Palomino, E., Pardue, J., Donkan, A. (2023) Fish skin Peoples of the Bering Strait: Encounters in Hokkaido, Japan. Smithsonian Institution National Museum of natural History. Arctic Studies Center Newsletter. May 2023. N.30. pp.74-75

In March 2022, fish skin fieldwork was conducted throughout the National Museums of Hokkaido, bringing world-class fish skin experts into direct contact with historical Ainu collections and artifacts. The fieldwork and accompanying conference, supported by the Japan Foundation, improved knowledge of sustainable fish skin traditional production, thus addressing pressing
sustainability issues. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan’s borders had been closed to all but Japanese passport holders since April 2020. Japan reopened borders to research visa-holders on March 1st, 2022. Despite many difficulties, our fieldwork took place and provided a unique opportunity to hold a number of museum artifact consultations in the course of seven days. The main members of the team were Native Alutiiq and Inupiaq fish skin artist June Pardue, fish skin tanner and sculptor Anatoly Donkan, and Nanai from Eastern Siberia. Wengfen Yu, a Hezhe from Northeast China
and main inheritor of Hezhe fish skin art, could not join us but stayed closely connected to the group.

https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/116560