Ainu

Space location.

The Ainus (a word meaning 'human' in the Ainu language) or Ainos are an ethnic group indigenous to Hokkaidō and northern Honshu, in the northern part of Japan, as well as the Kuril Islands and the southern half of the island of Sakhalin in Russia. They are also known as ezo or yezo (蝦夷, ezo or yezo^?) in Old Japanese, and as utari (a word meaning 'comrade' in Ainu), which is what they prefer to be called today. Today, there are between 50,000 and 200,000 ethnic Ainu people (in whole or in part), both in Russia and Japan. The assimilation of a good part of the Ainu into other ethnic groups makes it difficult to give an exact number of their descendants.

History

The Ainu have very ancient origins and have been attributed Caucasoid-type ancestors; However, today they are related to the expansion of the first settlers in Asia and with the current peoples of Siberia, especially with the Nivjis of Sakhalin and the Koriaks or Koryaks of Kamchatka, who speak Paleosiberian languages, although the Ainus have genetic characteristics. their own that demonstrate their ancient differentiation from other contemporary populations in the region. These results are consistent with geological and archaeological findings: Hokkaidō's first settlers arrived during the last ice age more than 18,000 years ago. They differ from the majority racial group in Japan, the Yamato, in which they have much more body hair and their hair, although it is almost always black, is sometimes brown.

Geometric figures that decorate the clothing, similar to those still worn by the Ainu today, have been found in very ancient remains. Since then, the Ainus already inhabited Hokkaidō, in 5000 BC, according to archaeological findings, but they also lived in most of Honshu and perhaps some areas of China, even Chinese documents already speak of their existence under the name Tung I (eastern barbarians). The Okhotsk culture, which flourished from the 5th to the 7th century in Hokkaido, the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin Island and the Amur Basin, appears to be related to the Ainu and their spiritual rituals involving sacrificed bears. Between the 8th century and the 11th century, the Satsumon culture, from the south, flourished in the region, producing cultural changes in Ainu life.

Starting in the 17th century, the Japanese already had a presence in the Ainu territories. At first they were commercial exchanges until the beginning of the Meiji era, when the government liquidated the power of the Matsumae clan, who were engaged in trade and began a campaign of acculturation of the Ainu population, which was not exempt from problems in terms of quality. of life, reason why part of the native population moved to the Kamchatka peninsula. The warrior classes of Japan (bushi) had their birth in the north of the country, where the daimyos fought to avoid the attack and the invasion of their lands by the Ainus.

There are reports of some visits by Europeans, first by the Society of Jesus and then by the Dutch traveler Maarten Gerritsz Vries, who described them in 1643. Later, the Russians annexed some regions of Ainu territory into their empire until 1875, when the southern half of Sakhalin was ceded to Japan.

Relations with the Japanese have been somewhat strained since they were integrated into the country in the 19th century. During the 20th century, its culture began to decline not only due to the influence of the Japanese but also of American culture, which since 1945 promoted greater socio-economic ties. In 1973, the Ainus met for the first time in an assembly to demand the rights of this people in the Japanese nation. They currently have a stake in the Japanese parliament.

On June 6, 2008, the Japanese parliament unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the Ainu as "an indigenous people with its own language, religion and culture." This recognition, although it has a more symbolic than practical value, would allow the Japanese Government to allocate aid in terms of education and employment to members of this ethnic group.

Religion and legends

Ceremony Iomante Ainu with a bear.

The Ainu hold animistic beliefs, according to which everything in nature has a "kamuy" (divine spirit) within. There is a hierarchy of "kamuys". The "kamui" The most important is the grandmother earth (fire), then there are the "kamuis" of the mountains (terrestrial animals) and those of the sea (marine animals) and then everything else. They do not have priests or shamans with exclusive dedication. The head of the village directs the religious ceremonies that are necessary; ceremonies that are reduced to the libation of wine, prayers in a low voice and the offering of willow sticks with glued wood shavings. These chopsticks are called "inau" (singular) and "nusa" (plural), and are placed on an altar that is used to offer the heads of sacrificed animals. The Ainu people thank the gods before eating and pray to the deity of fire ("Huchi") when illness occurs. They believe that their spirits are immortal and that they will be rewarded after death with ascension to Kamui mosir ("land of the gods") or punished in hell.

Some northern Ainus are members of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Everyday life

Ainus with his traditional clothes.

Traditional orthose coat.

Traditional coat made with birds with feathers.

Traditional Ainu culture is very different from Japanese. At a certain age they stop shaving, so the older men have huge beards and mustaches. Men and women alike cut their hair on the sides of the head to shoulder level, but at the back the cut is semicircular. At the onset of puberty, women tattoo their mouths, arms, external genital organs, and sometimes their foreheads, using birch bark ash as a dye that is deposited in a jar that hangs over the fire.

Their traditional clothing is a cloak woven with thread extracted from the bark of the elm tree. It has long sleeves, reaching almost to the feet and are rolled around the body and tied with a sash or sash of the same material. The women also wear Japanese cloth undergarments. In winter they wear animal skins with deerskin leggings and boots of dog or salmon skin. Both sexes like to wear earrings, which in the past were said to be made from grape vines, and they also wear necklaces called "tamasay", which are highly prized by women.

They hunt with bows and poisoned arrows. Their diet basically consists of deer, bear, fox, wolf, badger, ox and horse meat, as well as fish, crabs, oysters, birds, millet, fruits, vegetables, herbs and roots. They never eat raw meat, but always cook or roast such foods. Contrary to fish, which in addition to roasting were eaten raw. In the cold winters, they take advantage of the snow to preserve different species such as salmon and oysters, which were later consumed immediately after thawing.

They live in huts thatched with reeds, the largest reach almost 7 meters, without rooms and with a place for the fire in the center; They don't have a chimney, just a hole in the ceiling; they only have one window on the eastern side and two doors. The village chief's house is used as a communal meeting place when necessary. Instead of using furniture, the Ainu sit on the floor, which is covered with two layers of carpet, one of rush and the other of cloth; and instead of beds they extend planks, surround them with a quilt, and use skins as covers. When they eat, the men use chopsticks and some utensils that serve to remove the mustache and the women use wooden spoons.

In popular culture

• In the movie Princess Mononoke of the Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, the protagonist, Ashitaka, is a prince Ainu who hires a curse after his village was attacked by a Tatarigami, a demon sprang from the wrath of a wild god named Nago. In the first sequences of this film you can appreciate part of the Ainu culture, mainly in the garments and the architecture.

• In the video game Samurai Showdown, appear several characters belonging to the Ain tribuu, such as Rimururu, Rera, and the most well-known representative of this ethnic group in the saga: Nakoruru.

• In the anime and sleeve Shaman King, one of the protagonists of the anime known as HoroHoro, whose real name is Usui Horokeu (ホの ホ ホ。, Usui Horokeu^?)It belongs to the Ainu ethnic group of Hokkaidō who wants to save the Koropokkuru from extinction.

• In the anime Saishuu Heiki Kanojo, better known as Saikano, the name of the protagonist is Chise making a clear reference to the word ainu which means home.

• In the anime Samurai ChamplooIn episodes 16 and 17 there appears a character belonging to the Ainu ethnic group called Okuru, who is persecuted by the authorities. At the end of the credits of episode 17 there appears a dedication to the memory of Umeko Ando, an interpreter of traditional Ainu music. One of his songs, called "Pekambe Uk" can be heard when Okuro remembers how his village was consumed by fire.

• In Max Brooks' play World War Z (novela), the gardener of the Ainu ethnic group, Oto Hideki, gives shelter and work to the invident Hibakusha Tomonaga Ijiro, who, after the outbreak, will become a divine defender of Japan and one of the founders of the "Society of the Shield".

• In the 1959 film Kotan no Kuchibue, led by Mikio Naruse, the plot develops the conflict between a group of ainus who live alongside Japanese residents.

• On the sleeve and anime The sword of the immortal ("Mugen no Jūnin", Hiroaki Samura, 1993), combatant Doa Yoshino wears clothes and tattoos typically ainu.

• In the movie Yurusarezu Monkey, the protagonist is widowed by a woman Ainu, her children are mixed, and one of her companions is also. There are several scenes where the problematic relationship between the Japanese and the Ainu people is seen.
• In the Golden Kamuy sleeve much of the argument revolves around the culture and customs of the Ainus at the beginning of the centuryXX.The co-star, Asirpa, belongs to this ethnic group.

• In the card game of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, several Monster Letters of the Archetypes "Gusto" (Japanese appendage of the word in English Gust, "Ráfaga") and "Espíritu Beast" bear names with reference to the language of this culture.

• The film by Rin Taro Kamuy no Ken He deals with the main character, Jiro, and his lineage Ainu, the legend of hidden gold and its search.

• In the anime Naruto Shippuden, the Ainu culture is represented in the Kaguya Otsutsuki arch.

• In the Fate/Grand Order mobile game, the mythical heroin ainu Sitonai is a servant invoked by the protagonist Fujimaru Ritsuka.

• In the anime Dr. Stone explaining they used fish skin clothing.
• In the anime Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon, the character Kanna Kamui shares his name with one of the Ainu deities, and other features including his clothing are based on elements of the Ainu culture.

Gallery

Store with a bear cage. Traditional buildings of the village Ainu. Home or cise (pronounced "chise") reconstructed in ancient style.