#ainu

[folkfashion]

Ainu duo's robes, Japan, by Lorraine Turci

[sartorialadventure]

From Ethnographic Materials ML:

Ainu culture, an indigenous group originating from Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands.

The intricate, geometric patterns on their robes are emblematic of Ainu heritage, often created through embroidery or appliqué.

Traditional Ritual: The individuals are captured performing a traditional gesture, possibly part of a ceremony like the iyomante, a ritual aimed at sending spirits back to the kamuy realm.

Historical Context: The Ainu are the indigenous people of northern Japan, traditionally living in harmony with nature as hunter-gatherers, though they faced significant assimilation policies in the 19th and 20th centuries.

[vague-humanoid]

For years, Japan tried to keep their existence a secret. But the Ainu people refuse to disappear

Japan's Ainu people have their own history, languages and culture. But, as the victims of colonialism, assimilation and discrimination, much

As a young boy in school, Masaki Sashima would be dragged out of his classroom and beaten by his fellow students.

Masaki, now 72, was different to the other kids. 

He was Ainu, an Indigenous people from the country's northern regions, most notably the large island of Hokkaido.

"During recess, the hallway door would open, and several guys would yell at me to come out," he said.

"I clung to my desk in the classroom and kept quiet.

"Everyone would surround me and beat me."

Japan has long portrayed itself as culturally and ethnically homogenous, something that some have even argued is a key to its success as a nation.

More than 98 per cent of Japanese people are descendants of the Yamato people. 

But the Ainu are distinct, with their own history, languages, and culture.

But, as the victims of colonialism, assimilation, and discrimination, much of that identity has been lost. 

[gleepus-glorpus]

Let’s talk about the hammer and sickle ☭.

[medvedna-commsopen]

bleh

[tinyuglyworld]

Ainu woman, northern Japan, ca. 1931

[smsomah]

Ainu performing a dance in honor of the deceased. Scanned from the book 近代白老アイヌのあゆみ シラオイコタン 木下清蔵遺作写真集; 1988; Ainu Museum; photos by Seizō Kinoshita

[anchovymp]

Asirpa and Retar