The Ainu Poem

Sirokanipe ranran piskan Konkanipe ranran piskan. This Ainu poem is about an owl deity. It roughly translates to “Fall fall, silver drops, all around fall fall, golden drops, all around” (Selden). The Ainu worshiped all aspects of nature as gods, believing animals were spirits temporarily visiting the earth. The Ainu are an ancient people of nature, living in close communities and are now a minority of Japan. The Ainu used to live in Honshu, Japan’s main island, but have since been limited to a smaller area by the Japanese. They now dwell mostly in Russia’s Sakhalin and Kuril Islands and Hokkaido (Peoples of the World). Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost island. It is 32,247 square miles, measuring twice the size of Switzerland and making up one-fifth of Japan (Selden). Hokkaido is decorated with beautiful coasts, mountains, lakes and rivers. There are two major mountain ranges in Hokkaido, the Kitami in the north, and Hidaka in the south (Selden). One estimated population of Ainu is 25,000 (Selden). The exact number is and will most likely remain unknown due to intermarriage between Ainu and other ethnicities. Also, large numbers of people are unaware of or hide their heritage to avoid racism and discrimination (“Ainu People”). Most Ainu speak Japanese, leaving the Ainu language nearly forgotten except for the very few fluent and partial
Some parents made arrangements with others, and those getting married were given no opinion in the matter (“Life of the Ainu”). Other times, the children found each other and fell in love. Sometimes, the daughter’s parents made her live in rooms separated from them called “tunpu” and would pick her husband from her visitors (“Life of the Ainu”). At the weddings, prayers to the goddess of fire are said to keep the family and home well and happy (“Life of the Ainu”). A small ceremony of eating rice is performed between the bride and groom, officially wedding them (“Life of the