The Ainu of Hokkaido: their distinct language and beliefs, forced assimilation, and official recognition as an indigenous people in 2019.
Faglig kvalitetssikret av lærere og toppstudenter · Følger læreplanen (LK20) · Sist oppdatert 2026-10-13
The Ainu are the indigenous people of northern Japan, especially the island of Hokkaido, as well as parts of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. They are culturally and linguistically distinct from the majority Japanese population.
The Ainu language is unrelated to Japanese and is now critically endangered, with very few fluent speakers. Traditional Ainu belief is animist: the world is full of spirits called kamuy, present in animals, plants and natural forces. The bear ceremony ( …