SAPPORO - A cultural event at JR Asahikawa Station on Friday introduced children to traditional Ainu dance, aiming to preserve the heritage of Japan’s indigenous people.
Organized by the Asahikawa City Board of Education, the event featured ceremonial performances with swords and bows by a local dance group, along with hands-on participation from preschool children who also sampled Ainu herbal tea.
The Ainu are an indigenous people primarily from Hokkaido, with a distinct language, belief system, and cultural practices that have been passed down through generations. However, due to historical assimilation policies and social discrimination, many aspects of Ainu culture have been lost or are at risk. Events like this are part of broader efforts to revitalize and pass on Ainu traditions to younger generations.
Ainu have faced significant hardship due to systemic marginalization, forced assimilation, and the loss of cultural autonomy under modern Japanese governance.
The most profound period of disruption began during the Meiji era, when Japan incorporated Hokkaido into the nation-state as part of its modernization efforts. In 1899, the Japanese government enacted the "Hokkaido Former Aborigines Protection Act," a law that framed the Ainu as a primitive people in need of assimilation. Under this law, Ainu were forcibly settled, banned from speaking their language, and prohibited from practicing traditional customs such as tattooing, bear ceremonies (iomante), and certain forms of fishing and hunting that were central to their culture and survival. The land that had been used communally for generations was seized and redistributed, often to Japanese settlers moving into Hokkaido under government encouragement.
Throughout the 20th century, the Ainu endured widespread discrimination in education, employment, and public life. Most Ainu were pressured to adopt Japanese names and hide their identity to avoid social exclusion. As a result, cultural knowledge—including language, oral traditions, and rituals—was not passed down, leading to a sharp decline in cultural continuity. Many young Ainu grew up unaware of their heritage or unwilling to acknowledge it due to stigma.
It wasn’t until the late 20th century that a cultural revival movement began to emerge. Activists and scholars within the Ainu community started efforts to reclaim and revitalize their culture, pushing for greater recognition and legal protection. In 1997, Japan repealed the 1899 law and enacted the "Ainu Cultural Promotion Act," which recognized the importance of preserving Ainu culture, though it stopped short of recognizing the Ainu as an Indigenous people with inherent rights.
A significant breakthrough came in 2008, when the Japanese government, following a non-binding resolution passed by the Diet, formally recognized the Ainu as an Indigenous people for the first time. In 2019, Japan passed a new law to promote Ainu culture and eliminate discrimination, which included modest financial support for cultural activities and provisions for regional development in Ainu communities. Despite this progress, critics argue that the law lacks strong measures for land rights, self-determination, and structural change.
Today, the Ainu population is estimated at around 13,000, though many believe the true number is far higher, as many people of Ainu descent remain unregistered or do not publicly identify due to longstanding stigma. Cultural revival efforts—such as language revitalization programs, traditional dance performances, and educational outreach—continue, led by Ainu communities themselves. Institutions like the Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park in Shiraoi, which opened in 2020, symbolize a new phase of public awareness and cultural pride, though many challenges remain.
Source: 北海道ニュースUHB
