Traditional Worship of the Ainu

Kamuy and the Traditional Ainu Faith

Traditional Ainu people practiced an ancient faith grounded in the natural world. According to their belief, plants, animals, and the world they live in are all manifestations of a greater life force, or ramat. Each creature and object is a projection of ramat, extended into the physical world by gods known as kamuy. The kamuy represent idealized aspects of nature. They govern the afterlife and determine the fate of the living. When a creature dies or an object breaks, its ramat returns to the greater kamuy to be born again.

Unlike most other creatures, humans possess unique souls. They retain their identities in the afterlife, existing eternally in spirit villages. This special relationship with the gods comes at a price. In exchange for gifts of food, shelter, and good health, the kamuy demand respectful treatment and worship. Those who do not observe proper etiquette toward the gods can be punished with famine and misfortune. As a result, most Ainu worship focuses on giving thanks and gifts to the gods and spirits around them.[1][2]

Deities of the Ainu Faith

Many Kamuy appear in Ainu worship and folklore, reflecting their presence in every part of daily life. Some, however, were more frequently worshipped than others. Most important of all was Kamuy Fuchi, the hearth goddess, who lived within the central fireplace of every Ainu home. Besides warming and protecting the home, her fire acted as a gate to and from the spirit world. She pulled new souls from the fire during birth and escorted the dead to the afterlife. In ancient times, she taught the first Ainu all of the arts they needed to survive.[3]

Besides Kamuy Fuchi, the Ainu relied on powerful figures like Rep-un Kamuy, god of the sea and orcas. He drove whales ashore as gifts for the Ainu and pushed fish into the nets of fishermen. Hash-Inau-uk Kamuy, goddess of the hunt, was sister to Kamuy Fuchi and guided worthy hunters to their game. Their hero god went by several names, including Ae-oina Kamuy, Okikurumi, or Self-brought-up-Man. Girded in fire and carrying a mugwort spear, he served as both teacher and warrior. Chikap Kamuy, the owl god, taught wisdom and proper worship.[3][4][5]

Daily Worship in Ainu Culture

For the most part, only men prayed and made offerings to the gods. As part of daily worship, they carved inau and gave libations of saké before drinking. At other times, they erected nusa fences and led ceremonies to return animal bones or ramat. When disease or bad luck threatened a village, they conducted rites to appease the angry Kamuy and frighten away harmful spirits.

Women, while generally cut off from worship, interacted with the Kamuy in other ways. Many of their songs and stories told tales from the Kamuy's point of view, channeling the god's perspective. On Sakhalin Island, women typically held the role of shaman. On Hokkaido, women were sometimes described as using their husbands' faith as a weapon. Because they were less accountable to the gods, women could hide inau and invoke the wrath of the Kamuy upon their men.[6][7]

Sacrifices and The Bear Ceremony Iyomante

One religious ceremony in particular has captured the attentions of outsiders since their arrival on Hokkaido. This is the bear sending ceremony, or Iyomante. During the ceremony, a bear cub raised by a family for a year or more is sacrificed and eaten. The bear is given many gifts in the form of prayer, music, and offerings before being killed. The Ainu believe that it returns to its Kamuy happy with its presents, eager to be born again as another bear cub. Owls and other game animals were also sacrificed.[8]

Iyomante remains controversial but is still conducted today. Modern Ainu people follow a variety of faiths, including Christianity, Buddhism, and Shinto. Many, however, are working to increase public acceptance of their older faith. Because worship is so closely tied to the Ainu view of the world, activists argue that one cannot go on without the other.[11]

Bibliography

1. John Batchelor, The Ainu and Their Folk-Lore (London: Religious Tract Society, 1901), 555-560.

2. Basil Hall Chamberlain, Aino Folk-Tales (London: Privately Printed for the Folk-lore Society, 1888), 42-43.

3. Neil Gordon Munro, Ainu Creed and Cult (New York: Columbia University Press, 1963), 88.

4. Bronislas Pilsudski, "Ainu Folk-Lore," The Journal of American Folklore 25, no. 95 (1912): doi:10.2307/534469.

5. Donald L. Philippi, Songs of Gods, Songs of Humans: The Epic Tradition of the Ainu (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1979).

6. Batchelor, 181-182.

7. Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. "Shamans and Imu: Among Two Ainu Groups Toward a Cross-Cultural Model of Interpretation," Ethos 8, no. 3 (1980): 204-28. http://www.jstor.org/stable/640127.

8. Batchelor, 480-490.

9. Michael Hoffman, "Hokkaido's Ancient Place in the Modern World," The Japan Times, May 20, 2017, The Japan Times, accessed June 18, 2017.

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