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334 E AST OF "IS l A AI "IGA Z INE
~be Elborioinee of 3-apa n.By CA R L F. K UP F ER , PH. D.
U R ING the summe r of 18 9 7 it was our privilege to spe nd a fewweeks on the island of Yezo, or H okaido, th e horne of the Ainu,t he ab origine of J apan. W hi le enjoy ing the sa lubrious clim ateat Sapporo, Mor oran , and H akoda te, we saw a grea t de al of
thi s most interesting peopl e and lost no time in learning all we could ofth eir dom esti c life and cus to ms . Althou gh they have inh ab ited the seislands lon g before the Japanese, yet our kn owl ed ge of th em is very meagre.The most ancient book of which th e Japanese ca n boast was written in 712
A.D., and in it th e foll owing statem ent occ urs : " 'vVhe n our exa lte d ance storsca rne from hea ven in a boat they found numerou s barbaric races on these islands,am on g whom th e fiercest wer e th e Ain u." I t is ev ide nt that the J apanese
first came from the main land and effect ed a landi ng on the southernisland s ; for the Ain u were g rad ually dri ven by th em from th e so uthe rn partof the land to th e north. At pr esent only a small rem nant of abo ut 17 ,000
so uls ex ists on th e island of Y ew , but even th ese are hard pr essed by theaggressive J apan ese. Ei ght years ago th er e were over 8 00,000 Japan ese on theisland , g rad ua lly d riving th e Ainu farthe r int o the den se uninhabited fore stsof th e island.
H ok aid o, like th e othe r J a pan ese islands, is d oubt less of volcanic origin,mou ntainou s and de nsely covered with pin e, oak, ches tnut , beech , linden andmag nolia. Nature has been lav ish her e in stre wing her g ifts; every wherethe scene ry is enc hant ing, ill mountain s and valleys , in plains and on hills.T he interi or is a primit ive forest which only th e ab origines ente r in searc hof ga me. Ther e is an ab und ance of wa te r in the form o f mou nt ain rills,
waterfall s, small s t rea ms and lakes.Zoologi call y , H okaid o seems to belon g to ano the r pe riod th an the
othe r islands of J a pan . Among th e lar ger animals a re th e bear, deer , wolf,ot te r, and hare, but no monkeys or ph ea sants; howe ver, a kind of g ro use thatwears a sable ruff a round his mottled neck is found. The bear is said to be
q uite different from th ose O il th e othe r island s and the birds a re a lso of a
T HE f l HOR f Gf N E S OF J A P A N 335
different va rie ty . The fish upon whi ch th e A in u chiefly subs ist a re trout,
herring , swordfi sh, whale, and seal.The hai ry co nd it ion o f th e A in u has been exag'gera ted by trav elle rs wh o
hav e visi ted th e m. There are. it is true, ind ivid ua ls whose bodies a re qui tecove red with ha ir , but suc h a re hard ly sufficie n t in num ber tu j us t ify th eap pe lla t ion of .. th e hairy race." I saw a few old men in Sapporo a nd
H orobetsu an d severa l boy s in the sch ool at I-I a kodate whose bod ies were
cove red with hair. but not so thi ckl y th at th e sk in could not be seen.--~~.......,
A I N U WO )I E N WEAV IN (; .
In a ppea rance th ey ca n ha rdl y be ca lled a pre possessing people. They
are short, corp ule nt, s t ro ng a nd broad -sh ou ldered . Their long, unkem pt .heavy , full beards an d small bead -like black eyes , th eir filth y ga rments, and
sho uld they ha ppe n to com e near one , the peculia r offensive odour which th eyemit from th eir person , a ll th ese ma ke a n unfa vourabl e impression . Any
one desiro us to ma ke thei r acq ua intance m ust perforce close his eyes an d
olfac to ry o rg a n. It see ms few foreign ers ha ve ca red to form a clo se acq ua in tance with thi s degenera te. unwash ed , a nd unkempt race, consequent ly th e few
remai nin g good q ua liti es which a re hidden under th e ro ug h ex te rior are not
appreciated .T he Re v. J. Bach elor of th e Ch urch Missionary Society has laboured
am on g th em for nearly thirty y ea rs . H e has lived with th em in th eir huts,
has Join ed th e m in th eir pleas ures a nd so rro ws, has been prese nt in th eir
sickness an d death, has seen th em in a ll th eir re lig iou s rites a nd performances.
E AS T OF A S IA M A GAZINE
T his nobl e man decl ares that a more pati ent and sy mpa thetic peop le isscarce ly to be found. They, like so many other ethnic races, req uire onlysy mpa the tic tr eatment to br ing th eir better qu a liti es to the sur face.
As for wash ing a nd bathing-these ar e lux ur ies se ldom resorted to,and mu ch less do their clothes come in co ntac t with water. It is notsur pr ising , th erefor e, that ce rta in small insect s thri ve O il their person andgarments . H aving been held in subject ion by th eir conq uerors during th esehundr eds of years, they sho w a s lavish manner a nd air of dejecti on which
ca use th em to be objects of pity and di sg ust.Much like th e A merican
Indi an s the men ab hormanual la bour, as tilli ng offield s or gardens. Drinkex cepted , they like not hingmore than hunting andfishing . D ru nk enness isnot con sid ered a disgraceor crime, but rather anideal s tate of the mind.Mr. Bachelor declares thatnin ety-fi ve per cen t wouldbecome invete ra te drunkard s, if they had theopportunity . No man will
AN AINU F IS HE R;\ IAN 'S f A;\I ILY. do th e work a woman can
do. The wife is considered his slave. It is he r duty to fulfil a ll his wan tsand supply all his needs through th e labour of her hands. H en ce whi le thepoor wome n are toiling in the fields, th e men trifl e away th eir ti me by fishin gand drink ing. U nder such depressing slave ry, it is but natura l that thewom en are far from beautifu l, t horou gh ly deject ed in a ppeara nce, wret ched,filt hy, pitiabl e, and una t tractive. O n both lips they have tattooed figures andfrequ en t ly a line or two of this hideous orn a mentat ion on their foreh eads,and the ir coa rse hands are co vered wit h g ro tesq ue ta t tooed fig ures. Theirmatted hair reaches to the sho ulde rs, a nd a t the back o f th e head is cut inthe shape of the crescent moon . The whole ex pression of th e ir faces is oneof d iscon tent and sa dness. It woul d , ho wever . i not be fa ir to say that noneof th ese hard -labouring women wer e beaut iful. T heir co mplex ion is rosya nd more pleasin g than th e sick ly , bilious colour of th e J apan ese women.
Their voices a re plea sing. Indeed . th e best sing ing we heard while III
J apan was a t an A in u se rvice in Sapporo. If th e hideous custo m of
THE A RO R IG fNES OF j A P A iV 337
tattooin g were pr ohibited , and a free use of soap and water with scrubbingbru shes intr od uced , th e a ppearance of thi s peo ple would be g reat ly improved .
This, however , is cont ra ry to th eir manner of thinking.H ow th ese poor child ren of
nature have to toil! From one
yea r to a not her nothing butdrudgery and sla very, no changeexcep t as the seasons of th e year
bri ng it about. The wom encarry the heavy burdens an dperform th e hardest labourwitho ut being th an ked or rece iving any kindly recogl11t ion on the part of the irhu sbands. In spring th ey goup th e mou nt a ins for the elmbark. O ut of th is a cloth iswoven which is q uite durab le.T hen th e wor k in th e field
beg ins. O ld and yo ung riseea rly each morn ing , ea t a
I, hastily p repa red break fast of a
little cooked vege ta ble andpossibly a piece of dri ed fish,sho ulder their farming im ple -ments and dep art to th e field s.
A fte r sundo wn th ey return hom eA IXU I N SU~D1I-:j{. t ired and weary . Us ua lly they
have two meals a day , but a t th ei r even ing meal they ea t two or threetimes as much as they do in th e morning . A fte r go rg ing th emsel ves, th eyrest a while and begin ag ain. Then they re tire for the nigh t with th eblissful consc iousness o f having partak en of a full meal.
During the s um me r mont hs they a re busy wea ving a nd preparing
ga rments. In the aut umn peas and mill et a re harvested and chestn uts andwild violet roo ts gathe red . T hese roo ts a re was hed, cooked and made intopaste. O f th is small cakes a re made which are d ried in th e s un and sto redaway for winter use. Their manner of ag ricult ure is exceed ing ly primitive.A small piece of land is worked for a few years and then allowed to rest ayea r. S hould the harvest fa il th ey manage to ex ist by the na tu ral prod uctof th e so il, h unting and fishi ng. After the work in the field is over th ey d ry
E A5'T OF A .sr» i lI A GA Z fNE
and s moke th e fish a nd preserve th e ga me . O f th e so-ca lled ki tch en wor kth ere is very lit tl e to do, not necessa ri ly be ca use of th e scarc ity o f uten si ls,
bu t for the reason tha t th e A inu co nsiders it absurd to wash a ny t hing. H e
says: " T he pla te only co nta ins food upon it , why should it be washed , itwill be used aga in, th e refor e let it remain as it is." O f sc rubbing a nd
cleaning he is blissfully ignora nt.The A inu mothers a re sa id to be unkind an d cru el to their child ren.
T hey place the litt le ones when but a month old in a crad le a nd suspend it
to a beam of th e roof a nd lea ve them han g ing the whole day. T his hea r tless
cus tom has been descr ibed by some to be the ir method of ea rly physical
cu lture , be ing th e mean s o f developing the ir lun gs. But who wou ld ascribethi s to unkin dness, or a lack o f parental love, when we t hink of th e dom esti cbur den s forced upon t hem by t heir wort hless hu sbands?
Marriage is co nsidered a n a ffair whi ch co nce rns th e y oung people
them selves. Bot h the br ideg room a nd th e br ide mu st decide the a llimportan t ques t ion. If the y oun g man has decided up on his chosen one,
he asks his paren ts to visit the parents of th e bride : but should th e y oungwom an ha ve made her choic e firs t, th en he r pa ren ts a re requ est ed to callupon th ose of thc bridegroom. If bot h parties g ivc th eir co nse nt, th e weddingca n at once be ce lebra ted. S hould, howe ver, the par ent s of one or both
par ties object and the y oung people persist in the ir dcte rmin ation , t hey can
bu ild fo r the msel ves a hut a nd d wel l ther e, wit hout a ny cc re mo ny a nd the irnu ptia l re lation will be cons idered lega l in Ain u so cie ty. If the br ide groom
a nd his parents were th e firs t to pr om ote the a llian ce, th e n the br ide is ta keninto his family ; but if t he bride a nd her parents we re the first , then thebrideg ro om e rects his hu t near th at of his parents-in-l a w. S hould a woman
ma rry a man from an other vil lage, he will be take n int o her village, ifcircums ta nces ar c ag reeable. The inh a bita nts of one \'i llage a rc ca lled " blood
rel ation s," wh ile those of o the r villagcs are d ist ing uished as .( d istan t rel ati ves."T he weddin g fea st co nsis ts of mi llet , r ice-ca kes, a nd win e, on wh ich occasion
th e bride presides. T he fathers o f the contract i ng part ies present thebrid egroom with g ifts of o ld fa:n ily trea sures, wh ile mothers present thebride with orn a me nts of bea ds a nd ea rring s. The father of the brid eg room
g ives e x press ion to his g rea t happiness, whil e th e fat he r of th e brid e tellshow pr ou d he is. T he vari ou s go ds ar c wo rshipped ,1I 1d th e feast ends with
songs a nd d an ces.T he br ide does not take th e name of her hu sba nd , but reta ins her own
na me, o r is ca lled th e wife o f NI l'. So-and-so. L ike t he an cient Is rae lites,
th e A in u hav e no fa mil y na mes. Each child rec ei ves his own na mc between
the age o f one a nd ten years, frequently deri ved from a pecul iarity in his
character.
THE A BO R IGINES OF J APA N 339
Child re n are co ns ide red as g ifts fro m t he gods . T o ha ve none is th e
g re a tes t curse of t he gods . A ma n may ca st o ff h is wife if she is
ch ild less. H ome co m forts a re a lmo st un k nown and would be cons ide red a
useless luxury . They a re ha ppy a nd co ntent if they possess t he absolutenecessit ies o f life. Their vil lages a re bui lt near th e sea -co as t or by brooksa nd rive rs. View ed fro m a di stan ce th ey a ppe a r attractive, but se vera l days'
reside nce in one is qui te e noug h to di spel a ny cha rm a nd suffices th e mostinqu isitive t rav e ller.
In building th eir huts th ey invariably begin with th e roof. When the
sid es o f the hUt a re fini sh ed t hey lift th e frame of th e roof bodi ly a nd place
it in o rde r, a nd then cove r it with thatch . Immedi ately und er th e roof of each
hu t there a re tw o apert ures which se rve as windows. O ne o f these faces th eeast , t he ot he r the south. It is considered impolit e to peep t hroug h the so ut h
window, but an a bsolute insul t to gods and men to look into th e eas t wind ow.T his sup erstition is s ign ifica n t, th e rea son of whi ch will be me nt ion ed later.
T he men pray with th eir faces to th e eas t, loo king th rou gh th e eas t wind ow.They are very ca re ful th at noth ing un clean is thrown out o f this window, forth e place is considered holy a nd would becom e d esecrated throu gh such
a buse . In th e middle of th e hut is
th e hearth over
which th e kettle is
s us p e n de d fromth e cross beam. Achim ney is not considered necessa ryas the wind owsand o the r cre vices
ar e deemed su fficient to e mit th esmo ke. The ent rance of th e hut
is a lways on th e
A:-.' AI N U G I R L. west side. A short
di stan ce from this stands th e barn, not a temple as so me ha ve suppo sed.T his little building is erec te d on poles upon which a broad board islaid to prevent ra ts gaining entrance. H e re pea s, millet, beans, melons,and other commodities are s to red away. O n the eas t s ide of t he hut,
a bout twen ty feet from the sacred window, stands t he temple of th e
A in u-a sanctuary wit hout a buildin g. It co nsists of severa l long
340 E AS t" OF A S f A M AGAZINE
F IR ST .\ I:-.' V C HR !"T IANS.
poles d riven into theg ro und on wh ich th e sk ele
ton s of t he heads of deer,
bears, an d faxes, and o the rani mals killed in the chase ,
a re hung . S mall willo ws t icks , ca lled iua o, a re a lso
h ung on th ese poles. T he
ba rk of th e upper a nd
lower end of th ese s t icks
is ca re fully pee led off an dle ft hangi ng at the midd le.
These ar e not worshipped,but a re a n o ffering to th e
goels. T wice a yea r a tlea s t, in spring anda ut umn , the owne r of thehu t and his rela ti ves andfrien ds gathe r to worship
here. T he mem hers of afami ly a lso worship he re
whe n a bi rth, sicknes s, o r
d e ath occ u r s . Dr inkofferings of win e a re Ireq uent ly offe red . Accord ingto th e ir be lie f, th e so uls
o f the an ima ls sla in in th e hun t dw ell he re a nd will rewa rd t he worshipper ,who libe ra lly sac rifices to th eir souls, with luck in th e chas e. T he A in u ar e
inor d ina te ly a fra id o f fire, hen ce e very h ut is sur rounded by a ga rden. A llth e hu ts are sma ll a nd of the sa me size us uall y ; on ly the hut of t he chief isla rge r tha n the othe rs . H owever, t he len g th of t he hu t may often be
determ ined by th e numbe r of y ea rs o f ma rri ed life o f its owne r.These peopl e a re exceed ing ly co nserva t ive , ce r ta in ly not less so than th e
Chinese . I t is a lmo st impossib le to induce th em to cha nge th eir ha bits. E ven
in such a sim ple matter as the na iling on o f a fe w .boa rds in his hu t, th eowne r m ust firs t ha ve the co nse nt of his friends, which is only sec ured afterwine has been freely se rved . A wea lthy fisherma n in l-lorobe tsu desired to
build in J a pan ese styl e. f\ deput a t ion of his ne ig hbour s ca lled upon him anddeclar ed if he d id no t co ns t ruc t his roof in A inn sty le he wou ld be cast
off by his people. Need less to say that to-d ay his hut is covered with tha tch.
THE f I HORJ(; JN E 5' OF J APA N 34 1
When th e hu t is co m pleted a nd th e fa mily has moved into it , th e ownermak es a feast called th e .• wa rming feas t." Mill e t , ca kes, a nd brandy are
se rved. The vari ous gods a re worshipped and a d rink offe ring of bra ndy ismade. Afte r th e ce re mo nia l pa rt is over, the men be gin to d rink sake a nd do
not cease un til th ey a re thoroughly in toxi cated . The women, who sit backof t he m, a re a llow ed a tas te occas ionally an d th at g rudg ing ly . This feast isan im port ant one in th e d aily mon oton y of A inu life. Lest th e gods m ight
re ven ge them sel ves, th eir fav our mu st be se cure d by ca re fully chosen words
and obe isa nces. Besides t he t hree principa l gods who m "th ey worsh ip, th ey
believe in a S up re me Powe r which ru les over all gods an d men , and upon whichthei r daily life depends and whose favour th ey seek by g iving thanks at everymeal. O ne of their prayers is sa id to be : " 0 Go d, th e p reserver of ourlives, we th ank thee for th is g ift, b less it to th e nourishing a nd s t rengthe ningof our lives."
Gen eral ly spe ak ing , they ha ve quite a va riety for mea ls, but th ey arewretch ed cooks . They are fon d o f a ce rta in m ix t ur e of vegeta bles and badly
dri ed fish , a ll boiled in one pot. T his. as has been state d before, han gssus pe nded in t he midd le of th e room ove r th e hea rth , a nd a ll th e family sita round it a t mea ls. The hou sew ife serves the food to each from the boilin g
ket tle, thus A inu mea ls a re served hot. Besid es t he vege tables and fishthe re is mu ch ga me, which , howe ver, is becomi ng more sca rce eac h year.
\Ve ha ve spo ke n of the un cleanliness at meal s and the ne g lect of wa shingpo ts a nd plates. It is sug ges tive that the index finge r in Ain u language is
ca lled th e " pla te clea ne r."The sy stem of A in u ed uca t ion is most pr imit ive. Their children are
no t bur den ed eithe r with schools or s t ud ies . P ri me va l s im plicity is theirmot to. Mou ntai ns, rivers a nd seas co ns t it ute thei r schoo l rooms; necessity
th ei r instru cto r. Th eir inc lination and t he weather a re th e only powers that
force the m to work . T he chie f d uty o f t he child re n is based on " the firstcom ma nd ment wit h pr om ise," obed ience to pa ren ts , considera t ion of the older
brothers and rev eren ce for t he aged in the village. They m ay on ly speakwhen add ressed a nd un der no co nd it ion may th ey eve r interrupt the con
ve rsat ion of th eir elde rs. T he men ar e responsible for th e t raining of the
so ns , the women for th e t ra in ing of the da ughte rs. T he boys a re taught to
hun t a nd fish , mak e bows a nd a rrows, set t ra ps, a nd to judge th e weather bywind a nd clouds. They a rc a lso tau ght th e names a nd forms of mountai ns,
and th e co urses of t he principal s t rea ms, so they may not be lost while hunting.T hey leal n t he sho rtes t a nd secret paths be tween the high mo un ta ins. Theya lso ha ve some reli gi ou s ins t ru ction ; they m ust lea rn to prepar e th e sacrifices and
pr ayers used a t th e various cere moni es. They a re tau ght po lite forms a nd old
34 2 E A S T OF ASIA iJ1A GA Z I N E
legends which a ll seem very child ish to us. The mothers teach th eir d au ghtersto ca re for th e lit tle ones, pre par e the fibr e o f t he elm, do field la bour, sew, men d ,
cut wood . a nd pr epare th atch for roofs. They are al so instruct ed in theart of tat tooing t heir lips, hands an d a rms , a nd how to weep and lament at the
g ra ves . E arl y instructi on is g ive n how to rever en ce a nd se rve men a nd whenmeeti ng them to cover th eir mou th s with the ir hands an d un cover th eir head s.
U po n ente ring a hu t they mu st a lways stand facing t he men, an d up on go ingout walk back wa rds. Neve r may they t urn t heir back s upon a man . The
prohi bit ion s. as a rule, app ly to th e women , a nd the privileges to th e men .
A P L EAS U RE GAI\IE.
For a r t we look in va in a mo ng the m , a nd the ir recr eati ons a re few . Their
only pleasur es a re a fe w plays a nd da nc ing. Their mu sic is devoid of melodyand th eir only instrument is th e jew 's-h arp. Some of th e wom en possess reall y
good voices and wh en trai ned in mi ssion sc hoo ls s ing pleas ingly . A t dancing,
un lik e th e W est erne r, th e men a nd wome n dance a lone; but the accompanying
so ngs are, as a rule, vulgar in the ex tre me. Wi thou t bra ndy th ey ca nno t
pe rform at al l. Playi ng games is a lmost un kn own among th em. T he s te rn necessity of life forbids any rec reat ion . The men indulge in a game whi ch
has more th e a ppeara nce of a pu nishmen t th a n pleasure. They bea t eachothe r with a cl ub a nd th e one wh o ca n e nd ure th e g rea test number of blows
is th e hero . Their method s for ex to rt ing confessions from crim ina ls a re crue l.
TH!'.,' A HOR IGINE S OF JAPA N 343
Bu t,"!iO\\'c \:e r'" o ,i'-rEi;u:ollS;"t l1ey Iiave soin e forms o f e t iq uet te whi ch all are
com pell ed to observe. They ha ve va rious mod es o f nation a l propri ety whic h
th ey most ca re fully maintain in th ei r intercourse with ea ch o ther. Personal
dep or tm ent is es teemed of g rea t importance a nd ea rly tau ght a nd impressedup on th e child re n. Their manner of g reet ing each othe r is pe culi ar. When
visit ing, the g ues t a nno unces himself by a sligh t co ug h before he enters th e hut .Sho uld no one advance to receiv e hi m , he entes t he hut a nd uncovers his head
and crosses his feet, seat ing himse lf at t he right of th e hea rth . H e g i\"es an other
sligh t co ug h, when the master o f t he hut appears, and then placin g t he fingersof on e hand into the palm of the o the r ru bs them up and down while the master
of t he hut g ree ts his g uest in the same mann er. T hen foll ow q uest ions uponquestions, first co nce rn ing each o the r's hea lt h, then bl essings are in voked up onth e hou se wives, th e nea rest re la t ives and the be loved coun try. Accord ing tothe importa nce o f bus iness, these g reet ings a re of sho rt or long d ura t ion.
Each s t ro ke s his own bea rd an d then the gues t pr oceed s to a nn ounce th e
object o f his ca ll. During t his he co nt inua lly ru bs his hands, whi le thehost list en s respectfully, al so rubbi ng his ha nds togeth er. After the conclusionof th e business, ea ch s t rokes his own beard again, and co n versa t ion is carried
on in a natural ton e until th e g ues t takes his departure. T he wom en d onot g reet each othe r, but when desiring to spea k to a man th ey perform amost uni qu e ce remony. Entering the hut , she throws he r he ad-cover over th e
left a rm, brush es back th e front lock s of her ha ir, a nd then places her right handove r her mouth . If she has succeeded in a ttract ing th e man's a t ten t ion, she
draw s th e ind ex finger of th e right hand slowly over the left ha nd up the armand sho ulder, t hen ac ross her upper lip to th e right sho ulder while she brushesback he r loc ks once more, and patiently waits for permission to speak.
W hen the wom en ha ve been se pa ra te d from th eir relatives for sometime, and ha ppen to meet suddenly, t hey embrac e ea ch other lou dly
weeping. \Vhile in th is embrace th ey inq ui re and answer eac h o the r concerni ngtheir mu t ua l ex pe rie nce d urin g th e ti me of se para t ion.
A Ith ou gh A in u women ar c practi ca lly sla ves , th ey are,howeve r, not en t ire lydevoid of mea ns fo r reveng e agai nst ins ults of t he men . No decep t ion is too
hideou s, no act ion too d egrad ing, if it on ly serves the purpose of reven ge
against th e man who has insu lted the m. Like the Chinese women , they do
not appea l to the go ds to brin g ca la m ity upon the obj ects of thei r hatred ,
but use th e vilest la ngu age. T he men fea r a n angry woman, no t merely for thehideous e pithe ts which she uses, but rather for her revengeful deeds. She wills tea l th e iuno offering", th e will ow st icks, s ince having no part in th e worship,
she neither fears the go ds nor man . In he r rage sh e will ope n a g rave, cut a
piece of flesh from th e corpse , take it home a nd cook it mixed withvege tables, a nd give it to the obje ct of her hatred .
344 E AST OF A S IA .MA GA Z INE
THE A B OR IGINES OF J APA N 345
Death is to th e A inu a most dreaded event . They do not care to think
of it, much less speak of it in conversa tion. As mu st be supposed , theirpercep tions of a future life a re not clear ; thus when the great chan ge comesth ey possess no hop e nor a re th ey g uided by a beacon of light from th eothe r sho re . When a dea th occurs in a family , a ll th e relati ves and friendsare notifi ed. A hot fire is kin dled in th e hope of reviving th e dead. Thecorpse is clothed in th e best garme n ts and a fea st is prepared. Millet, cak e,and wine ar e offered to th e gods. The go ddess of fire receives specialattention in wor ship ; for to her is entrusted th e g uidance of th e departedsoul to its Crea to r. Sh e is commission ed, when pr esenting th e soul, tosp eak only of the merits it has accumula ted whil e on earth. The corpse is
AIN U H UT IN WINTER .
wrapped in matting and carried on th e sh oulders of two men to its restingplace in the mountains. A few ut en sils are buried with the bod y , othe rs areplac ed under th e east window of th e hut. The most useful are, however,returned to th e hut and used as formerl y. A piece of wood is erected besidethe g rave whic h in appearance is like a pair of scissors- t he Ainu say itrepresen ts a ship or rud der whic h will se rve as a barque to carry th e soulac ross th e " unknown sea ." After this, the mourners return to their hut,where th e men make iuao, worsh ip, ea t and drink, until they are aga in
E AST OF A S I A 111A GA Z I N E
besotted. A st ra nge mingling of heart-rending g rie f and lamentati ons with
drunken friv olity.
The Churc h Mission ary S oci ety is th e only mission which ha s worked
amon g this people. They began work in 1874 . The Rev. J. Ba chelor ,to wh om we are indebted for mu ch information , has been most d ilig ent
in labour. He redu ced th eir lan guage to writing , wr ot e a di ctionary and
g ra m ma r, a nd tran slated th e New T estament a nd a se lec t ion of hymns. In
the first years he admitted a number o f men to churc h relation ship; but th ey
all proved di sloyal to th eir vows, th ey would not a bs ta in from st ro ng d rinks.
H owever, the women have proved th emselves true a nd faithful Christ ia ns.
Th e Japan ese win e merch ants
a re bringin g a destructive c urse
up on thi s pe ople . Kn o win g th e
nation al weakness of th e Ainu,
th ey purch ase of th em th e sk ins of
wild ani mals , paying- for th em in
win e instead of co in. It is naturall y
o f a dv a n tage to th eir trade to keep
th e A inu ign orant of th e perni ciou s
e ffec t o f th ese intoxicants. Throu gh
the influen ce o f this unholy traffi c,
and othe r ca uses, th e race IS
g ra d ua lly dying out. Th eir fat e is
sealed. F or men wh o will not rise
in reli gi on can no t rise in civilisa t ion,
and to be s tee led aga ins t both dooms
to ill fortune.
We have thus far co ns idered
this people analyticall y, whi ch is
co m pa ra t ive ly ea sy , for much ha s
been written a bo ut th em in later
AN AINU FA MILY. years; but we are co nfro n te d with
difficulti es in our sea rc h from a histori cal point of new. Th ey th emselves
have no knowl edge of their orig in, a nd 111 va in d o we look for it
in the annals of genera l hi story; for th ey never e me rge d from the
patriarchal state sufficien t ly for history to notice th em. No spec ial
knowledge of ethnol ogy is required to be convinced th at th ey are
not of Mongolian orig in. Their ruddy co m plex ion , hea vy beards, form
of body, lineaments of face , disposition of mind cra ving for alcohol, and the
absence of o bliq ue eyes and depressed nose , makes th e supposit io n possible
347
that th ey bel on g to the Ca ucas ian race. Their beli ef in one Supreme Bein g towhom they are indebted for all good, th eir custo m o f worshipping towardsthe east, the drink-offering sacrifi ce, a nd th e a bsence of a ll idols and images,th ou gh th ey do believe in go ds, s trengthen th e view that they are traceableto th e Sem itic family .
An other supposition forces it self up on us. A mysteri ou s resemblanceseems to ex ist between the Ainu and a ce rtain class of Japan ese. Thege nera l physique, and in particular th e ph ysiogn omy, of so me Japanese betraythe fac t th at th ey a re not of pure Mon golian orig in, but a re an issu e of theabori gines and th e earl y Japan ese inva ders of th ose islands. F rom thi sCaucasian and Mon golian combination we ca ll a lso understand to what so urcethe supe riority o f a few of Japan's present ruling class may be traced.
