Weaning age in an expanding population: stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of infant feeding practices in the Okhotsk culture (5th–13th centuries AD) in Northern Japan
ABSTRACT Objective : The Okhotsk people were sedentary hunter–gatherer–fishers who lived and prospered in Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and the Kurile Islands during the 5th to 13th centuries AD. They expanded rapidly along the northeastern coast of Hokkaido. We reconstructed infant feeding practices of the M...
Published in: | American Journal of Physical Anthropology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , |
Other Authors: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2015
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22740 http://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fajpa.22740 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fajpa.22740 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ajpa.22740 |
id |
crwiley:10.1002/ajpa.22740 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crwiley:10.1002/ajpa.22740 2024-09-15T18:32:56+00:00 Weaning age in an expanding population: stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of infant feeding practices in the Okhotsk culture (5th–13th centuries AD) in Northern Japan Tsutaya, Takumi Ishida, Hajime Yoneda, Minoru Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22740 http://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fajpa.22740 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fajpa.22740 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ajpa.22740 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor American Journal of Physical Anthropology volume 157, issue 4, page 544-555 ISSN 0002-9483 1096-8644 journal-article 2015 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22740 2024-07-18T04:27:03Z ABSTRACT Objective : The Okhotsk people were sedentary hunter–gatherer–fishers who lived and prospered in Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and the Kurile Islands during the 5th to 13th centuries AD. They expanded rapidly along the northeastern coast of Hokkaido. We reconstructed infant feeding practices of the Moyoro population of the Okhotsk culture in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. Methods : Stable isotope ratios in 58 subadult human skeletons were measured. Results : The results suggest that complementary foods with a relatively low carbon isotope ratio were consumed during and after weaning, as observed in ethnographic descriptions of northern human populations such as the Ainu and isotopically suggested in ancient northern hunter–gatherer–fisher populations. Nitrogen isotope ratios of subadults showed that the age at the end of weaning in the Moyoro population was 1.8 (1.4–2.2 in 95% credible interval) years, which is earlier than that in other northern hunter–gatherer–fisher populations. Conclusions : Because weaning age is one of the most important determinants of fertility, a shorter breastfeeding period suggests increased fertility. Furthermore, better nutrition would further promote the population increase, and thus populations of the Okhotsk culture could expand into new regions. These findings are consistent with recent emerging evidence of great contributions of the Okhotsk to the formation of later Ainu populations and culture. Am J Phys Anthropol 157:544–555, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Article in Journal/Newspaper Sakhalin Wiley Online Library American Journal of Physical Anthropology 157 4 544 555 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
op_collection_id |
crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
ABSTRACT Objective : The Okhotsk people were sedentary hunter–gatherer–fishers who lived and prospered in Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and the Kurile Islands during the 5th to 13th centuries AD. They expanded rapidly along the northeastern coast of Hokkaido. We reconstructed infant feeding practices of the Moyoro population of the Okhotsk culture in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. Methods : Stable isotope ratios in 58 subadult human skeletons were measured. Results : The results suggest that complementary foods with a relatively low carbon isotope ratio were consumed during and after weaning, as observed in ethnographic descriptions of northern human populations such as the Ainu and isotopically suggested in ancient northern hunter–gatherer–fisher populations. Nitrogen isotope ratios of subadults showed that the age at the end of weaning in the Moyoro population was 1.8 (1.4–2.2 in 95% credible interval) years, which is earlier than that in other northern hunter–gatherer–fisher populations. Conclusions : Because weaning age is one of the most important determinants of fertility, a shorter breastfeeding period suggests increased fertility. Furthermore, better nutrition would further promote the population increase, and thus populations of the Okhotsk culture could expand into new regions. These findings are consistent with recent emerging evidence of great contributions of the Okhotsk to the formation of later Ainu populations and culture. Am J Phys Anthropol 157:544–555, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. |
author2 |
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Tsutaya, Takumi Ishida, Hajime Yoneda, Minoru |
spellingShingle |
Tsutaya, Takumi Ishida, Hajime Yoneda, Minoru Weaning age in an expanding population: stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of infant feeding practices in the Okhotsk culture (5th–13th centuries AD) in Northern Japan |
author_facet |
Tsutaya, Takumi Ishida, Hajime Yoneda, Minoru |
author_sort |
Tsutaya, Takumi |
title |
Weaning age in an expanding population: stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of infant feeding practices in the Okhotsk culture (5th–13th centuries AD) in Northern Japan |
title_short |
Weaning age in an expanding population: stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of infant feeding practices in the Okhotsk culture (5th–13th centuries AD) in Northern Japan |
title_full |
Weaning age in an expanding population: stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of infant feeding practices in the Okhotsk culture (5th–13th centuries AD) in Northern Japan |
title_fullStr |
Weaning age in an expanding population: stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of infant feeding practices in the Okhotsk culture (5th–13th centuries AD) in Northern Japan |
title_full_unstemmed |
Weaning age in an expanding population: stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of infant feeding practices in the Okhotsk culture (5th–13th centuries AD) in Northern Japan |
title_sort |
weaning age in an expanding population: stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of infant feeding practices in the okhotsk culture (5th–13th centuries ad) in northern japan |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22740 http://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fajpa.22740 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fajpa.22740 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ajpa.22740 |
genre |
Sakhalin |
genre_facet |
Sakhalin |
op_source |
American Journal of Physical Anthropology volume 157, issue 4, page 544-555 ISSN 0002-9483 1096-8644 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22740 |
container_title |
American Journal of Physical Anthropology |
container_volume |
157 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
544 |
op_container_end_page |
555 |
_version_ |
1810474692976312320 |