsu Zou Zu". (3)November 1 to 2 and 5, 2007 at Ainu Museum (Shiraoi) and Hokkaido University Contents: Study of related movies (4)December 6 to 7, 2007 at Hokkaido University Contents: Study of related movie films (5)December 13, 2007 at Tokyo Ko-On Denpa Co., Ltd. (Laboratory which has a technology for converting old films to digital video) Contents: Study of related films held by Hokkaido University (6)February 26 to 27, 2008 at Tokyo Ko-On Co., Ltd. Contents: Study of related films held by Hokaido University (7)March 7 to 8, 2008 at Historical Museum of Hokkaido Contents: Summarize the research results of 2007 Individual presentation of each research member's subject Presentation of overseas research Discussion how to summarize the research results

Result

This year, we repeatedly and actively held discussions about overseas research and disclosure of research results. We quickly created close relationships with the relevant institutions. We succeeded in the digitalization of approximately 2,000 items of related materials (photos and documents) which were not held in good preservation conditions, held by NMS with cooperation of NMS staffers who are in charge of resource preservation and renovation. This digitalization was funded by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research "Research of the Ainu Culture Imaged in the European and American Anthropological Movies and Photos" (Head of the Research Team: Junko Uchida, 2006 to 2008) which has been conducted paralell to and in connection with this research.

We investigated and held a meeting concerning the films held by Hokkaido University which are deeply relevant to the films held by the National Museum of Japanese History under the cooperative basic research project withthe National Museum of Japanese History "Research Centers on Photographic Materials of Ainu Collection of Munro" (Head of the Research Team: Junko Uchida 2006-2008). During the study and discussion, Hokkaido University provided information about newly discovered films shot by Munro. With this information, we decided to conduct further study of these movies. We continued the study of these films under this cooperative research project and were able to acheive surprisingly good results.

We summarized the research results stated above with the relevant research project "Digitalization Project of Munro Related Materials for Efficient Utilization of Research Resources" (cooperative presentation made by Junko Uchida and Kouichi Kaizawa at the 22nd International Abashiri Symposium, November 3 to 4, 2007, Venue: Cultural Exchange Center, Okhotsk, Abashiri City) and made a mid-term presentation.

Media Exposure

The Nikkei dated July 7, 2007 "Research on Ainu is Deepening"

List of Collaborative Research