Ainu Settlement of the Aleutian Islands?

[Malta]

Since the Ainu settled Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands along with other related indigenous groups what if a group of Ainu discovered and settled in the Aleutian Islands? Trading with Yakuts and Alaskan natives? Eventually the Matsunae Clan come north in the 17th Century and following the Ainu "discover" the Aleutian Islands and by extension mainland Alaska?

Nothing so far as major Colonization at first, just making the local groups their trade vassals and what not. Eventually the Haida or other PNW groups find out about the Japanese and attack them leading to a Japanese-Haida war in the Northern Pacific.

Just a thought.

 

[Thesaurus Rex]

Nothing so far as major Colonization at first, just making the local groups their trade vassals and what not.

Did the Ainu do that kind of thing? I don't know much about them.

a Japanese-Haida war in the Northern Pacific.

Why? I'm not sure I see any good reason for that here.

- Even if they make their way into mainland Alaska, the rest of the PNW is still a long ways away. Their best bet for a powerful sedentary regional partner might be the Sugpiaq on Kodiak Island.
- Haida Gwaii, and the rest of the PNW, is still a very long distance from Japan. The Haida are good seafarers but I doub't they'd be willing to paddle all the way to the Aleutian Islands to fight an enemy they know nothing about.
- I see neither the incentive nor the capability to launch such a campaign. Knowledge that a distant trade partner has an enemy would hardly be surprising to them, and while the stuff they get from them is nice that's hardly reason for them to feel like they have an obligation to help the Ainu. Sure, the Japanese might have some nice treasures, but as I said before they're just way too far away to be worth it. An actual offensive war initiated by a PNW tribe would require a vastly higher accumulation of political power and resources.
- Get back to work on Salmon and Totems, you !! Nah, just kidding

Ainu expansion further into Kamchatka would be interesting too.

 

[Arkenfolm]

Didn't the Ainu only get the southern tip of Kamchatka anyway? I doubt they were good enough on either the seafaring aspect or the cultural strength aspect to overcome the enemies in their way to reach the Aleutians. On the other hand, there's always the Komandorski Islands which the Aleuts never settled.

And how much contact did the Matsumae have with the more remote Ainu (or the Nivkh or other Sakhalin/Karafuto natives)? Hokkaido, south Sakhalin, the south Kuriles, yeah, but the northern Kuriles, northern Sakhalin, Kamchatka?