Who Are the Japanese Ainu?
If you are an anime fan, chances are you have watched or at the very least heard of “Golden Kamuy” before, which is an anime that features a representation of Japan’s forgotten indigenous people known as the Ainu.
Japanese Ainu
The Indigenous Spirit of Hokkaido
Cultural Misconception
Usually, people with little knowledge of a country’s history tend to think of its inhabitants as a monolith sharing one cultural identity and a singular ethnicity. However, due to the complexity of human history in general, that could simply be considered a widespread, commonly-held misconception.
Ainu Origins
Over the centuries, humans have migrated from one place to another for a multitude of reasons, and this migration has often led to the existence of more than one ethnic group in one place. Colonialism and imperialism have also played a major role in changing the indigenous composition of most, if not all, countries. Japan is no exception to this phenomenon.
Many researchers have claimed a strong historical and genetic link between the Ainu and Japan’s earliest inhabitants known as the Jomon. This could mean that this small population that is now mainly located in the Northern parts of Japan (Hokkaido and Northern Honshu) were the first people to inhabit the Japanese archipelago.
However, all of these are mere speculations based on the little remaining archaeological evidence left by these primitive people. There are no precise figures that depict the exact number of the Ainu population in Japan. However, according to Minority Rights Group, their number surpasses 24.000. Still, this figure remains a mere approximation based on surveys and censuses.
Loss of Identity
For many centuries, Ainu people were visibly different from the rest of modern-day Japanese people. They had different physical appearances and clothing styles, a distinct language, a unique culture, and a special lifestyle, all of which set them apart from the rest of the Japanese population.
Over the decades, and due to the process of unification after the establishment of the Japanese nation, the Ainu were forced to assimilate and they underwent some radical changes that altered the composition of their ethnic group. As a matter of fact, there has been a gradual loss of their native language, which is now classified as endangered because of the imposition of Japanese as the sole official language of the country.
Language is not the only aspect of Ainu identity that has been lost. The Ainu population, who was once visibly different from the rest of the Japanese, has now lost that distinctiveness. After the official annexation of Hokkaido, its natives (the Ainu) were marginalised and faced economic and social competition from the Japanese.
Confronted with these growing pressures to conform, and in an attempt to lessen their marginalisation, the Ainu actively promoted the concept of intermarriage, which ultimately led to a deeper assimilation that changed their ethnic composition even further. Nowadays, it is hard to tell Ainu people apart from the rest of the Japanese.
Of course, with a heavy change in ethnic structure comes the erasure of most, if not all, the cultural practices, customs, and beliefs that have once dictated life for the entirety of the Ainu population. Many of these authentic norms have been substituted for Japanese ones, making it hard for the younger Ainu generations to keep the ancient traditions of their forefathers alive.
Cultural Revival
Despite all these radical changes and hardships that faced the Ainu, efforts have been made to restore and revive parts of this beautiful and ancient culture in recent decades. According to Japan Guide, there exist some attractions that are dedicated to celebrating Ainu culture and traditions.
These include museums like Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park, Kawamura Kaneto Ainu Museum, Ainu Folklore Museum, and Hokkaido Museum of Northern Peoples, as well as Ainu Kotan, an authentic Ainu village that serves as a shopping street where Japanese and tourists alike get to buy Ainu crafts, clothes, and witness live performances of traditional dances.
Final Thoughts
Ainu culture has long been a forgotten part of Japan and Japanese history. However, thanks to the efforts of its remaining natives, it is slowly but surely making steps towards more recognition and appreciation. In this context, and although the manga/anime “Golden Kamuy” was never officially portrayed as a tribute to the Ainu, it presented a great opportunity to expose this forgotten ancient culture to a wider, non-Japanese audience that would have never heard of it otherwise.
