During the annual JDS Hokkaido photography workshop tour, the First Nations people of Japan, the Ainu and their vibrant culture are always a part of the expedition our workshop leaders share with participants.  The Ainu like many other First Nations people around the globe have struggled to preserve their cultural identity among attempted appropriation and several forced migrations, ultimately leading them to where they are now, mainly in Hokkaido and islands now held by Russia after WWII a short distance from Hokkaido’s shores.  Prior to the Kofun period (300 - 711 AD) the Ainu were a migratory peoples and inhabited from present day Kyoto to the islands north of Hokkaido, and parts of present day Russia.  Without a doubt, the Ainu inhabited the Mt. Fuji region, Fujiyama, central Japan's most sacred volcano is named after the Ainu fire goddess Kamui-Fuchi, her full name is Apemerukoyan-mat Unamerukoyan-mat (Rising Fire Sparks Woman/ Rising Cinder Sparks Woman); she is also known as Iresu Kamuy, The People Teacher, she is the Ainu fire goddess that heats our hearts, community and homes.  

The process to have the Ainu officially declared indigenous people started in 2006 when a bill was first proposed in the National Diet of Japan.  Two years later, on June 6, the non-binding, bipartisan resolution was passed, but it would take 11 more years until 2019 to finally pass the bill in the National Diet to recognize the Ainu as Japan’s indigenous people.  The reason for this ‘timely’ recognition is most likely related to the Tokyo Olympics initially slated for 2020 when the entire country would be under an international microscope.  Regardless of the circumstances, this official recognition is an important step in protecting their cultural identity and preserving their historic traditions.  Thankfully, the significance of Ainu dance preceded their affirmation as indigenous people, their dance being designated as an ‘Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan’ in 1984.  Later in 2009, UNESCO also recognized its cultural importance and included Ainu dance on the list of ‘Intangible Culture Heritage’ in 2009.  

One goal of our workshop leaders' during all of the JDS Japan photography workshops is to introduce clients to authentic Japan, and our workshop leaders include the Ainu performances, that are designated by UNESCO.  Our team will escort you to the Ainu Kotan villages.  There you can can part in the lomante fire festival in the Ainu Theater ‘Ikor’.  The rarity and exclusivity of this experience makes this a once in a lifetime opportunity, and now that Japan has opened to Ainu traditions and culture, their traditions and ancient artifacts are surfacing once again, giving visitors one more entry point to appreciate Ainu cultural traditions.

One tradition that our workshop leaders are drawn to is Ainu traditional woodworking and crafting.  As with Ainu dance, their weaving of Nibutani attus, bark-cloth textiles and Nibutani ita, wooden trays adorned with intricate carvings are both ‘Officially Designated Traditional Crafts’, the only two on Japan’s most Northern island Hokkaido.  Nearly all of the traditions and cultural practices are only known to a handful of Ainu elders and passed down orally in an attempt to keep them out of the hands of invaders, treasures that represent all of the Ainu Kamuy, spiritual beings, are being re-discovered and can be viewed in the Ainu Kotan villages that along Hokkaido’s countryside.  Since their tribal origins, the Ainu have established a mutually reciprocal relationship with nature.  Their closeness to the land and its energy means that they have gravitated toward abundances of nature such as the fishing and wildlife for which Hokkaido is well-known.  The Ainu natural attunement also means knowledge of power points over which many Ainu settlements are constructed.  All of this cultural richness and natural awareness is communicated in their lifestyle and acutely in Ainu dances, performances, and craftsmanship.