The Ainu (ai-noo) are a hunter-gatherer people who live on the islands of Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands in Japan. Originally, they lived on all four of Japan's major islands until the Japanese began to colonize their land, with the colonization of Hokkaido being completed in 1869. While the Ainu's exact origins and ancestors are unknown, their cultural practice of bear worship and sacrifice has been a major focusing point for anthropologists studying the culture. Ainu have a great reverence for bears, specifically the brown bear of Hokkaido, even among the many other gods they worship. To an Ainu, the bear represents the greatest of all mountain gods, Chira-Mante-Kamui, walking among the earth as a bear. In return for the god's kindness and general respect for the Ainu, the Ainu would perform a rite known as Iyomante. This ensures that the spirit of the god would return to its mountain home of Kamuimoshi Li safely. It is also performed so the other gods can enjoy the fruits of the ritual sacrifice.
The Iyomante ritual was a very important rite in which the Ainu sacrifice a bear mother and raise her cubs to be sacrificed later(https://www.bears.org/spirit/ainumyth.php). Some Ainu prefered to sacrifice only male bears. They believe the female bear represents the Life-Giver also known as Bear Mother. Once the cub is alone, the Ainu raise it and feed it human food, even allowing it to nurse off a human woman if necessary. When the cub is two or three years of age, the Iyomante rite can start properly. During this ceremony, the Ainu put on their best clothes and drink, dance, and feast. They do all this while saying prayers to various gods, such as the gods of the fire and the mountain. Once everything is ready, the bear cub is led to an altar and either shot with arrows or crushed with a log. Offerings and festivities continue for three more days, with the first day featuring a secret ritual known as the Keo-Mante, which sends off the body of the bear cub. This ritual allows Chira-Mante-Kamui's spirit to return home and enjoy the feast on Kamuimoshi Li.
The ritual of Iyomante was very widespread, until around the 1960's when the Japanese government banned it outright (http://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat18/sub119/item638.html). While the practice is not necessarily performed today, the Ainu had many reasons to perform it when they did. One of the reasons the Ainu thought Chira-Mante-Kamui walked the earth as a bear was to trade with humans. The gods saw humans as good-hearted so they would give the Ainu food and furs. In return, the Ainu would help return the spirit back home(http://www.ainu-museum.or.jp/nyumon/gireigu/gireigu.html). Bears were some of the Ainu's main game, so it makes sense why they performed the Iyomante ritual. They wished to return the favor to the gods for the food and furs they were being given. Additionally, the community aspect of Iyomante served to strengthen the bonds of the Ainu people due to the need to hunt down the bears and raise them for the sacrifice.
The Ainu people have encountered many trials in the recent past. After the Japanase outlawed the Iyomante ritual, they also attempted to entirely wipe out the Ainu. Japan was on a mission to unify the country by creating a myth of homogeneity among the Japanese people. This included "pretending" that indigenous groups such as the Ainu simply didn't exist. The Ainu, however, fought hard to maintain their standing as a people group until the Japanese government established them as an indigenous people group in 2008. Today, Japan claims that around 25,000 Ainu people still live in Japan. However, other sources put that number closer to 200,000 (https://www.tofugu.com/japan/ainu-japan/). Throughout all of their trials, the Ainu still hold a surprising reverence for bears. They still worship the bear as an embodiment of the spirits. And while they may not practice the Iyomante ritual, they surround themselves with images and sculptures of bears to remember their heritage.
Learn More http://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat18/sub119/item638.html
http://www.ainu-museum.or.jp/nyumon/gireigu/gireigu.html
https://www.bears.org/spirit/ainumyth.php
https://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/Ainu/5192
Works Cited “Access Britannica Academic.” Britannica Academic, academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/Ainu/5192. Ainu Museum, www.ainu-museum.or.jp/nyumon/gireigu/gireigu.html.
Hays, Jeffrey. “AINU: THEIR HISTORY, ART, LIFE, RITUALS, CLOTHES AND BEARS.” Facts and Details, factsanddetails.com/japan/cat18/sub119/item638.html.
“The Bear Ritual of the Ainu.” Ainu Mythology, www.bears.org/spirit/ainumyth.php.