ama
★ art, comics, games, archaeology, heritage, & museums ★
CV
Education
2025 Doctor of Philosophy in Humanities
Ainu and Indigenous Studies, Hokkaido University, Japan.
Dissertation: “An Ethnography of Archaeological Heritage Management in Hokkaido: Utilization Practices and Community Engagement” （「考古学の民族誌：北海道における考古資料の活用と地域との関わりを中心に」）
2014 Master of Arts in Public Archaeology
Institute of Archaeology, University College London, UK
Dissertation: "The Effectiveness of Public Archaeology in Challenging Nationalist Narratives: a case study at Hamanaka 2 Site, Rebun Island, Japan"
2013 Master of Arts in East Asian Studies
Japan Focus,University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, USA
2003 Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies
Japan Focus, Dickinson College, USA
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Publications
Forthcoming Ishihara, Mai, Kitahara, Mokottunas, and Gomes, Amanda, "Ainu People and Oral Traditions: A Current Overview and Future Issues,” in The Oxford Handbook of Indigenous Oral Traditions in Archaeology.June 2025 「考古学の民族誌：北海道における考古資料の活用と地域との関わりを中心に」（“Kōkogaku no Minzokushi: Hokkaidō ni okeru Kōko Shiryō no Katsuyō to Chiiki to no Kankei o Chūshin ni”), PhD Dissertation, Hokkaido University.Aug 2024 “Response: Archaeological Markers of History and Indigeneity in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” Epoiesen: A Journal for Creative Engagement in History and Archaeology.
https://epoiesen.carleton.ca/2024/08/14/archaeological-markers-zelda-response1/May 2024 “Archaeology and Comics: First Response,” Epoiesen: A Journal for Creative
Engagement in History and Archaeology.
https://epoiesen.carleton.ca/2024/05/07/archaeology-and-comics-response1/Jan 2024 「モノから人へ：考古学と地域社会の関係性」（"Mono kara hito e: Kōkogaku to chiiki shakai no kakei”), In Kaigai kara mita Nihon kōkogaku no miryoku. Nara bunkazai kenkyūjo. (Japanese)June 2024 Gomes, Amanda, and Okada, Mayumi, “Conceptualizing Heritage Education from Past to Present in Japan,” The Heritage Education Journal.
https://theheritageeducationnetwork.org/conceptualizing-heritage-education-from-past-to-present-in-japan/.Mar 2020 Gomes, Amanda and Kondo, Shiaki, “Reflections on Ethnographic Methods
Training at an Archaeological Field School: A Case Study from Rebun International Field School in Japan.” Hokkaido University Journal of the Faculty of Humanities and Human Sciences, vol 15: 49-58.TranslationsForthcoming Ishido, Takahiro, “The Utilisation of Archaeological Sites in Japan: A practical example from the Hirota site in Minamitane,” In Archaeological Heritage Management in Japan.2020 Biratori Cultural Environment Conservation Research Office. “Ainu Cultural
Environment Conservation Measure Research Report I”-
Presentations and Lectures
Feb 2024 「考古学のエスノグラフィー: 北海道における考古資料の活用と地域の参与を中心に」
Presenter, 第1回統合生物考古学若手研究集会, Hokkaido, Japan.Nov 2023 “Community Involvement and Indigenous Participation in the Utilization of Archaeological Heritage in Hokkaido”
Presenter, 2023 GSI Week Early Career Researcher Session, Hokkaido, Japan.April 2023 “Local Pride and Prejudice: Public Archaeology, Archaeological Heritage Management, and Authorized Discourse in Japan”
Presenter, Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon.Jul 2022 “Recent Trends in Community Engagement in the Utilization of Archaeological Resources in Hokkaido”
Presenter, World Archaeological Congress 9 2022, via Zoom.Jun 2022 “Towards the Development of Participatory Practices in the Promotion of Local Ainu Cultural Heritage”
Co-Authors Naoki Fujiya, Hideki Yoshihara
Presenter, CHAGS 13- Dublin 2022, via Zoom.May 2022 “Emerging Trends in Archaeological Heritage Education in Hokkaido”
Presenter Mini-Symposium on Indigeneity, Sustainability, and Resilience Research - Interdisciplinary Cross-Cultural Perspectives Spring 2022, via Zoom.Sep 2021 『モノから人へ：考古学と地域社会の関係性』
Presenter, 奈良文化財研究所の第3回リレートーク：海外から見た日本考古学の魅力, via Zoom.Jun 2021 "Taking the First Step: Community-based Responses to the Public Archaeology Initiatives Associated with the Hamanaka 2 Site, Rebun Island"
"The Development of Collaborative Practices in Archaeological Heritage Management in Hokkaido”
Presenter, Society for East Asian Archaeology 2021 Student Conference, via Zoom.Apr 2021 "Collaborative Practices and Archaeological Heritage Management in Hokkaido"
Presenter, Central States Anthropological Society 2021 Annual Meeting, via Zoom.Apr 2021 “The Use of Ethnographic Methods in Archaeological Research”
Presenter, Moscow University Joint Seminar, via Zoom.Aug 2020 “An Inclusive Turn? Public Archaeology, Community Archaeology, and Indigenous Archaeology in Japan”
Presenter, AAS-in-Asia 2020 conference, via Zoom.May 2020 “Critical Hits and Misses: Archaeology, Role-playing Games, and Online
Engagement”
Author, Public Archaeology Twitter Conference 5, Twitter.Dec 2019 “Jomon Booms and Bombs: Situating The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the
Wild within the “Jomon Boom” Trend”
Presenter, Theoretical Archaeology Conference 2019, Institute of Archaeology in London, UK.May 2019 “Rebun Island: A Case for Uninherited Indigenous Heritage”
Presenter, "Colonialism, Community Archaeology, and Indigenous Rights in Japan and Sweden" at Uppsala University, Sweden.
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Professional Experiences
08/2003-08/2006
Assistant Language Teacher
The JET Programme, Kashiba City Board of Education, Nara, Japan09/2006-09/2007
Event Specialists and Intern
Freer and Sackler Galleries, Washington D. C. USA09/2008-08/2010
Educator
Education Department, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI05/2009-08/2010
Assistant Coordinator
Center for South Asian Studies, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA01/2014-09/2015
Visual Communication and Design Consultant
Independent Practice, Bethlehem, PA, USA06/2017-10/2018
Assistant Curator of Education
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL, USA04/2023-03/2025
Instructor
English Department, Hokusei Gakuin College, Hokkaido, Japan04/2023-Present
Research Fellow
Global Station for Indigenous Studies and Cultural Diversity, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan-
Awards and Honors
2023 Hokkaido University Graduate Student Conference Travel Grant
2021 DX Doctoral Fellowship, Hokkaido University
2010 Monbukagakusho Scholarship, Research student, Kyushu University-
Portfolio
This gallery contains a selection of professional and personal pieces.ama has several years of experience with sequential art and illustration. Recently they've begun designing ttrpg resources. Additionally, they have created promotional and educational illustrations for museums and other institutions of higher learning for more than a decade.
2013 Master of Arts in East Asian Studies
TTRPG ARt
FanArt
Sequential art
DESIGN
Original Art
About
ama is an artist and an academic working freelance while working as a research fellow at the Global Station for Indigenous Studies and Cultural Diversity at Hokkaido University. They completed their PhD at Hokkaido University in June 2025.They have a passion for art, games, education, archaeology, museums, heritage, and outreach. This has led to creating comics at archaeological digs, unique marketing strategies for national outreach projects, and engaging educational resources at museums. However, ama's passion for social media has led them to explore popular platforms, like Twitch, to discuss their wide range of interests.Their research interests include public archaeology, Japanese archaeology, critical heritage studies, ethnography of archaeology, and art and archaeology.Their interest in Japanese archaeology first formed during their time in Nara while on the JET Programme. Learning about decorated tombs during the opening of Takamatsuzuka Kofun, ama dedicated themselves to learning and sharing information about Japanese archaeology. Their first master's degree looked at the shift from decorated coffins to tombs in Kyushu. During this time, they became involved in the Rebun Archaeological Field School and continued to act as an assistant in the field lab for over a decade. Participation in the field school led to a second master's degree in Public Archaeology, in which they focused on the field school's efforts and the local community's perceptions of archaeology. Ultimately, they pursued doctoral research at Hokkaido University, studying archaeological heritage management in a settler colonial region of Japan.ama is excited to return to making art and exploring ways to integrate their research and storytelling together to make the stories they encountered more accessible to all.
Contact
For inquiries regarding illustration, design, sequential art, writing, or appearances, please use the form below.