Upopoy, Let’s Sing Together
To differentiate people from the gods or kamuy, human beings are described as “Ainu (アイヌ)” in the Ainu language. Their history began around 30,000 years ago when humans arrived in Hokkaido. During the Yayoi period, rice cultivation and the use of iron tools began to spread through the main island of Honshu, although life in Hokkaido continued to be centered on hunting, fishing and gathering, before it was changed by trading with Honshu in the 13th century.
This ethnic group is native to northern Japan, the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin and the Far East of Russia. Under the threat from Western powers and the urgent need to promote modernization in the latter half of the 19th century, the Meiji government officially annexed and incorporated the Ezochi (蝦夷地) into the Japanese Empire, renaming it as Hokkaido. The policy of development was implemented that involved the migration of wajin (和人) and assimilation of the Ainu.
Under the Hokkaido Former Aborigines Protection Act of 1899, the Ainu were restricted to the traditional practices, such as hunting, fishing, and facial tattooing. School forced the children to learn Japanese, and the Ainu language was forbidden in public spaces. These measures after the Meiji Restoration (明治維新) have led to the extinction of native people. Until April 2019, the Ainu as an indigenous people was formally recognized by the Japanese government.
Officially opened in 2020, the National Ainu Museum (国立アイヌ民族博物館) is the first museum dedicated to the history and culture of the indigenous Ainu people, and Japan’s northernmost national museum. In order to explore the culture more comprehensively, this museum is divided into six sections: from “Our Language (itak)”, “Our Universe (inomi)”, “Our Lives (urespa)”, “Our History (uoaskuma)”, “Our Work (nepki)”, to “Our Exchange (ukoapkas)”.
Look at the 6m-long wooden pole. It was used to hold bears during the iyomante spirit-sending ritual for a bear, in order to co-exist and interact with god (kamuy). Ainu believes that spirits (ramat) exist all around us. They regard animals and natural elements as god. Through sacrificing a hand-raised brown bear, this ritual ensures the spirit safely returns to the divine realm, showing gratitude to the hospitality of gods and encouraging future bounty.
Not to mention the libation sticks, which are ikupasuy (イクパスイ) in Hokkaido. Wooden sticks were used during kamuynomi (the offering of prayers to kamuy) to make up for the deficiencies in human prayer. While pouring sake into the cup, the celebrant dips the tip of the ikupasuy in the sake, and offers them to the kamuy. Note that kamuy are not the rulers of the cosmos, nor are they omnipotent. They have emotions as humans and live like humans in kamuy.
Ainu were described as Ebi (蝦夷) due to the unkempt beards of the indigenous men resembling the antennae of shrimp. While most Ainu may lead very modern daily lives, some Ainu are also working to revive and develop their unique culture. Better known by its Ainu name “Upopoy (ウボポイ、民族共生象徵空間）” which means “singing in a large group”, the museum is a place gathering people and learning as a community, next to the Lake Poroto of Shiraoi.
P.S. Around 80% of city, town, and village names in Hokkaido are derived from the Ainu language, and thus many Ainu words are actually quite familiar to us.
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