User:Meh259/Ainu language

The Ainu language or Hokkaido Ainu is an endangered language. This language is usually spoken by only elders who live on the island of Hokkaido which is located in northern Japan. Many speakers do not fully know the language. The Ainu language is very easy to find online. The language was only recognized as an indigenous language in 2008 by the Japanese government. The Ainu language is even a written language, but not much is known as to when it was first written. The reason this language is important is because it holds a great deal of history and knowledge that needs to be passed on to the future generation. If it is not passed and the language is lost, valuable information will be lost forever. For example, many people who are actually related to the Ainu people do not know that they are. This explains why they have not learned the language and why it is on a decline.

Language

 * Hello = Irankarapte


 * Good night = Apunno mokor yan


 * Thank you = Iyairaykere
 * I'm Sorry = Ku=yayapapu
 * Look out = Aeyam
 * I don't understand = Somo k=eraman
 * Can I use your phone = Aeinup k=eiki yakka pirka ya

The Meaning of Ainu & The Fear That Comes With It
Not many people know that the term Ainu means something. The term Ainu actually means Human. Many people always believe the meaning of Ainu is actually different. The reason this is because the Japanese government actually named the people of Ainu. The Ainu People tend to hide the fact that they are Ainu. The reason for this is because the Ainu were looked down upon at a certain time. During this time there was a feud with two of the worlds powers. Japan and Russia. The Japan government believed that the people of Ainu were filled with spies that worked and were only loyal to Russia. The people of Ainu to this day believe that they are truly not safe so they have decided to stay hidden. The other reason the want to stay hidden is to practice their culture and customs their way. Not the way the Japanese government wants them too. For example, the Japanese government had banned them from hunting deer and fishing for salmon. Both of these were important to how the people of Ainu had lived. Later on the Ainu were forced to produce rice for the Japanese government and they were not even allowed to practice their own language. With all of these reasons the people of Ainu decided to not announce to anyone that they themselves are Ainu.

History of The Ainu People
The people of Ainu first settled in the northern islands of Japan. During the 14th century the the central government pressured people to give up their own culture and language. It was only the people who were in the more isolated islands that could keep their language and culture intact. This also became troublesome after the islands were annexed by the new Meiji government. After this the Treaty of for the Exchange of Sakhalin for the Kuril Islands of 1875 were signed by Japan and Russia. This caused the Ainu People to move from Sakhalin to Hokkaido. Then started the epidemics. This had killed many of the Ainu People. This even killed all of the Ainu that had lived in the Kuril Islands. They were all killed because they were also forced to move to different areas. The Japanese government thought the Ainu were filled with spies for Russia. 1906 was the year that the Russian-Japanese war had ended. The Ainu People ended up staying in Hokkaido. Sakhalin's cultures and language had disappeared. 1868 was the year when the Japanese government forced the Ainu People to live their life differently. A little while later schools were built, but only taught Japanese. It was because of this that the Ainu culture and language were given up and was not passed on to new generations.

The Discrimination of Ainu Women
The women of Ainu have faced more problems than the men. They faced a huge amount of discrimination. The Ainu women were not able to do the same things the men were allowed to do. One of the biggest things that they were not allowed to do was have an education. Since they were not allowed to have an education they could not make as much money as the men could. This caused many women to be forced to rely on the men. It is also because of this that many Ainu women lived in poverty their whole lives. This caused generations and generations of Ainu women to be in a state of depression. The Ainu People were already hindered a great amount, but this just shows that the Ainu women were hindered even more. Even before all of this hinderance the people of Ainu could celebrate their bear festival, but even then the women were not allowed to participate.

Ainu Mythology
The people of Ainu have their own mythology. It is actually because of this myth that the people of Ainu hold a certain ritual. The ritual is called the Bear Festival in English. This was first seen in the year of 1920. During the ritual the people of Ainu capture a baby bear. They take care of the bear and help it grow. After this they sacrifice the bear to end the ritual. The main reason the Ainu People really do this is because of their god. The people of Ainu believe that the bear is a manifestation of the head of the mountain god named Chira-Mante-Kamui. It is said that whenever the god visits them he transforms into a bear. The Ainu gods are not like other gods. They believe that humans are equal to the gods. According to the Ainu the gods do nothing to harm the Ainu People. During the bear ritual offerings are made to the gods. The rest are a gift to the Ainu People. The Ainu People believe they are freeing their god and allowing him to return to his rightful place when they sacrifice the bear. After their god is freed he can enjoy the offerings of the ritual. The whole ritual is as follows. A bear cub is caught and brought back. The bear is even served human food and is well taken care of. As the bear cub turns a few years old the festival begins. The festival is called Lomante or Kumamatsuri in the Ainu language. This takes place during winter because this is when the the meat is extremely sweet and the fur is very thick. During this time the bear is killed with a ceremonial arrow. The Ainu People then start dancing around the dead bear. This festival will continue for three whole days as the people of Ainu give more offerings to their gods. No women is allowed to participate for this ritual. It is also because of this that they have to use a bear that is very masculine.

Evolution of The Culture & Language
The Ainu language was not always the same as it currently is right now. In fact it was very different. In the beginning the people of Okhotsk had moved into Hokkaido. They were a hunter and gathering group. The Okhotsk had brought their own culture and experiences to the current residents of Hokkaido. They were the Jomon. Once both sides had mixed their cultures, languages, experiences, and knowledge it had given birth to the Ainu. From then on Ainu grew and continued to evolve to what it currently is today. This sequence can continue even further if the Ainu language and culture is saved by passing it on to the next generation. As the language and culture is passed on it will continue to evolve and change, but will still retain the knowledge and experiences that had always been with it.

Before the Ainu got their name from the Japanese government they were called something very different. They were called the ezo. Ezo means barbarians. This name was given to them to show the relationship that they had with the Japanese over the years. It had also showed what the Japanese had thought of the Ainu People during that time. It was after a long time that the name was changed to Ainu. After their name was changed to Ainu the Japanese government decided to keep the name ezo, but they kept it for the regions that the Ainu lived in. In a way this showed that their relationship did get better from what before, but it still has a long way to go.

Recognition
The Ainu were not recognized by the Japanese government for a long time. The Japanese government only recognized the Ainu language and culture in the year 2008. This means that throughout everything that The Ainu People had went through they were not recognized. This might explain why they had gone through all of the difficulties. Since the Japanese government did not recognize them as an official culture and language they must of felt that The Ainu People did not need any type of help. This in turn caused more of The Ainu People to die and this was also the reason why the world did not know of the Ainu at all. Now that the Ainu culture, language, and people are recognized massive steps to make sure that The Ainu People, culture, and language do not disappear with history.

Current State
The current state of the Ainu language is not good, but is getting better.{{{cn}} As of now there is no accurate number of how many Ainu are left. Surveys that are taken every seven years show that a great deal of the Ainu do not even know the language and culture. This does not show all of the Ainu People since many of them do not even participate in the surveys. They want to stay hidden. Whenever a member of the Ainu People die it is announced to the nation. It could be because of this that more and more Ainu People are trying to learn the language and culture from their elders. There was even a law that allows the protection and promotion of the Ainu People, their language, and culture. As this continues the Ainu language and culture will soon not be endangered. Currently the Ainu People are still afraid to come out and embrace that they are Ainu. If this continues then the lenguage and culture will be gone forever. The hope is that as more Ainu come out and learn from the predecessors than even more will come out of hiding.

Importance
Keeping the Ainu culture and language from becoming extinct is a very important task that needs be completed. The Ainu have their own culture and language that they are keeping with themselves. If this is not passed on to the next generation then everything that the Ainu have will be lost forever. The culture and language of the Ainu People do not just include just those two things. They also include experiences and teachings that are extremely important to anyone who is living in their land. So as it is seen the culture and language of the Ainu People have a great amount of knowledge that is contained and is waiting to be released to the next generation. Once it is given to the next generation it should continue to the generation after that. This will create an endless cycle that keeps the Ainu culture, language, and people intact. For the people of Ainu this is very important. Many of the Ainu People are coming forth and wanting to learn more about their culture and language from their predecessors, but other Ainu are afraid to do so because of everything that had happened in the past. They believe they would be punished for learning and practicing their own culture and language. As more and more Ainu learn and pass it on than eventually the fear of learning their own culture and language will just be a memory.

Literature Cited

 * Cheung, S. C. H. (2003). Ainu culture in transition. Futures, 35(9), 951–959. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0016-3287(03)00051-x
 * Kindaichi, K., & Yoshida, M. (1949). The Concepts behind the Ainu Bear Festival (Kumamatsuri). Southwestern Journal of Anthropology,5(4), 345-350. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3628594
 * Lee, S., & Hasegawa, T. (2013). Evolution of the ainu language in space and time. PLoS ONE, 8(4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0062243
 * Low, M. (2012). Physical Anthropology in Japan: The Ainu and the Search for the Origins of the Japanese. Current Anthropology, 53(S5), S57-S68. doi:10.1086/662334
 * Patrie, J. (1982). The Genetic Relationship of the Ainu Language. Oceanic Linguistics Special Publications, (17), I-174. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20006692
 * Shinichirō, T., & Harrison, J. (1960). The Ainu of Northern Japan: A Study in Conquest and Acculturation. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, 50(4), 1-88. doi:10.2307/1005795
 * Sternberg, L. (1929). The Ainu Problem. Anthropos, 24(5/6), 755-799. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/stable/40445975
 * Tahara, R. (2018). Ainu Women in the Past and Now. In Maruyama H. (Author) & ROCHE G., MARUYAMA H., & KROIK Å (Eds.), Indigenous Efflorescence: Beyond Revitalisation in Sapmi and Ainu Mosir (pp. 151-156). Australia: ANU Press. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/stable/j.ctv9hj9pb.26
 * Tahara, K. (2019, February 12). The saga of the ainu language. https://en.unesco.org/courier/numero-especial-octubre-2009/saga-ainu-language.
 * Tsuda, N. (2018). Heading towards the Restoration and Transmission of Ainu Culture. In Maruyama H. (Author) & ROCHE G., MARUYAMA H., & KROIK Å (Eds.), Indigenous Efflorescence: Beyond Revitalisation in Sapmi and Ainu Mosir (pp. 157-162). Australia: ANU Press. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/stable/j.ctv9hj9pb.27