Upload
others
View
5
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
10 Time Travel Hokkaido
The Ainu and their culture The Ainu and their culture
As with the Satsumon culture that
preceded it, a characteristic of the Ainu
culture that appeared between the 12th
and 13th century was the creation of
settlements in river basins and near
estuaries. The large quantities of salmon
and trout that returned up the rivers were
an important source of food for the Ainu,
and salmon and kelp were precious
trading goods during the Edo period.
The natural surroundings that have
nurtured the lives of such Ainu remain
deeply ingrained in the watershed areas
of the Saru River, which flows into the
Pacific Ocean from its source in the
Hidaka Mountains. The history is
evident in the many Ainu place names
and legendary spots that convey the story
of the Ainu so vividly to the world.
Notably, the Nibutani district of the
town of Biratori is known as being a
region where importance has been
placed on traditional Ainu life and
culture. Although part of this area was
submerged by a reservoir when a dam
was built there in 1997, the national
government designated the area as a
“cultural landscape of Japan” in 2007, in
recognition of its importance as a cultural
heritage. There, the region’s people have
continued to hand down the Ainu
language, the yukar (epic stories of
heroism), the kamuy yukar (sacred chants)
and other traditional oral literature and
culture such as ancient Ainu dances. Such
activities are conveyed to the world by
means of events like the Chipsanke
Festival (Aug.), which involves a flotilla
of dugout canoes on the Saru River.
Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum Kayano Shigeru Nibutani Ainu Museum
The Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum is
based on restored handicrafts and
materials collected over half a century
from the 1950s by Shigeru Kayano
(1926–2006), a folk culture researcher
and first Ainu member of the National
Diet. Of these items, 1,121 were
declared important tangible folk culture
by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in
2002. A total of 919 of these artifacts
were placed in the museum’s collection
and the remaining 202 items form part of
the collection at the nearby Kayano
Shigeru Nibutani Ainu Museum.
As well as exhibits of Ainu clothing
embroidered with traditional designs,
woodcarvings, farming and hunting
implements, and the largest dugout canoe
in Japan, it is also possible to listen to
recordings of yukar passed down from
elders, and see work by contemporary
craftsmen and women who are active
today.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement
Nibutani
Museum opening hours Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed from Dec. 16 to Jan. 15) (Closed on Mondays between Nov. 16 and Dec. 15, and between Jan. 16 and Apr. 15)
Kayano Shigeru Nibutani Ainu Museum9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (open all year round but prior contact is required during the winter season)
Admission fees at each museum: adults ¥400, elementary and junior high school age ¥150 (joint ticket for admission to both museums, ¥700 and ¥200)
© Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum