 Third generation Ainu elder Kaneto Kawamura (above); A traditional Ainu house (right) |
by Graham Simmons
After 200 years of official repression, the Ainu people of Hokkaido in Japan are at last within reach of achieving their goals. But recognition of the Ainu as an indigenous people came as late as June 2008, just before the G8 summit at Hokkaido's Lake Toya-ko. Ken'ichi Kawamura, son of legendary Ainu elder Kaneto Kawamura, welcomes visitors to the rustic museum/cultural centre established by his father in the city of Asahikawa. Kawamura was also a demonstrator at the G8. “Recognition is not enough” he says. "I won’t rest until we get both land rights and hunting rights too.”
This story visits three Ainu museums - the Kaneto Kawamura Ainu Memorial Museum in Asahikawa, the Ainu Museum in Shiraoi and the Ainu Centre in Sapporo - and includes also detailed information on other Ainu cultural resources.
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