2. Hokkaido's Culture

Ainu’s Culture

Religion

The culture of Hokkaido reflects the culture of Ainu. Ainu people are genetically different, that is a different race, to the other populations in Japan. The Ainu’s religion is very different to the main Japanese religions of Buddhism and Shinto. In their religion, they have a deep reverence for nature and believe in many gods. The Ainu have faith that the god of mountains dwelled in the mountains, and the god of water dwelled in the river. They believe that each entity comes from its own world and returns there after accomplishing its role. Besides that, they also worshipped god’s objects in nature including fire, water, wind and thunder.

Ainu believe that everything in the natural world represents a god
Photo Credit: Pinterest

In addition, they had animal gods such as bears, foxes, owls and plant gods. Traditional belief held that animals were visitors from the other world temporarily assuming animal shapes. And, the most important god in the home was the female god of fire. The Ainu believe that the god of fire resides in every home's hearth and watches over each family. What is more, they utilize the nature around them for clothing, food and housing, and never take a life unnecessarily. Fish, bear meat and wild plants are gathered and stored in preparation for winter and times of famine.

Ainu worship bears
Photo Credit: Ainu people's Wikipedia

Clothing

The clothing traditionally worn by the Ainu was different to the clothing worn by Japanese. But now, Ainu wear international style clothing similar to that worn by other Japanese people every day. The traditional Ainu costume is worn on special occasions. The Ainu traditional robe was made of the woven fibers of inner elm bark. It was worn with a woven sash similar in shape to the sash worn with a mainland Japanese kimono. The male robe was calf-length. In winter a short sleeveless jacket of deer or other animal fur was also worn. The female robe was ankle-length and worn over a long undershirt with no front opening. The robes were hand-embroidered or appliqued with rope designs. A pointed edge at the tip of each front flap was characteristic of the Saru region.

Traditional Wearing of Ainu
Photo Credit: Ainu People's Wikipedia

Ainu Ceremonial Dress
Photo Credit: Ainu People's Wikipedia

Language

The Ainu people have their own unique Ainu language. Ainu is said to belong either to a Paleo-Asiatic or a Paleo-Siberian group of languages. It has two dialects. The Ainu have no written language. The Japanese phonetic syllabaries (characters representing syllables) or the Roman alphabet is used to transcribe (write) Ainu speech. Few people now speak Ainu as their primary language.

Many place names in Hokkaido are derived from Ainu. For instance, Sapporo is derived from "sapporope", which means "vast, dry river" in Ainu. Only a small number of people are fluent in Ainu, but an upsurge of interest has prompted the introduction of Ainu language classes.

"Hello" in Ainu's language
Photo Credit: Charlotte's blog

Major Festival

Ainu Music Festival
Photo Credit: Shift Japan's Website

The most important festival that is celebrated annually by Ainu people is the spirit-sending festival, called i-omante, either for a bear or striped owl. I-omante, the bear, was observed once in five or ten years. After three days of reverence to a bear cub, accompanied by prayers, dancing, and singing, it was shot with arrows. The head was decorated and placed at the altar, while the meat was eaten by the members of the village community. The spirit, while visiting this world, had temporarily adopted the form of a bear; the bear ritual released the spirit from the form so it could return to the other realm. Similar festivals are observed by many northern peoples.

Ainu's Festival
Photo Credit: All Japan Tour's Website

Lifestyle

Ainu Woman's Activity
Photo Credit: Pinterest

A formal greeting, irankarapte, which corresponds to "how are you" in English, literally means "let me softly touch your heart." It is said that Ainu people always shared food and drink with neighbors, even a cup of wine. The daily activities of Ainu Women were knitting and sewing, farmed, gathered wild plants, pounded grains with a pestle, and cared for babies. While for Men, they hunted, fished, and carved.

Ainu Woman used Rice Mortar
Photo Credit: library.osu.edu 

Ainu Fisherman
Photo Credit: Pinterest

Traditionally, the Ainu children were educated at home. Grandparents recited poems and tales while parents taught practical skills and crafts. From the late nineteenth century on, Ainu were educated in Japanese schools. Many concealed their Ainu background. Traditional sports for Ainu children included swimming and canoeing. Another indigenous Ainu game was making toy pattari in the creek when the snow thawed in spring.