Torsion traps are one of the interesting styles of traps in North America. They have a heavily twisted string as a spring and use its releasing power to trap animals, especially foxes. In this paper, I discuss three topics about North American torsion traps. At first, I discuss distribution of torsion traps in detail, focusing on the “Uralo-Siberian” type in North America. Secondly, I classify its trigger into five types. Finaly, from the point of view of trigger types and historic / ethnographic records, I discuss diffusion of Uralo-Siberian torsion traps into North America. I conclude that there were three possible routes from Siberia to North America. Firstly, these traps were directly brought by Russians into Aleutian Islands (Aleut) and Southwest Alaska (Alutiiq). The second is the Chukchi-Eskimo route. This was a trading route between Chukchi and Alaskan Eskimos over the Bering Sea. Third is the Chukotka Peninsula to St. Lawrence Island route. This was a trading route among the Siberian Yup'iks between the Chukotka Peninsula and St. Lawrence Island sides. Regardless of each route, the diffusion of Uralo-Siberian torsion traps into North America can be regarded as the influence of Russian invasion to Alaska and the fur trade both directly and indirectly.

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Our recent temporary exhibition on the theme of the Northwest Coast Indians culture also focuses on their activities of modern art. Since 2007, I have been involved in a joint research for the Canadian indigenous print collection of the National Museum of Ethnology. For the accomplishments of this research we show about 40 silk-screen prints and had a forum on the Northwest Coast Indians art in our museum. Furthermore, we had a co-hosted exhibit of these prints in the Abashiri Municipal Art Museum. Besides，the comments on their own work submitted from three native artists give better messages to visitors．

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This is a report on the survey of the museum exhibitions and activities which present Canadian Northwest Coast First Nations Culture in 2002 and 2004.

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Museums which own ethnographical collections have undergone a big change for their exhibitions and activities since the later twentieth century, especially after 1970's. Processes of collecting artifacts have been strongly challenged, and repatriation claimed by their original owners. And exhibits of indigenous cultures from viewpoint of dominant societies have been criticized and boycotted by indigenous peoples. Museums have not been played a role as only enough conservation of artifacts and explanation the culture in historic contexts. Today Indigenous peoples' idea have been reflected in museum activities, such as building partnerships between museums and indigenous communities, increasing of museums (and/or culture center) which operated by themselves in countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Then indigenous traditions have been represented as living part of contemporary societies as though the past. This paper looks at some examples of how Canadian museum exhibitions have been changing in relation to Northwest Coast First Nations, drawing on backgrounds such as social condition, indigenous activity, law, budget, and a trend of study. Beside this report intends to overview transition of exhibiting Ainu culture in Japan.

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