Growing up, the stigma of Atsushi Monbetsu's ethnic origins was so great that his mother banned him from using the word “Ainu”. Now, he is reclaiming his identity and the traditional practices he considers his birthright.
Monbetsu in the forest in Biratori, in northern Japan's Hokkaido. For centuries, the Ainu traded with Japanese from the mainland, known to them as Wajin. But in 1869, Japan's imperial government forced the Ainu to abandon traditional hunting practices, speak Japanese and take Japanese names. Photos: AFP
Monbetsu belongs to the Ainu Indigenous group that traditionally lived in what is now northern Japan, as well as in territory now part of Russia. Japan did not legally recognise them as Indigenous people until 2019, and forced assimilation left deep scars. “When you live only with what you hunt in nature, you become humble, you feel you are alive thanks to kamuy,” Monbetsu said.Tomoya Okamoto hid his Ainu heritage as a child, fearing he would be “mocked”.Over time, though, his feelings changed, spurred in part by the popular manga series Golden Kamuy, which highlighted Ainu culture.
Monbetsu processes the meat of a deer he hunted in a forest in Biratori, in northern Japan's Hokkaido. The Ryukyu Kingdom – a string of islands from southern Japan’s Amami region to the Yaeyama islands near Taiwan – was formally annexed by Japan in 1879, when authorities began forcible assimilation. “The language, which we used to speak and cherish, was subjected to punishment,” the 38-year-old said.Maehara is not alone, and a growing number of textbooks and YouTube tutorials cater to those trying to improve their fluency.
But the post-war US military occupation shifted sentiments, with some in Okinawa keen to return to Japanese control.“It’s only recently that I can say I am proud of being Japanese.” “People lost everything, but they still wanted to see the colours and the flowers of Okinawa,” local artisan Toma Chinen said.
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