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Handbook to the ethnographical collections (1910) (14596590600)
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Identifier: handbooktoethnog00brit (find matches)
Title: Handbook to the ethnographical collections
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: British Museum. Dept. of British and Mediaeval Antiquities and Ethnography Joyce, Thomas Athol, 1878-1942 Dalton, O. M. (Ormonde Maddock), 1866-1945
Subjects:
Publisher: (London) : Printed by order of the Trustees
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN
Text Appearing Before Image:
of the Ainu areoblong with gable-roof, the frame-work being of wood and the roofand sides of rushes. Each househas a kind of ante-room. The eastend of the main living-room isconsidered sacred, and it is here thatthe inao (see below) are kept. Thehearth is in the centre, and theplatforms which serve as beds run along each side. Near eachhouse is a smaller building raised on piles as a protection againstrats; this is a storeroom where grain, meat, &c., are kept. InYezo there is a little cultivation in garden plots near the houses;but new ground is broken every two or three years. In Sakhalienmany of the Ainu houses resemble those of the Gilyak, beingmade of logs, and having a birchbark roof. Food consists of fish, usually smoked, beans, millet andpotatoes, and more rarely venison and bears flesh. Cooking isdone in an iron pot, fire being j^rocured b) means of a flint-and-steel, when modern Japanese matches are not available. In oldtimes fire is said to have been obtained by friction
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Fig. 4;t. -Ainu Avitli bowquiver. iiul NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ASIA 63 The in-iucipal garment of the Ainu is a long coat rather likethe Japanese limono (fig. 49). This is usually woven on a primitivenative loom, the thread being made of elm-bark ; the browncloth which is made is thus a kind of woven bark-cloth. Thisfoundation is often covered by Japanese cloth of cotton or silkand ornamented by the women with tasteful coloured em-broidery of designs similar to those carved on their woodenutensils. Nowadays the garments worn in Yezo are commonlymade in Japan. The personal ornaments worn consist chiefly of necklaces, metalear-rings, and finger-rings imported from Japan. But the womenalso wear a kind of leather collar on which plates of cast whitemetal are fixed. In Sakhalien the women wear belts ornamentedwith Chinese cash or brass ornaments. The men wear pieces ofred cloth in the lobe of the ear. Girls are tatued in infancy roundthe mouth, so that they appear to have moustaches. The weapo
The Ainu are an indigenous people of Japan with a distinct culture and history. Their traditional way of life was based on hunting, fishing and gathering, and they have a deep spiritual connection to the natural world. The Ainu language is unique and unlike any other language in Japan. In Ainu culture, bears are considered sacred and are believed to be messengers between the human and spiritual worlds. The Ainu have a tradition of bear worship and hold annual ceremonies to honour and thank the bears for their gifts of meat, fur and bones. Tattooing is also an important part of Ainu culture, with both men and women getting tattoos on their arms, hands and faces. These tattoos were often used to indicate social status or to mark important life events. In the past, the Ainu faced discrimination and assimilation policies from the Japanese government, which led to a decline in their population and cultural practices. In recent years, however, there has been a renewed interest in Ainu culture and efforts to preserve and celebrate their traditions.
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