Premium
Concepts of Time among the Ainu of the Northwest Coast of Sakhalin 1
Author(s) -
OhnukiTierney Emiko
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1969.71.3.02a00090
Subject(s) - opposition (politics) , history , binary opposition , geography , linguistics , politics , philosophy , political science , law
Presented here is the basic cognitive structure underlying concepts of time among the Ainu of the northwest coast of southern Sakhalin, now resettled in Hokkaido. The temporal structure is examined by analyzing the Ainu units of what we call time and the cultural meaning attached to each unit. The Ainu time consists of a series of units in binary opposition. However, this opposition is not absolute but is relative to context. This temporal structure illustrates the dyadic structure of the Ainu world view, which has been the prime object of the author's study of the Ainu culture.