50,000 BC to 14,500 BC 14,500 BC to 300 BC 300 BC to AD 400 AD 450 to AD 700 AD 700 to AD 1150 AD 1200 to AD 1500

Ainu Origins: An Interactive Map is a brief summary of the multitudes of cultures and influences that have shaped the populations of northern Japan and eastern Siberia eventually leading to the Ainu culture of historic times. The timeline starts in 50,000 BC with the migration of pre-historic hunter-gatherer societies to the Japanese archipelago during the Ice Age. Each subsequent period of time deals with different kinds of interactions between people, such as migrations or trade, which brought new ideas, production methods, and materials to northern Japan and eastern Russia. Like all cultures, the Ainu culture is a product of these exchanges of information with local traditions. Some of these ideas and methods have disappeared as time has passed, leaving only a trace. Other ideas have changed very slightly over hundreds of years and can still be seen today. Finally, other ideas were combined and changed, producing something totally different and original. The timeline concludes with the product of these migrations, cultures, and ideas: three distinct Ainu cultures emerging on Hokkiado, Sakhalin Island, and the Kuril Islands. Click on one of the images to the left to jump to a time period, or click "Next" to start at 50,000 BC. <Next>

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