85
The Ainu People’s Self-Affirmation
and Christian
Response
Kurata Masahiko
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I was engaged in the Race and Minority
Issues programs of the Christian Conference of Asia's Urban Rural Mission for
the last several years. At the end of 1981, I returned to Japan to take up the
responsibility of the newly established Center for Christian Response to Asian
Issues of the NCCJ. Through this work, I have come into contact with the Ainu
people, the original inhabitants of Japan or more particularly those among the Ainus
who have been struggling to assert their cultural identity and pride. As I
myself belong to the Shamo community (non-Ainu Japanese), I do not intend to
champion their cause on their behalf. But I simply want to convey their
expressions of aspirations and frustrations and more over consider the ways in
which we Christians can respond to their hopes and aspirations.
The Ainus, (which means human beings in
the Ainu language) used to live in the northern part of Japan from the ancient
time. They were gradually pushed north and eventually assimilated into the
Japanese way of life, particularly following the colonization policy of the Edo
Shogunate and Meiji government. In other words, they were victimized in the
process of modernization in Japan.
Today most Ainu people live in Hokkaido
but it is difficult to estimate the actual number of their population because
many people tend to hide their identity for fear of social discrimination. In
fact, hundreds of Ainus who have migrated from Hokkaido live in Tokyo. It is
said most of them prefer to have their identity unexposed. However, in recent
years, a group called Kanto Utari Association (Utari means brothers) was formed
and among other things, they are fighting to build an Ainu Culture Center in Tokyo.
Perhaps the most common attitude of Wajin
(non-Ainu Japanese) may be reflected in the following passage of an article
written by an anthropologist. This article is included in the book entitled
"Discrimination and Prejudice in Contemporary Japan" which is
supposed to be written in the
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spirit of sympathy to the
discriminated minorities. "One nation will disappear from this earth
forever. It is a serious problem, but it may bring happiness to both parties in
the long run and contribute to the ideal way of life in which humankind is
unified." Over a decade ago, the Ainus were sensationally described as a
disappearing nation in journalism. In fact, it was the widely accepted idea in
Japan at that time. Authoritative anthropologists such as the one who wrote the
above article have helped to implant such myths among the Japanese people. A
group of young radical Ainus who tried to challenge those academics at the
Japan Anthropologists Academic Association heavily criticized this particular
anthropologist. The Ainus since then have been struggling to assert their
identity, to challenge this notion of a disappearing nation.
It was back in 1981 March when I
personally met with an Ainu person for the first time. Mr. Narita Tokuhei is a
well-known figure among those struggling Ainu people as he is the first Ainu
who stood for the national general election in 1977. Mr. Narita was recommended by the
Hokkai Synod of the United Church of Christ as well as the National Christian
Council of Japan to attend the People's Forum on Land, People and Justice
organized by the Christian Conference of Asia-Urban Rural Mission at Berastagi
in North Sumatra. It was a stimulating experience to spend a week together with
Mr. Narita whose pride in the Ainu culture or "Ainuness" stood
unshaken. The people's Forum as part of their immediate follow up recommended
that Mr. Narita be sent to the World Council of Indigenous People's General
Assembly, which was held in April in the same year.
This experience led me to decide to visit
Hokkaido for the first time in my life. I had long wanted to visit Hokkaido but
hesitated to do so because there were so many Wajin — colonizers, farmers,
merchants, anthropologists, and more recently extreme left groups — who went to
Hokkaido to exploit the Ainu or to use them as objects of curiosity or for
political purposes. In
the last decade or so
conscientized,
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Ainus began to raise questions about the
ulterior motives of those who visit them. With this challenge in mind, I made
the first visit to Hokkaido in August 1981.
One striking thing I encountered in
Sapporo was the visit to Memorial Hall for Hokkaido Development. In the exhibit
of the history of Hokkaido, it appeared that the Ainu were only presented in
the pre-modernization period. The English translation of the explanatory board
used the term colonization to describe the process of modernization in
Hokkaido. Hokkaido (Ainu Moshiri in Ainu language) was internally colonized in
the process of Meiji modernization as during the same period Japanese
imperialism externally colonized neighboring countries.
At different times of history many a
minority community all over the world have been conquered or colonized by
colonial nations headed by the Empire of Great Britain. Even today those
surviving minorities are being chased away from their ancestral lands by
neo-colonial interests of transnational corporations which are coming in search
for minerals and other resources or by development thrust of developing
countries. What happened in Hokkaido was that the migration and settlement were
encouraged by the government to secure resources for rapid industrialization
and in this process; the Ainus were deceived and alienated. The Ainus were
traditionally fishing and hunting people but the Meiji government, which
internally colonized the whole of Hokkaido, distributed land to the Ainu people
and encouraged them to engage in farming. Due to the severe hardship and
forcible assimilation, the Ainus have largely been deprived of their cultural
heritage. Today those who speak the Ainu language may be in the region of a few
dozen who are mostly elderly. Cultural tradition has been forcibly thrown into
museums. It is with such a historical background that Japan is widely believed
to be a mono ethnic nation.
In 1971, Mr. Narita stood for the
national general election of the upper house where he made a serious challenge
to the
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Japanese society. The 'Asahi Shimbun' on
July 16th, 1977 pointed out the significance of Mr. Narita's challenge and
quoted him in its article 'Ainu Candidate and Pluri — Ethnic Nation':
"Japan is generally known as a mono-ethnic nation, but she is in fact a
Pluri-ethnic state where many minority groups such as Wiruta, Nikubun and
Koreans live. Most Japanese are not aware of this fact as they simply encounter
Ainu as tourists. I wanted to appeal the Ainus' position on the political
platform and tried to break through the ready-made perception of the Japanese
people about the Ainus."
Another thing, which impressed me very
much, is the Ainus' view of nature or their value system, which appears to be
so critical of the process of modernization or so called modern civilization.
The founding statement of the Ainu Youth Council, which was set up to support
Mr. Narita’s election campaign, had the following passage: "Ainu culture
is the origin of Japanese culture in the sense that it has existed in the
Japanese archipelago from the ancient time. The Ainus' spiritual culture, which
valued nature as God, should be re-evaluated to revive the harmony between
human beings (Ainu) and nature (God). With this, we appeal to the whole of
Japan on social and political platforms in the hope that this outcry of the
Ainu youths will light a fire of bright spirit for the future of humanity. We profess
this to be the founding spirit of this Council. Fellow Ainus, be awakened to
yourselves: Shisam, be awakened to yourselves!; Open your eyes to the ethnic
minorities and oppressed people; Let us come together, fostering each others'
excellent and indigenous culture and creating a spiritual culture on the
motherland of the Japanese archipelago.
This reminded me of a passage in
Revelations, which gives the eschatological image of human society. The Ainus'
philosophy seems to be very prophetic indeed.
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University made a derogatory remark about
Ainu and denunciation took place at the university, organized by some radical Ainu youths. As a gesture of compromise, the
university proposed that the Ainu language be taught in a class. A well-known
literati, Mr. KAYANO Shigeru taught Ainu language for a year. When I met Mr.
Kayano, I asked him about its impact "Well, it was over in a year. They
allowed me to teach Ainu only for one year," he said. By such taken
gesture, it is not possible to rehabilitate Ainu people's history in the
history of Hokkaido or Japan. When I visited Mr. Kayano, he was
enthusiastically talking about the need to conserve their language. Mr. Kayano
is one of the very few full-blooded Ainus who can speak the language fluently.
He tried to set up a kindergarten in Nibutani where great majorities of the
residents are Ainus. In this kindergarten, he was hoping to teach Ainu language
to the children. Nation wide contributions were sent to Mr. Kayano to support
his idea, but the government stopped the project at the last minute claiming
that such a kindergarten would not be recognized if Ainu language were to be
taught. Having failed in this, Mr. Kayano now decided to establish a private
study center where he hopes to teach Ainu to the younger generations.
Stimulated by Mr. Kayano, many Ainu youths are now learning the Ainu language
and making efforts to rehabilitate their cultural traditions and rituals as
part of their self-affirmation. They have been practicing bear sending
ceremonies, Ainu marriage ceremonies, riding canoes in the river, thanksgiving
ceremony, etc. These efforts are to regain pride in their own culture, which
has degenerated into a tourist curiosity.
Another significant discovery with regard
to the Ainu language is the claim made by Prof. Umehara and others that ancient
Japanese is the Ainu language. According to them, religion is a very important
part of life for the Ainu people. A relationship exists between key Japanese
words and key Amu words related to religion as shown at least by a few words:
"Kami" is God and "Kami" in Japanese language;
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"Pito" is human being and
"Hito" in
Japanese: "Tama" is spirit and it is the same in Japanese. Two other
words "Lama" and "Kulu" are also similar to the Japanese
expressions found in the ancient writings in the 7th or 8th centuries. This is
really a revolutionary theory. Well-known linguist and Ainu study expert, Mr.
KINDAICHI Kyosuki had long maintained the theory that the Ainu language was
influenced by the Japanese language and not vice versa. Such theory helped
foster the Wajin's superior attitude towards the Ainus.
Lastly, I would like to refer to the
Christian contact with the Ainus and explore a Christian response to the
contemporary Ainu problems. When you look back over the history, Christian
mission was actively involved in the conversion of Ainus into the Christian
fold. Most noteworthy is the work of John Batchelor who stayed in Hokkaido from
1877 to 1905. Batchelor learned Ainu language, translated the Bible into the
Ainu language and preached in the Ainu language. According to one researcher
during the Meiji period, about 1200 Ainus were converted to Christianity, out
of whom Batchelor baptized 800. The fact that Batchelor spoke in the Ainu
language must have been a major factor in this phenomenal number of
conversions. In fact, after Batchelor left, Japanese ministers were sent there
but the number of church numbers radically decreased.
In recent years, a number of pastors in
Hokkaido began to see the ministry to Ainu people in a different form. What is
needed seems to have been an understanding of the problem Ainu people are
facing today. This also requires Christians to have a respect to the religious
faiths and culture of the Ainu people. In 1980, the Hokkaido Synod of the
United Church of Christ invited an Ainu person to address their synod meeting.
They have been instrumental in sending Mr. Narita to the CCA-URM peoples' Forum
as well as WCIP Assembly. Following these two international meetings, National
Christian Council of Japan in cooperation with
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Kanto Utari Association sponsored a
public meeting in July 1981 where Mr. Narita and members of the Kanto Utari
Association have shared with the participants their activities on local,
national and international levels. Rev. Shoji, General Secretary of NCCJ, in
response to the Ainus' presentations summarized the nature of Christian
response: "At the meeting Ainus' self-reliance was emphasized in
consonance with the outcry for freedom by indigenous peoples all over the
world. The time has gone when the Ainus faced with discrimination and a lack of
concern by the majority Japanese community or when the Ainus were looked as an
object of curiosity and sympathy. Now the Ainus are standing in front of us as
an existence, which can no longer be treated as objects. Christians must become
aware of this and search for a way in which to live together with them."
It is now important to us to be in close touch with Ainu peoples' organizations
such as Utari Association and Yai Yukala Ethnologists Association. We must have
a deep and sustaining concern for the life problems and cultural aspirations of
the Ainu people.
National Christian Council had its
triannual Assembly in March 1982 with the theme of "Jesus Christ with the
Least of These." If the NCC sees the meaning of Christian ministry in this
way, then the concern for and commitment of the Ainus' aspirations for freedom
and cultural identity must be a central concern in their ministry. The NCC at
the same Assembly decided to set up a Center for Christian Response to Asian
Issues to which I was appointed as executive secretary. For CCRAT the concern
for oppressed and discriminated in Japan holds a central focus as it builds a
perspective towards Asian Issues precisely at a time when indigenous peoples'
aspirations for their freedom and 'transformation in society are being linked
worldwide. The suffering and problems faced by minorities are nothing but a
reflection of problems caused by the majority or ruling class in society.
Therefore, our involvement in the issues of minorities or other oppressed
people must have a perspective
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for social transformation
and political change. We are now called to express our concern and commitment
to the Ainu people and sustain this concern not only as part of our response to
Gospel but also as part of the life commitment as God's servants.
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Taken from Praxis Nos. 1-2, 1983.