“アイヌ民族への差別”と批判の声「事実を歪曲している」札幌の地下歩行空間に展示されたパネル展をめぐる騒動 なぜ差別を禁じる法律がありながら許可されたのか？　札幌市

This September, a panel exhibition about the Ainu people opened in Sapporo's underground pedestrian space, sparking controversy. Researchers have criticized the exhibit's content, which denied the Ainu's status as an indigenous people, as discriminatory. We consider the content and the appropriateness of Sapporo City Hall's response. ◇《Panel Exhibition Denying the Ainu's Indigenous Status》 On September 16, a panel exhibition titled "Let's Learn the History of the Ainu!" opened in the Sapporo Ekimae-dori Underground Pedestrian Space. The exhibition's content sparked controversy among researchers and residents who opposed the exhibit. Organizer: "Sorry, the exhibition is open." Protesting Citizen: "I want to see it. It's on display, after all. I'm allowed to see it." In addition to denying the Ainu's status as an indigenous people, the exhibit praised the Hokkaido Former Aborigines Protection Act, which promoted the Ainu's assimilation policy and was later abolished. The panels included statements suggesting that Japanese people had civilized the Ainu. The organizers of the panel exhibition are... Masakatsu Ito, Chairman of the Ainu History Study Group "I have never met or seen this person, and I have no idea that the Ainu are indigenous. I still don't understand. I don't know what the definition of indigenous is." ◇ [Researchers strongly criticize the exhibit, saying it "distorts the facts"] Meanwhile, Mark Winchester, who studies the modern and contemporary intellectual history of the Ainu, strongly criticized the exhibit, saying it "distorts the facts." Mark Winchester, researcher of modern and contemporary Ainu intellectual history "The argument seems to suggest that the Ainu received preferential treatment during the modernization process. This one says, 'The Hokkaido Former Aborigines Protection Act provided everything we could possibly need.'" "The law (the Hokkaido Former Aborigines Protection Act) was enacted after all available, good land had been handed over to the Wajin. However, much of the land unsuitable for farming, such as flood-prone areas and sloping banks, was also given to the Ainu. While it appears to be equal, this historical fact is not mentioned at all." ◇ "Piecing together the writings of Ainu history researchers to arrive at a different view..." (Anchor Kinuko Morita) During the panel, there were also "contradictory" citations of certain research. For example, the panelist "quoted" the following passage from a book by Professor Takuro Segawa, who studies Ainu history and archaeology, in a piece of text: ▽ [Panels created using quotes from Professor Takuro Segawa's books] "The Jomon people of the Japanese archipelago shared a common spiritual culture, including rituals and magic, throughout their history." ("Ainu and Jomon," Chikuma Shinsho) "It's possible that their language was a common language known as 'Jomon'." ("Ainu and Jomon," Chikuma Shinsho) "They could be said to be the ancestors of the Japanese people." Caster Kinuko Morita) The last statement ("They could be said to be the ancestors of the Japanese people") appears to be the organizers' own interpretation. Caster Hirotomo Hori) Perhaps by stringing together words to create a new sentence, and by highlighting the unity of Hokkaido and Honshu, they are providing "evidence to doubt that the Ainu are an indigenous people." Caster Kinuko Morita) When HBC interviewed Professor Segawa about his quotes in the panel exhibition, he responded as follows: [Professor Takuro Segawa, Sapporo University] "Since the Jomon period, the people of Hokkaido have followed a different history from those on the mainland, and have developed a different culture, including a different language. In modern times, these people of Hokkaido have been dominated by mainland nations and culturally assimilated. Therefore, it is fair to call them what the United Nations and other organizations call an 'indigenous people.'" "In any case, we must pay attention to the fact that the Ainu have been living in Hokkaido since the Jomon period." Caster Hirotomo Hori) Professor Segawa calls the Ainu an "indigenous people," but it seems that their claim has been used to support a different argument. Caster Kinuko Morita) The Ainu Policy Promotion Act also recognizes them as an indigenous people and prohibits discrimination against them. Is it acceptable to have an exhibition like this in a public space that could lead to discrimination or misunderstanding against the Ainu? ◇《Why was this permitted given the existence of a law prohibiting discrimination against the Ainu? 》 The terms of use for the underground pedestrian space require compliance with the Ainu Policy Promotion Act and the Hate Speech Elimination Act. The same panel exhibition has been held multiple times in Sapporo City facilities and underground pedestrian spaces. Each time, citizen groups have criticized the content as discriminatory. Sapporo City stated that the designa...