Cool Sites : Ainu
Monday, March 21, 2005 Posted: 11:24 PM JST
The Ainu ruled for centuries in the Northern territories of Japan. Now their culture has faded away into history. Thankfully, observers were able to write down what they saw before it dissapeared. Some observations:
Dutch Encounters with the Ainu People
Article by Tjeerd de Graaf about the Ainu. Includes word lists. (ENG)
Ainu and the people of the Amur area
Many photographs of Ainu artifacts collected by Hungarian ethnographer Barathosi Benedek during his 1908 and 1914 expeditions to Northeast Asia. (ENG HUN)
Ainu Museum in Shiraoi, Hokkaido
Broad description of the Ainu lifestyle and culture. Covers eating habits through religion. Many old photographs. Highly recommended. (CHN ENG JPN)
Ainu Texts
The Ainu are Japans' largest ethnic minority. They are known for Shamanistic beliefs. This site features Ainu folk-tales and folk-lore. (ENG)
NOVA: Island of the Spirits
This beautiful site covers the origins and legends of the Ainu. Some pages don't appear complete in all browsers (eg. if there are no photos of animals on the legend page, try using another browser). (ENG)
Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture
The Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture -- "Realizing a Society Where the Pride of Ainu People as an Ethnic Group Is Respected and Contributing to the Promotion of Cultural Diversity (ENG JPN)
Find more sites related to Japan at Japan Links.
Keywords: cool_sites
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