Ainu Society
A short look at the traditional societies and social customs of the Ainu.
Traditional Ainu Societies
The kotan, or village, formed the heart of traditional Ainu societies. Each village, built on the banks of a river or shore, controlled its own territory for hunting, fishing, and gathering. These were mostly sedentary communities, though the people of Sakhalin moved between winter and summer homes. Power rested with respected chieftains within the kotan and the oldest male member of each household. Education was the duty of parents, who taught their children the skills needed to one day raise their own families.
Children reached adulthood once they were ready for marriage and its responsibilities. For young women, this meant receiving arm and facial tattoos. While betrothals between children were common, they were not strictly enforced. In some cases, eligible young women moved into small side-houses to meet suitors. New families formed through marriage, with a small home built for the newlyweds. The couple later sealed their bond through an exchange of gifts. Wealthy men might practice polygamy through separate households. Both men and women could initiate divorce for a variety of reasons.
Modern Ainu Societies
Ainu society underwent major changes from the 19th century on. The Meiji Japanese government granted citizenship to the Ainu of Hokkaido in 1899, but it came at the cost of their way of life. Children began attending schools, where they learned Japanese speech, history, and culture. Discriminatory laws pushed men to take work in the new fisheries and farmlands of Hokkaido. Whole villages uprooted, scattered, and relocated to central fishery grounds, where men worked for low wages or barter. The living kotan gave way to folk villages, where performers and artists catered to tourists. Since that time, Ainu activists have worked to preserve their communities, reclaim their culture, and control their own future. Many people of Ainu descent, however, are now fully integrated members of larger Japanese society.
Further Reading:
Learn More About Ainu Culture
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References
Batchelor, John. The Ainu and Their Folk-Lore. Religious Tract Society. 1901.
Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. Illness and Healing Among the Sakhalin Ainu. Cambridge University Press. 2014.
Siddle, Richard. Race, Resistance, and the Ainu of Japan. Routledge. 2012.
Sjoberg, Katarina. The Return of Ainu: Cultural Mobilization and the Practice of Ethnicity in Japan. Routledge. 2013.
“The Ainu People.” Ainu History and Culture, Ainu Museum, www.ainu-museum.or.jp/en/study/eng01.html.
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