The Ainus in Japan

The aboriginal men and women of the Ainus tribe settled in the islands of Hokkaido and the Sakhalin Oblast. All these islands are located in the Pacific Ocean and to the north of the Japanese mainland. The early inhabitants expanded their colonies along the Sea of Okhotsk in the Kamchatka peninsula. Some of them moved further south to enter Honshu. Now, these settlers are referred to as the Matagis. They were hunters and fishermen by their profession. They showed their devotion to the existent natural phenomena. 

In the 13th century, the Ainus tribes attacked the Gilyaks of the Sakhalin islands with their intention to capture the Amur region. This initiated their direct conflict with the authentic Japanese kingdom – Yamato Jin. Hostility developed between both sides involving the transmission of the authority of the Yeso lands to the north of Honshu. Ainu revolts gradually assumed greater strength until in 1457 when Takeda Nobuhiro suppressed the armed rebellion raised by Koshamain and his followers. Koshamain seized twelve fortresses at a stretch before he was finally defeated by the Samurai who belonged to the Matsumae clan. Gradually the Ainu people mixed with the Chinese Ming dynasty as both of them shared common interests. In the Tokugawa period that lasted for two centuries (till the beginning of the 19th century, strategic trade relationships were set up between the Japanese and the Ainus. Enmity among the clan leaders and pandemic diseases like smallpox reduced the population of the Ainu tribe to a remarkable extent. Saint Petersburg’s Treaty handed over the administrative authority of the Ainu people into the hands of the Japanese government in 1875. Finally, the Ainus tribes were marked as past aborigines through a legal act passed in 1899. 

The isolation of the ainus finally ceased to exist as their culture gradually assimilated with that of the Japanese people. They were tagged as Japanese citizens while their lands were allotted to other Japanese settlers. In June 2008, the Japanese Parliament passed a resolution under the United Nations declaration to recognize the Ainu tribes as an indigenous group of Japan. 

Ainu language 

Only a few estimated elderly people of Hokkaido (about 25000 as per the latest census) speak the Ainu language. The people who reside in the southern half of the Sakhalin islands speak Sakhalin ainu. Kuril islanders are accustomed to the Kuril Ainu dialect. Japanese colonization significantly reduced the Ainu dialects and as a result of cultural assimilation very few individuals can speak the language properly. Hokkaido ainu is the only variation that is left to date. Efforts are constantly put to revive it. 

Ainu Lifestyle 

The Ainu men and women wore bark clothes which were designed with symmetrical shapes. The men maintained heavy beards. The Ainu women made tattoos on their faces. The ancestors practiced crop rotation to enrich soil fertility. They were predominantly hunters and gathered fruits from the deep forests. Their religious beliefs are by far animistic. This religion involved typical sacred rituals which were harnessed over many years. The Ainu tribe raised a bear cub with utmost care over a stipulated period. After the time was over, the bear was meant to be sacrificed to guarantee the well-being of the Ainu tribes. 

Ethnic Differences

The Japanese government wanted to take control of the areas which were colonies of the Ainu people. This appeared to be essential to reduce the risks of the potential Russian attack. The Japanese people used to look down upon the Ainus which often became evident through their verbal declarations which were addressed to the latter class. Whether it be the absence of epicanthal fold or the distinctive skin tone of the Ainus, the Japanese colonizers hated them for many such rational principles. Their hairy skin even drew rumors of interbreeding with other mammals. 

The later stages of the 20th century brought a great sense of relief among the remaining Ainu people through activist movements. Kayano Shigeru, an Ainu tribe representative, was elected as a member of the Parliament in 1994. Therefore, ethnic homogeneity was established after decades of brutal fights between the Japanese native people and the minority Ainu class. 

Conclusion

Ainu descendants are limited to the northern islands of Hokkaido. The Kuril and Sakhalin Ainus have vanished after severe battles resulting in the annexation of the Ainu lands by the Japanese Samurai dynasties. The Ainu tribe is almost culturally extinct from the face of Japan. The discriminative behavior towards the tribal people led to the loss of their homelands until the early 21st century when policies were amended to support the interests of the Ainu culture.