Pleistocene Burials at Karstic Caves in Okinawa Island, Japan

Masaki Fujita1*, Shinji Yamasaki2, Ryohei Sawaura3, and Yousuke Kaifu4

Okinawa, a subtropical island of Japan, is a rare place in eastern Asia, where relatively abundant Pleistocene human remains have been discovered since the 1960s. These sites offer us important clues to understand the mode and variety of the Lare Pleistocene human burials and mortuary practices in this region. Among these human remains, the well preserved 20,000-years-old Minatogawa skeletons have provided us with morphological and genetic information about the local Palaeolithic people. A variety of shell tools, including the world's oldest fishhooks, were discovered from 23,000- to 20,000-years-old sediments at the nearby Sakitari Cave, revealing a unique culture and lifeway of the Pleistocene people who are adapted to an insular environment. Recently, we discovered another burial dated to more than 10,000 years ago in Sakitari Cave. In this paper, we report the placement and posture of the buried individuals as well as differences in the site location and treatment of the dead bodies between Minatogawa Fissure and Sakitari Cave. We then discuss the diversity of the Pleistocene burial practice on Okinawa Island.