CULTURES AROUND THE WORLD:

THE AINU PEOPLE

By: Logan Mardis A2

FUN FACTS:

The Ainu originally lived in a region including Sakhalin Island near the mouth of the Amur River, the Kurile Islands, southern Kamchatka, and Hokkaido, today the northern island of Japan.

DNA research shows that Ainu are the direct descendants of the Jomon, the ancient people who created Japan's first culture and one of the world's oldest extant potteries.

This means that the Ainu and present-day Japanese are biologically related.

They made their living by fishing and hunting, including for sea mammals.

MATERIAL CULTURE:

All Ainu art was made to please the gods, but the art could never be made in the image of any of the spiritual gods except for special ceremonial items.

In the decorative art of the Ainu, the bark- and wood-carving and bark layering, and the embroidery or layering of hides, fish skins and furs reached a quit remarkable level.

The tattooed mouth among the Ainu women was part of their traditional decorations and pointed to the fact that its wearer was marriageable.

NONMATERIAL CULTURE:

They are especially well known for the bear ceremony, an important part of their religious rituals.

The bear is used as an important symbol in Ainu Culture and represents “the god of mountains”.

They used dogs for hunting, as sled dogs and in their rituals.

All living-beings and many natural objects (rivers, volcanoes, fire, lightning, trees, etc) were endowed with a spirit.

When a living being dies, only the material part is gone; the spirit is freed and this spirit can be good or evil, harming living beings, including people

LANGUAGE:

The question of the origin of the Ainu language is controversial.

Due to no existence of a written record of Ainu language.

Various theories of the origin and relationship of Ainu with language including Native American and Pacific Rim languages

NORMS AND VALUES:

Women were largely independent until marrying.

After marriage, they were under men's will. Women went to war and could speak their

opinions during the councils of the village Ainu women adorned their hands, forehead,

arms and mouth outline with blue tattoos. Women worked the fields, gathered wood,

cooked, span, wove, made clothes, cared and educated the kids.

Children were given the the least attention.

WORKCITED:

Dubrevil, Chisato. “The Ainu and Their Culture.” The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. Sept. 2012. Web. 5 Feb. 2013.

“Ainu People.” The Ainu, Their Land and Culture. Jan. 2013. Web. 5 Feb. 2013.