Marco Polo

Studies in Global Europe-Asia Connections

The Fish Skin Road

Mapping Indigenous Knowledge from the Lower Amur River to Sakhalin Island

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open access | peer reviewed
  • Elisa Palomino - Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center (ASC), National Museum of Natural History (NMNH)

Abstract
This book traces the historical circulation of fish skin garments, accessories and traditional production methods among Indigenous communities of the Lower Amur River, Hokkaido and Sakhalin Island, including the Nivkh, Nanai, Hezhe and Ainu. Over centuries, trade, travel and salmon-based subsistence economies enabled the transmission of tanning, dyeing and sewing practices across the region. Although colonisation divided Native territories along Russian, Chinese and Japanese borders and restricted access to resources, seasonal harvesting cycles and fish skin technologies persisted. Fish skin garments held in museum collections preserve knowledge of environmental adaptation, gendered labour and material expertise. These Native belongings document enduring relationships between people, fish and landscape. Recognition of their technical, social and ceremonial roles highlights the expertise of Indigenous women artists and the knowledge transmitted through their work. These garments stand as masterpieces of Native art, affirming the place of Arctic Indigenous women within art history and the history of fashion.

Keywords Hezhe • Lower Amur River Basin • Fish Skin • Ainu • Trade Networks • Circumpolar Fashion • Nivkh • Material Culture • Indigenous Women • Nanai

Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/979-12-5742-074-1 | e-ISBN 979-12-5742-074-1 | ISBN (PRINT) 979-12-5742-075-8 | Dimensions 17x25.5cm | Published Sept. 9, 2026 | Accepted June 25, 2026 | Submitted April 21, 2026 | Language en

This book and my one-year fellowship were generously supported by the Marco Polo Centre for Global Europe-Asia Connections through the Department of Asian and North African Studies, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, one of the ‘Departments of Excellence’ awarded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR).

Copyright © 2026 Elisa Palomino. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.