This page has the following sections:
Future is Mine: Ainu My Voice This video tells the story of Kayano Rie san, her relation to her Ainu identity and culture, and especially her visit to the Seminole people, the indigenous people of Southern Florida.
Japan's forgotten indigenous people This is an overview of the history and current situation of Ainu people, looking at the discrimination they have faced after the colonisation of Hokkaido by the Japanese, at recent recognition of the Ainu as indigenous and projects to promote and share Ainu culture in Hokkaido but also at criticism that recent laws and government policies still do not recognise Ainu rights. It includes the story and views of Kimiko Naraki an Ainu elder, as well as several professors. BBC Travel, 20 May 2020.
Ainu Living in Tokyo - Getting To Know the Indigenous People of Japan By Hasegawa Osamu, an Ainu man living in Tokyo. In this article, Hasegawa tells his own story, and explains Ainu history in terms of the colonization of Hokkaido and forced assimilation of Ainu people that destroyed Ainu culture and way of life, and challenges the official view of the government's development of Hokkaido and protection of Ainu people. He also explains the situation of Ainu people living in Tokyo. Japan for Sustainability. 24 Dec 2009.
About the New Ainu Law 2019
Law enacted to recognise ethnic Ainu minority as indigenous people "The law requires the central and local governments to promote Ainu culture and industry, including tourism, in order to correct long-standing socioeconomic disparities faced by the group. But some Ainu have criticized the legislation, saying it will not do enough to reverse historical discrimination." Kyodo News, 19 Apr 2019.
No Rights, No Regret: New Ainu Legislation Short on Substance by Higashimura Takeshi. This is an article that is critical of the new Ainu Law because it doesn't recognise Ainu rights or include apology to Ainu people for the discrimination they have received. Nippon.com, 26 Apr 2019. Asia-Pacific Human Rights Center, June 2019.
A Critique on the New Ainu Policy: How Japan's Politics of Recognition Fails to Fulfill the Ainu's Indigenous Rights by Leni Charbonneau and Hiroshi Maruyama This article takes a critical view of the media's praise for the new law, and sees it as a way of exploiting Ainu people through the development of tourism.
Japan's 'vanishing' Ainu will finally be recognized as indigenous people This article explains different views about the New Ainu Law from both Ainu and non-Ainu people and tells the Story of Oki Kano, an Ainu musician who mixes Ainu music with reggae and other genres. CNN, 23 Apr 2018.
'Empty words': Rights groups say Japan's bill recognizing Ainu as indigenous group falls short This article reports on a meeting at the Tokyo Foreign Correspondents Club in which Ainu activists criticized the New Ainu Law which recognizes the Ainu people for the first time as “an indigenous group,” saying that despite the wording, it treats them as a tourist attraction and does not do enough to reverse the historical discrimination they have suffered or provide them an apology. Japan Times, 2 Mar 2019. See the video of the meeting below in Japanese with an English translation.
About Upopoy the new National Ainu Museum and Park
UPOPOY National Ainu Museum and Park Official website and National Ainu Museum and Park ”UPOPOY”, JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organisation). These are two official views that emphasize learning about Ainu culture.
Upopoy – A gate to self-identification and living in coexistence Includes the views of two University of Hokkaido professors involved in setting up Upopoy, University of Hokkaido
Aiming at Olympic boom, Japan builds 'Ethnic Harmony' tribute to indigenous Ainu, This article includes views from Ainu people that Upopoy may just become a theme park and not recognise the discrimination Ainu people experienced historically. It also discusses the issue of an apology to Ainu people from the Japanese government for the discrimination they have suffered. Reuters, 19 0ct 2019.
Ainu people Ainu (also called Ezo in historical texts) are an ethnic group indigenous to Hokkaido, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin. Wikipedia
The Ainu People Information about their history, population, and way of life, language and culture.The Ainu Museum.
Ainu An overview from the Minority Rights Group that gives a profile of the Ainu people, and looks at their historical situation and the current issues they face.
Japan's Ainu This video documentary looks at, "Japan's indigenous people and their fight for cultural survival and acceptance. Over the last century, they have seen their traditions and their language stripped away, along with their ancestral lands. But after generations of oppression, racism and forced assimilation, change is in the air for the Ainu." Aljazeera, 4 Feb 2010.
Ainu: indigenous in every way but not by official fiat Following the United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples in 2007 and shortly before the Japanese government recognised the Ainu as indigenous people, this article answers questions about the history and current situation of Ainu people - and also refers to the situation of Okinawan people. Japan Times, 20 May, 2008.
Where are the Ainu now? In search of answers about Japan's indigenous people An article about the history and current situation of the Ainu people. Japan Times, March 2, 2003.
Ainu An article from the World Culture Encyclopedia with sections on:
Ainu discrimination defies the law The Ainu, Japan's indigenous people, are complaining of growing discrimination despite a landmark law enacted in 1997 that for the first time recognizes their culture as unique and officially promotes their rights. Asia Times.
>>> More on Discrimination against foreigners and minorities >>>
Ainu Revival: A feast of culture on Hokkaido menu Despite and because of their marginalization in Japanese society, Ainu people have been steadily acquiring the self-confidence to express themselves in an increasing variety of fields. Ainu politicians, writers, musicians, artists, actors and designers -- such as Shigeru Kayano, Oki Kano, Takashi Ukaji and Tamami Kaizawa among others -- are signs of the renaissance under way. Japan Times, June 27, 2004.
Diet officially declares Ainu indigenous "The Ainu celebrated a historic moment Friday as the Diet unanimously passed a resolution that recognizes them as indigenous people of Japan." Japan Times, 7 Jun, 2008.
Ainu hope U.N. move aids indigenous status quest This article, which was written before the Japanese Government recognised the Ainu as an indigenous people, reports on the hopes of Tadashi Kato, chief of the Ainu Association of Hokkaido, about how the United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples will benefit Ainu people. It also considers different arguments by the government and experts about recognizing the Ainu as an indigenous people and the consequences of such a decision. Japan Times, 13 Oct 2007.
Scholar urges fresh look at rich Ainu heritage This article discusses the views of Shunwa Honda, a scholar on indigenous ethnic groups. Honda argues that Japan still doesn't listen to the voice of Ainu people and he notes that some Japanese see Ainu as a people of the past in the Hokkaido whilst in reality they are people who live in today's society whilst preserving their history and culture. Japan Times, 10 Jul, 2012.
Ainu People Today - 7 Years after the Culture Promotion Law By Yoichi Tanaka. The Ainu people are still struggling for the full recognition and acceptance by the Japanese society of their culture and language, and for the recognition in law of their rights as an indigenous people. An article from 2004, before the Japanese government recogmised the Ainu as an indigenous people in 2008.
Law for the Promotion of the Ainu Culture and for the Dissemination and Advocacy for the Traditions of the Ainu and the Ainu Culture Law No. 52, May 14, 1997. The Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture.
Recognition at last for Japan's Ainu Japan's parliament is to adopt a resolution that, for the first time, formally recognises the Ainu as "an indigenous people with a distinct language, religion and culture". BBC News, 2008/06/06.
Toward Ainu- and Japan-Specific Indigenous Policies Teruki Tsunemoto, LL.D., Center for Ainu & Indigenous Studies Hokkaido University, Japan A presentation which discusses different definitions of indigenous people as well as Japanese government policy towards Ainu people.
Japan's indigenous Ainu battle for return of ancestors "Japan's long marginalised and little known indigenous people, the Ainu, are engaged in a protracted and symbolic struggle to have the remains of their ancestors brought home." New Zealand Herald, 2 Jun, 2013.
Experiencing Ainu culture An official overview focusing on the distinctiveness of Ainu culture and language, rather than looking at the history of the Ainu people and their colonisation and dispossession by the Japanese state. Japan National Tourism Organisation.
Russia’s Ainu Community Makes Its Existence Known – Analysis This article looks at the existence of Ainu people in Russia and the significance of this for the territiorial dispute between Russia and Japan about the Northern Territories/Kurile Islands. Eurasia Review, 10 Apr, 2011.
The Ainu and the people of the Amur area Material from the Museum of Ethnography, Hungary, collected by Benedek Baráthosi Balogh in the early 20th century, including artifacts and photographs.
Ainu: Spirit of a Nothern People A major exhibition from 1999 to explore the ancient origin of the Ainu, their evolving relations with the Japanese, and the 20th century Ainu cultural rebirth. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
The Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture (FRPAC) Founded by the Hokkaido government and the Japanese Ministry of Education. The basic idea of our Foundation is to contribute to the realization of a society in which the ethnic pride of the Ainu is respected and to further the development of diverse national cultures through the preservation and promotion of the Ainu language and traditional culture and to disseminate knowledge on Ainu traditions to the nation. Projects include the promotion of Ainu language and culture.
Japan's Ainu This video documentary looks at, "Japan's indigenous people and their fight for cultural survival and acceptance. Over the last century, they have seen their traditions and their language stripped away, along with their ancestral lands. But after generations of oppression, racism and forced assimilation, change is in the air for the Ainu." Aljazeera, 4 Feb 2010.
Oki "When I realised the origin of my blood, I knew this blood was going to be burning" says Oki, "but first I had to find out how to make it burn". With the release of his second album, "Hankapuy", it's clear that Oki, a musician of mixed Japanese and Ainu (indigenous Japanese) blood has come a long way on his own personal journey and in the process has created a startling album. Far Side Music.
Oki is an Ainu Japanese musician. Wikipedia.
Tonkori a plucked string instrument played by the Ainu people of Hokkaido. Wikipedia.
Ainu musician Oki brings the world to Hokkaido An interview with Oki, a musician with a Japanese mother and an Ainu father, whose band, the Oki Dub Ainu Band, mix Ainu music with reggae, dub and other world musics. Japan Times, Aug. 28, 2008.
Oki Official Website Website for Oki, a musician with a Japanese mother and Ainu father and his Oki Dub Ainu Band that plays music that fuses Reggae, African music and Electronica with Ainu folk melodies.
Ainu Revival: A feast of culture on Hokkaido menu Despite and because of their marginalization in Japanese society, Ainu people have been steadily acquiring the self-confidence to express themselves in an increasing variety of fields. Ainu politicians, writers, musicians, artists, actors and designers -- such as Shigeru Kayano, Oki Kano, Takashi Ukaji and Tamami Kaizawa among others -- are signs of the renaissance under way. Japan Times, June 27, 2004.
Ainu: Spirit of a Nothern People A major exhibition from 1999 to explore the ancient origin of the Ainu, their evolving relations with the Japanese, and the 20th century Ainu cultural rebirth. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Ainu ‘rebels’ mix it up to get message across "Mina Sakai wanted to improve the status of her people and their self-esteem in a way that would also entertain ordinary people...She performs traditional Ainu dances and music mixed with rock and hip-hop." Japan Times, 22 Nov, 2007.
Ainu Rebels Facebook Page The Ainu Rebels have stopped preforming but this page still has discussions about Ainu musical performances and other events.
The Ainu and the people of the Amur area Material from the Museum of Ethnography, Hungary, collected by Benedek Baráthosi Balogh in the early 20th century, including artifacts andphotographs.
Interview with some members of the Ainu Rebels.
Tokyo’s thriving Ainu community keeps traditional culture alive The article looks at the ways that Ainu people in Tokyo are maintaining and renewing Ainu culture, and at a documentary film being made about the Ainu. Japan Today, 1 Mar 2009. (New link added 02 May 2013).
TOKYO Ainu Documentary Film "TOKYO Ainu features the Ainu, an indigenous people of Japan, living in Greater Tokyo (Tokyo and its surrounding areas), who are and actively in promoting their traditional culture in a metropolitan environment away from their traditional homeland, Hokkaido. Shedding a common assumption that all Ainu live in Hokkaido, the film captures the feelings, thoughts and aspirations of Ainu people that who try to follow the Ainu way no matter where they live."
Promotional Video for TOKYO Ainu
Some in Hokkaido preserve Ainu culture But the lack of young supporters does not bode well for future efforts This article describes attempts by Ainu people in Hokkaido to preserve traditional Ainu culture. Japan Times 25 Jan 2007. (New link added 02 May 2013). (New link added 02 May 2013).
Ainu Museum This museum introduces Ainu history and culture.
The Ainu Association of Hokkaido The Ainu Association of Hokkaido is an organization made up of Ainu who live in Hokkaido, which aims to "work to improve the social status of Ainu people and to develop, transmit and preserve Ainu culture in order to establish the dignity of the Ainu people".
Hawehe –Ainu Voices Hawehe (lit. “voices, sounds” in the Ainu language) is a free media project, in the shape of a blog, that aims at introducing to non Japanese or Ainu speakers the many issues related to the Ainu minority. If you have any suggestion or comment, please do not hesitate to email us at hawehe.av AT gmail.com.
Akan Kotan Ainu Village This is the largest Ainu community in Hokkaido with 130 in 36 households. The village has Ainu folk art stores and restaurants, and at the Onne Chise at the center of the village, visitors can watch ancient Ainu dance and listen to performances of the traditional Ainu music.
The Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture (FRPAC) Founded by the Hokkaido government and the Japanese Ministry of Education. The basic idea of our Foundation is to contribute to the realization of a society in which the ethnic pride of the Ainu is respected and to further the development of diverse national cultures through the preservation and promotion of the Ainu language and traditional culture and to disseminate knowledge on Ainu traditions to the nation. Projects include the promotion of Ainu language and culture.
Ainu stepping out of social stigma: Once invisible minority hopes new indigenous cachet ends legacy of discrimination "You are beautiful just as you are. Don't be afraid," Mina Sakai sings to a young, enthusiastic crowd in the language of the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido. This is an article about yoing Ainu taking pride in their identity through music and dance that mixes traditional Ainu culture with hip-hop and rap. It also looks at attitudes towards multiculturalism amongst young people in Japan today. Japan Times, Aug. 13, 2008.
Ainu: Spirit of a Nothern People A major exhibition from 1999 to explore the ancient origin of the Ainu, their evolving relations with the Japanese, and the 20th century Ainu cultural rebirth. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Law for the Promotion of the Ainu Culture and for the Dissemination and Advocacy for the Traditions of the Ainu and the Ainu Culture Law No. 52, May 14, 1997. The Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture.
Ainu People Today - 7 Years after the Culture Promotion Law By Yoichi Tanaka. The Ainu people are still struggling for the full recognition and acceptance by the Japanese society of their culture and language, and for the recognition in law of their rights as an indigenous people. An article from 2004, before the Japanese government recogmised the Ainu as an indigenous people in 2008.
The Ainu: Beyond the Politics of Cultural Coexistence By Tessa Morris-Suzuki, Cultural Survival Quarterly, 1999. This article looks at the history of colonisation of Ainu people and critically analyses the Ainu Cultural Promotion Law of 1997.
Yukar of Ainu People Information about the tradition of Ainu epic oral poetry from the UNESCO Asia Pacific Cultural Centre.
The Ainu and Their Culture: A Critical Twenty-First Century Assessment An interview with Chisato ("Kitty") O. Dubreuil, an Ainu-Japanese art historian, who co-organised, the groundbreaking 1999 Smithsonian exhibition on Ainu culture at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC, in the United States. She talks about both traditional and contemporary Ainu culture and artistic production. Asia Pacific Journal, Japan Focus, Nov 26, 2007.
Ainu language An article that looks at the relation of the Ainu language to other languages, its speakers, its phonology (system of pronunciation), its typology and grammar, systems for writing it in katakana, and oral (spoken) literature in Ainu. Wikipedia.
Ainu Brief information on the Ainu language from Ethnologue.
In Japan, the Ainu language is largely unknown and unloved, but linguists are fascinated by its mysteries PRI, 26 May 2016
Japan's Ainu seek help to preserve their native culture Part of the article talks about the need for an Ainu language school in Tokyo. Cultural Survival, 2001.
Ainu-English Word List A list of Ainu words and phrases translated into English.
Will the Ainu Language Die? This article goes a very basic overview of the situation of the Ainu language and Ainnu history. Talking It Global, 31 May 2004.
Efforts to preserve Ainu language gain momentum An independent television producer and an Ainu-language teacher recently released a compact disc featuring traditional Ainu stories in a bid to pass down the indigenous minority’s language. Japan Times, 15 Jun, 2002.
Some in Hokkaido preserve Ainu culture: But the lack of young supporters does not bode well for future efforts The second half of this article discusses Ainu language use by some Ainu people on Hokkaido and the telling of ‘Kamuy-yukar’ (Ainu epics) in the Ainu language. Japan Times, 25 Jan, 2007.
アイヌ学習と民族教育機関設立に向けて The study about the Ainu learning and the idea of founding the educational institutions for Ainu people. It has a list of universities which has classes of Ainu culture and language. 上野 昌之、日本大学
アイヌ語の現状と復興 佐藤知己、北海道大学
アイヌ語学習・教育用資料の電算化・集積・公開を可能にする情報ネットワーク構築のための基礎研究 井筒勝信、北海道教育大学旭川校 Ainu Language Education as a Rural Education: Basic Research for Creating IT-Assisted Resources for Ainu Language Learning and Teaching. Katsunobu Idutsu. Hokkaido University of Education. 2007.
アイヌ民族の歴史と現状：アイヌ語教育に焦点を当てて 萱野志朗(萱野茂二風谷アイヌ資料館館長、WIN-AINU代表) The current situation for indigenous peoples and biodiversity. Shiro Kayano, Director of Kayano Shigeru Nibutani Ainu Meseum, Representative of WIN-AINU.
Aynu itak: On the road to Ainu language revitalisation by Kylie Martin, 2011. Includes the following sections: 6. 4. Ainu language classes , 6. 6. Formal education and the Ainu language, 6. 7. Attendance at Ainu language classes.
Japan's Ainu seek help to preserve their native culture Part of the article talks about the need for an Ainu language school in Tokyo. Cultural Survival, 2001.
Ten Linguistic Issues in Japan: The Impact of Globalization By Junko Saruhashi and Yuko Takeshita Includes a short section on maintenance and revitalization of the Ainu language. OECD
Language Maintenance Practice Vs Internationalization Policy in Japan By Yuko Igarashi and Joseph F Kess. Includes a short section on the Ainu language, no date.
ミャオ語・イテリメン語・アイヌ語をご存知ですか？公開講座「日本語の隣人たち」を千葉大学文学部が11月1日に開催. Sankei News, 5 Oct, 2015.
Organisations supporting Ainu language revitalisation
公益財団法人 アイヌ文化振興・研究推進機構（アイヌ文化財団）The Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture "FRPAC" Information in English here on promotion of the Ainu language.
アイヌ文化交流センター in Tokyo
Ainu language classes
Biratori-cho Nibutani Ainu Language School Moved by the idea that "The Ainu language must be taught to the children of Nibutani," the school opened in 1983 as the "Nibutani Ainu-go Juku (Nibutani Ainu Language School)" for the local primary and secondary school children. Foundation for the Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture.
Interview with some members of the Ainu Rebels.
Tokyo’s thriving Ainu community keeps traditional culture alive The article looks at the ways that Ainu people in Tokyo are maintaining and renewing Ainu culture, and at a documentary film being made about the Ainu. Japan Today, 1 Mar 2009. (New link added 02 May 2013).
TOKYO Ainu Documentary Film "TOKYO Ainu features the Ainu, an indigenous people of Japan, living in Greater Tokyo (Tokyo and its surrounding areas), who are and actively in promoting their traditional culture in a metropolitan environment away from their traditional homeland, Hokkaido. Shedding a common assumption that all Ainu live in Hokkaido, the film captures the feelings, thoughts and aspirations of Ainu people that who try to follow the Ainu way no matter where they live."
Promotional Video for the film Tokyo Ainu
Ainu Living in Tokyo - Getting To Know the Indigenous People of Japan by Osamu Hasegawa "The Japanese government colonized places where the Ainu traditionally lived, and positioned them as an extinct ethnic group. I believe that the lack of awareness regarding the Ainu is the result of an intentional effort." Japan for Sustainability, 24 Dec 2009.
Ainu Associations in Greater Tokyo An overview of some Ainu organisations and events in the Tokyo area.
Charanke Matsuri: "The festival ties the earth to the heavens. The dance connects people to the universe". The Charanke Festival is a major event bringing together the Ainu and Okinawan communities in Tokyo. It all started more than 20 years ago from a connection between an Ainu and Okinawan feeling a sense of kinship, and developed into the event it is today. More info here.
千葉県君津市 カムイミンタラ 2005年7月末、千葉県君津市、森に囲まれた亀山湖近くの南斜面に、この施設はオープンしました。
Indigenous peoples in Japan "The two indigenous peoples of Japan, the Ainu and the Okinawans, live on the northernmost and southernmost islands of the country’s archipelago." International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs. See also this 2015 update on recent policies and developments related to indigenous people in Japan including Ainu people and hate speech and the Futenma/Henoko campaigns in Okinawa.
Recognition at last for Japan's Ainu An article about the history of the Ainu people and Japanese settlement on of their lands, which discusses their recognition as an indigenous people in 2008. BBC News, 6 Jun, 2008.
Diet officially declares Ainu indigenous The Ainu celebrated a historic moment Friday as the Diet unanimously passed a resolution that recognizes them as indigenous people of Japan. The unprecedented resolution was adopted by both chambers, acknowledging the Ainu's hardships from discrimination and poverty. Japan Times, June 7, 2008.
Booklet lists Ainu rights in U.N. declaration This article discusses a booklet published by Citizens’ Diplomatic Center for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (市民外交センター), a Japanese NGO chaired by Professor Hideaki Uemura, professor of international human rights law at Keisen University. The booklet, which was written to show Ainu people how they could make use of the Declaration to improve their conditions, explains that the Declaration gives Ainu the right to self-determination (to control their own affairs politically and economically), to practice their cultural traditions and to have ethnic education in their own language. Japan Times, 7 Nov, 2008.
Toward Ainu- and Japan-Specific Indigenous Policies Teruki Tsunemoto, LL.D., Center for Ainu & Indigenous Studies Hokkaido University, Japan A presentation which discusses different definitions of indigenous people as well as Japanese government policy towards Ainu people.
Ainu People Today - 7 Years after the Culture Promotion Law By Yoichi Tanaka. The Ainu people are still struggling for the full recognition and acceptance by the Japanese society of their culture and language, and for the recognition in law of their rights as an indigenous people. An article from 2004, before the Japanese government recogmised the Ainu as an indigenous people in 2008.
Ainu hope U.N. move aids indigenous status quest This article, which was written before the Japanese Government recognised the Ainu as an indigenous people, reports on the hopes of Tadashi Kato, chief of the Ainu Association of Hokkaido, about how the United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples will benefit Ainu people. It also considers different arguments by the government and experts about recognizing the Ainu as an indeginous people and the cinsequences of such a decision. Japan Times, 13 Oct 2007.
Recognition for a People Who Faded as Japan Grew It was only a few weeks ago that the Japanese government finally, and unexpectedly, recognized the Ainu as an “indigenous people.” Parliament introduced and quickly passed a resolution stating that the Ainu had a “distinct language, religion and culture,” setting aside the belief, long expressed by conservatives, that Japan is an ethnically homogeneous nation. New York Times, July 3, 2008
Upper and Lower Houses of the Diet of Japan recognize the Ainu as Indigenous People This articles discusses the Japanese government's recognition of the Ainu as an indigenous people after the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples but also the government's refusal to recognise Ainu people as indigenous before this. Asia Pacific Human Rights Center, 7 Jun 2008.
Ainu and Okinawan Human Rights- United Nations Forum on indigenous issues Various organizations urged the Japanese government to fully realize the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and address human rights violations against the Ainu and Okinawan communities at the tenth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues convened at the United Nations Headquarters, New York from the 16th to 27th of May, 2011
World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Japan : Ainu 'The Ainu are an indigenous people who inhabit the island of Hokkaido of Japan, as well as the north of Honshu, Japan's main island and Sakhalin island, in Russia.' refworld, 2008.
Ainu: indigenous in every way but not by official fiat Following the United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples in 2007 and shortly before the Japanese government recognised the Ainu as indigenous people, this article answers questions about the history and current situation of Ainu people - and also refers to the situation of Okinawan people. Japan Times, 20 May, 2008.
Recognition for a People Who Faded as Japan Grew This article discusses what their recognition as an indigenous people means for Ainu people and for their human rights. New York Times, July 3, 2008.
Ainu, Okinawans join first U.N. indigenous peoples’ conference Delegates for indigenous peoples from around the world, including Ainu and Okinawans, gathered this week at the United Nations to discuss measures to ensure their political representation and freedom from discrimination in the first U.N.-backed conference of its kind. Japan Times, Sep 23, 2014
Ainu People Today - 7 Years after the Culture Promotion Law By Yoichi Tanaka. The Ainu people are still struggling for the full recognition and acceptance by the Japanese society of their culture and language, and for the recognition in law of their rights as an indigenous people. An article from 2004, before the Japanese government recogmised the Ainu as an indigenous people in 2008.
After the Ainu Shinpō: The United Nations and the Indigenous People of Japan by Crystal Porter, Australian National University This article explores the significance of indigenous rights in Japan and how the Japanese Government uses the guise [strategy] of upholding individual rights to ignore indigenous rights in Japan.
Ainu fight for return of plundered ancestral remains: Landmark case pits indigenous people of Hokkaido against local university holding lion's share of grisly trophies This article looks at court case brought by an Ainu group in Kineusu, Hokkaido against Hokkaido University to have Ainu remains held by the University returned to them. The case raises the issue of whether we understand ancestry as individual, as Japanese law requires, or as collective and tribal as it is for Ainu group. Japan Times, Aug 12, 2013.
New link added 05 May 2018 Hokkaido University agrees to return remains of Ainu to descendants The agreement, reached in a court-mediated settlement at the Sapporo District Court in Hokkaido on Wednesday, ends three rounds of a five-year legal battle between Ainu descendants and the university. Japan Times, 23 Mar, 2017.
Skeletons in the academic closet An article about the removal of Ainu remains and grave goods for 'scientific research' by researchers including Sakuzaemon Kodama, professor of anatomy in the medical department of Hokkaido University. The article also makes connections to the wider question of indigenous people's ownership and control over their cultural property, one of the major issues considered by the U.N. Working Group on Indigenous Populations. Japan Times, 17 Nov, 2002.
Japan's indigenous Ainu battle for return of ancestors "Japan's long marginalised and little known indigenous people, the Ainu, are engaged in a protracted and symbolic struggle to have the remains of their ancestors brought home." New Zealand Herald, 2 Jun, 2013.
Ainu struggle to find solution for hundreds of unidentified skeletons "Papers were lost, bones were mixed up, and now only 23 of the 1,635 Ainu skeletons kept at nine universities can be identified." Asahi Shimbun, 13 Aug, 2013.
Hokkaido University agrees to return remains of Ainu to descendants Japan Times, Mar 23, 2017.
Ainu People call for Return of Indigenous Remains Asia Rights, 10 Aug 2011.
Experiencing Ainu culture An official overview focusing on the distinctiveness of Ainu culture and language, rather than looking at the history of the Ainu people and their colonisation and dispossession by the Japanese state. Japan National Tourism Organisation.
The Ainu Museum Information and photographs on may aspects of Ainu history, culture and society.
Ainu Living in Tokyo - Getting To Know the Indigenous People of Japan by Osamu Hasegawa "The Japanese government colonized places where the Ainu traditionally lived, and positioned them as an extinct ethnic group. I believe that the lack of awareness regarding the Ainu is the result of an intentional effort." Japan for Sustainability, 24 Dec 2009.
Scholar urges fresh look at rich Ainu heritage This article discusses the views of Shunwa Honda, a scholar on indigenous ethnic groups. Honda argues that Japan still doesn't listen to the voice of Ainu people and he notes that some Japanese see Ainu as a people of the past in the Hokkaido whilst in reality they are people who live in today's society whilst preserving their history and culture. Japan Times, 10 Jul, 2012.
Ainu Crafts - Patterns with a Prayer Information about an exhibtion being held at the Japan Folk Crafts Museum in Tokyo from April 2nd (Tue) - June 2nd (Sun), 2013.
The Ainu: Beyond the Politics of Cultural Coexistence By Tessa Morris-Suzuki, Cultural Survival Quarterly, 1999. This article looks at the history of colonisation of Ainu people and critically analyses the Ainu Cultural Promotion Law of 1997.
Life of Ainu including information about marriage, pregnancy, birth, child-raising, naming and coming of age from the Ainu Museum.
Ainu fight for return of plundered ancestral remains: Landmark case pits indigenous people of Hokkaido against local university holding lion's share of grisly trophies This article looks at court case brought by an Ainu group in Kineusu, Hokkaido against Hokkaido University to have Ainu remains held by the University returned to them. The case raises the issue of differences of kinship and whether we understand ancestry as individual, as Japanese law requires, or as collective and tribal as it is for Ainu group. Japan Times, Aug 12, 2013.
33/Ainu Spirituality by Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney. The author discusses social hierarchy and gender on pages 244-245 and argues that while there are social hierachies and divisions in Ainu society, these are not fluid and complementary, not fixed and that gender relations are based on complementarity not conflict or power inequality. From the catalogue to Ainu: Spirit of a Northern People, (an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC), 1999.
Indigenous women facing educational disadvantages: The case of the Ainu in Japan This page has a summary of an academic article by Takayanagi Taeko and Shimomura Takayuki from 2013.
Ainu Shamanism: A Forbidden Path to Universal Knowledge by Sakurako Tanaka. This article discusses the historical development of Ainu spiritual beliefs and the gender roles connected to them. It explains how a gender division of labour developed in Ainu Shamanism with men as masters of ceremonies and women as mediums who communicated with spirits and taking medical roles healing people who were ill. Later Ainu Shamanism become dominated by female healers and mediums. The article also includes the story of Aiko, an Ainu medium, healer and midwife (who helped women give birth), and concludes by arguing that recent Ainu cultural revitalization has focused on public ceremonies such as Iyomante (the bear-sending ceremony) but has excluded the role of women in Ainu Shamanism. Cultural Survival, Summer 2003.
Gender and Cultural Revitalization Movements Among the Ainu Takako Yamada, Kyoto University. This long academic article argues that although it, "is often pointed out that among Ainu people today there is an idea of male dominance or male chauvinism...Ainu women are neither helpless nor dependent on men but are strongly self-reliant". The division of labour by sex in everyday life may not lead it inferiority for women but may be based on complementarity or harmony between men and women. It also explains that women have played a greater role than men in movements for Ainu cultural revitalization partly because Ainu women have maintained their cultural knowledge and roles more than men, but it also notes that Ainu women often come to have more pride in their Ainu identities than Ainu men even if they had originally lost a sense of themselves as Ainu. It also argues that Ainu cultural revitalization has mainly maintained rather than challenged traditional gender roles for men and women. Senri Ethnographical Studies 56, no date (1990s?)
Ainu Maori Exchange Help indigenous Ainu youth get to New Zealand for an exchange with Maori to study methods for cultural survival. Indiegogo.
New link added 05 May 2018 アイヌ文化復興を目指して。アイヌ・マオリ交流プロジェクト
Learning from Asli for Ainu rights The Orang Asli village of Penderas in Kuala Krau, Pahang recently received visitors from Japan. They came on a study tour to learn how Malaysian NGOs organise communities to present to and even challenge the government on issues concerning them.
Ainu musician Oki brings the world to Hokkaido An interview with Oki, a musician with a Japanese mother and an Ainu father, whose band, the Oki Dub Ainu Band, mix Ainu music with reggae, dub and other world musics. Japan Times, Aug. 28, 2008.
Ainu ‘rebels’ mix it up to get message across "Mina Sakai wanted to improve the status of her people and their self-esteem in a way that would also entertain ordinary people...She performs traditional Ainu dances and music mixed with rock and hip-hop." Japan Times, 22 Nov, 2007.
Ainu Pride Productions An organisation run by a non-Ainu person, W. Lonnie Ding-Everson, with close Ainu connections, that aims to connect Ainu people with the wider non-Japanese. world. See also the Ainu Pride blog and Ainu Pride Facebook page.
Ainu in Russia Wikipedia
Russia’s Ainu Community Makes Its Existence Known – Analysis This article looks at the existence of Ainu people in Russia and the significance of this for the territiorial dispute between Russia and Japan about the Northern Territories/Kurile Islands. Eurasia Review, 10 Apr, 2011
The Ainu: one of Russia’s indigenous peoples A radio broadcast and article from Voice of Russia Radio, 4 May 2011.
Russian Ainu leader calls for greater respect An interview with Alexei Nakamura, who leads the Ainu community on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, about the situation of the community and his calls for the Ainu to have a role in discussion between Japan and Russia about the development of the Northern Territories/Southern Kuriles. Nikkei Asian Review, 3 Mar 2017.
Ainu people lay ancient claim to Kurile Islands The hunters and fishers who lost their land to the Russians and Japanese are gaining the confidence to demand their rights Independent, 21 Sep 1992.
Chapter 7. Minority Groups: Ethnicity and Discrimination. In Sugimoto, Yoshio. (2003). An introduction to Japanese society. Cambridge [England] : Cambridge University Press. Available from: Chuo Library 中央書庫 309.152/S94 & Mike. Section V Indigenous Ainu.
Siddle, M. R. (2009) ‘The Ainu: Indigenous people of Japan’, in M. Weiner, (Ed). Japan's minorities: the illusion of homogeneity. 2nd Edition. London: Routledge. Available from: Chuo Library 開架 301.45/J35.
Siddle R. (1997). 'Ainu: Japan's indigenous people', in M. Weiner (Ed). Japan's minorities: the illusion of homogeneity. 1st Edition. London: Routledge. Available from: Chuo Library 総合政策 301.45/J35 & Mike.
De Vos, George A & Weatherall, William O. (updated Kaye Stearman). (1983). Japan's minorities: burakumin, Koreans, Ainu, and Okinawans. London : Minority Rights Group. Available from: Chuo Library 総合政策 323.1/D51.
After the Ainu Shinpō: The United Nations and the Indigenous People of Japan by Crystal Porter, Australian National University This article explores the significance of indigenous rights in Japan and how the Japanese Government uses the guise [strategy] of upholding individual rights to ignore indigenous rights in Japan.
The Plight of Ainu, Indigenous People of Japan by Mitsuharu Vincent Okada "This article describes the systematic introduction of policies (of forced assimilation and discrimination), which endangered the survival of Ainu as a people and continuance of their culture". It gives a clear overview of Ainu history and the colonisation of Hokkaido, as well as current issues facing Ainu people. Journal of Indigenous Social Development, 2012.
Ainu Success: the Political and Cultural Achievements of Japan's Indigenous Minority by Simon Cotterill Japan's Ainu people have undergone suppression of their culture and livelihood, and subsequent denial of their existence. However, this article critically re-evaluates the Ainu's recent history in terms of their considerable achievements, such as international recognition and the Japanese government's 2008 declaration recognising their indigenous status. In spite of and often in reaction to continuing obstacles, the Ainu have successfully used international fora to advance towards their domestic goals. Simultaneously, they have often reshaped their culture to successfully engage with contemporary demands. Asia Pacific Journal, Japan Forum, March 21, 2011.
Documenting Urban Indigeneity: TOKYO Ainu and the 2011 survey on the living conditions of Ainu outside Hokkaido by Simon Cotterill. If acknowledged at all, Japan’s indigenous population the Ainu are usually represented as a rural, exotic group, bound to ancestral homes in Hokkaido and the Northern territories. Yet, large numbers of Ainu, perhaps even the majority of their population, now live in urban centres outside Hokkaido. The recent documentary TOKYO Ainu challenges traditional, negative representations of Ainu culture as only rural, and records the complex reality of urban indigenous life for Ainu within Greater Tokyo. The article compares the film TOKYO Ainu in broadening discourse and understanding of Ainu identity with the Japanese government’s recent living conditions survey released this year. Asia-Pacific Journal, Japan Focus, Nov 7, 2011.
Language Maintenance Practice vs. Internationalization Policies in Japan by Yuko Igarashi and Joseph F. Kess Department of Linguistics and Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives University of Victoria, B.C., Canada. Includes a section on the situation of the Ainu language in Japan.
Ten Linguistic Issues in Japan: The Impact of Globalization By Junko Saruhashi, Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo and Yuko Takeshita,Toyo Eiwa University, Yokohama Includes a section on the maintenance and revitalization of the Ainu language.
The Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture (FRPAC) Founded by the Hokkaido government and the Japanese Ministry of Education. The basic idea of our Foundation is to contribute to the realization of a society in which the ethnic pride of the Ainu is respected and to further the development of diverse national cultures through the preservation and promotion of the Ainu language and traditional culture and to disseminate knowledge on Ainu traditions to the nation. Projects include the promotion of Ainu language and culture.
Activities of the Ainu Cultural Center A centre run by FRPAC (see above) to promote Ainu culture in Tokyo.
The Ainu Museum Information and photographs on may aspects of Ainu history, culture and society.
The Ainu Association of Hokkaido and the Hokkaido Ainu Center The Ainu Association of Hokkaido is an organization made up of Ainu who live in Hokkaido, which aims to "work to improve the social status of Ainu people and to develop, transmit and preserve Ainu culture in order to establish the dignity of the Ainu people".
Hawehe –Ainu Voices Hawehe (lit. “voices, sounds” in the Ainu language) is a free media project, in the shape of a blog, that aims at introducing to non Japanese or Ainu speakers the many issues related to the Ainu minority. If you have any suggestion or comment, please do not hesitate to email us at hawehe.av AT gmail.com.
Council for Ainu Policy Promotion / アイヌ政策推進会議 This is the government's body on Ainu policy: "The Council for Ainu Policy Promotion aims to comprehensively and effectively promote Ainu policy, taking views and opinions of Ainu people into consideration.