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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.