Ainu culture

On the island of Hokkaido, the small district of Nibutani sits on the basin of the Saru River, surrounded by green hills.  Nibutani means “the place where trees grow.”

Nibutani has the highest percentage of residents with Ainu lineage in Japan. Daily life in Nibutani reveals traces of their unique culture.  

Replicas of traditional Ainu meeting houses have been built by the Biratori Choritsu Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum.

The Ainu became skillful fishermen and formed a thriving society of hunter-gatherers. They developed a religion guided by observation of, and respect for, natural phenomena. However, their population declined substantially as Japanese settlers began to take up land in Hokkaido throughout the 1800s.

Today, the Ainu still maintain their close relationship with nature. Passionate craftsmen, like Toru, can still create clothing, knives, animal sculptures and even boats, from wood and bark, much as their ancestors did. 

In a nearby workshop, Shigehiro works on a traditional Nibutani ita.

Ainu traditions are based on the animist belief that all things in nature posess a kamuy, an inner spirit or god. When Ainu take bark from a tree, they show gratitude and respect towards that tree. The tree is then marked to allow it time to recover.

Yukiko completes the weaving of a thread using fibers from tree bark. 

She still uses a traditional loom. Weaving was more profitable when she was a young girl and there was high demand for Ainu textiles in southern Japan.

The bark fibers are used to make fabric for an Attush, a breathable and water-resistant Ainu robe.

At a Nibutani elementary school, Kenji holds an Ainu language class. Although he is Japanese, he fell in love with an Ainu woman and her heritage.     

Thanks to Kenji, young Ainu are learning to speak the Ainu language in a fun, entertaining, and modern way. 
It has proven to be an effective way of growing an awareness of their cultural identity.