Okhotsk culture
| Geographical range | Hokkaido, the Kuril Islands, and Sakhalin |
|---|---|
| Preceded by | Susuya culture |
| Followed by | Tobinitai culture, Ainu people |
The Okhotsk culture is an archaeological coastal fishing and hunter-gatherer culture that developed around the southern coastal regions of the Sea of Okhotsk, including Sakhalin, northeastern Hokkaido, and the Kuril Islands, during the last half of the first millennium to the early part of the second. The Okhotsk are often associated to be the ancestors of the Nivkh people, while others argue them to be identified with early Ainu speakers.
Bear worship, a practice shared by various Northern Eurasian peoples, including the Ainu and the Nivkh, was an important element of the Okhotsk culture, but was uncommon in the Jōmon period of Japan. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Okhotsk culture proper originated in the 5th century from the Susuya culture of southern Sakhalin and northwestern Hokkaido.