When it comes to the mysteries of this planet, everyone subconsciously turns to Brazil with the magnificent Amazon forest. Because, it is the largest primeval forest in the world, with more than 400 tribes living and most of them have not communicated with the outside world for more than 5 centuries.
But the most mysterious tribe in the world today does not belong to the Amazon, but a tribe from Japan . It is the Ainu – or Aynu , an indigenous ethnic group of the land of the Rising Sun. They have a very long history, even the Chinese are still considered young compared to them. However, the mystery of this tribe is not because they live in isolation, but because science until this moment still… do not know where the Ainu people appeared.
Scattered in the Hokkaido region of northern Japan with a population of about 30,000, the Ainu are an ethnic minority known for their unique cultural identity.
Unlike the Japanese, the Ainu have light skin tone, round and deep eyes, and slightly wavy hair. Ainu men have thick beards, hairy bodies, and tall bodies. In general, they have characteristics close to the inhabitants of the modern Caucasus region.
The origin of the Ainu people is still a mystery. In Japanese history, the period from 10,000 to 400 BC is known as the Jomon period. The Jomon culture is considered Japan’s first major indigenous culture. Many scholars believe that the Ainu are descendants of the Jomon or related to this ancient people. According to research works, the Jomon and the Ainu have similar skull and facial structures.
DNA samples taken from ancient bone samples also indicate that the Jomon had many genetic similarities with the Ainu. Modern Japanese, on the other hand, are descended from the amalgamation of later mainland diaspora communities with the Jomon people.
Ainu is perhaps the most ancient tribe in Europe and Asia.
The Ainu appeared in Japan and Russia in the 13th century BC. At this stage, America and Asia even still had a strip of land connecting the two continents. To give you a better understanding of the age of this tribe, let’s make a comparison: the oldest Egyptian pyramid was built around the 27th century BC. They didn’t even interact with anyone, except for other tribes that appeared at the same time. In other words, Ainu is probably the most ancient tribe in Europe and Asia .
The Ainu tribe was formerly somewhat similar to the Europeans, with some similarities with the Mongols. But at the present time, it is difficult to distinguish an Ainu from the inhabitants of Japan today. This is because the Ainu are often heavily discriminated against in Japan , so they decided to mate with the native Japanese of today to ensure that their descendants are safe.
At the present time, it is difficult to distinguish an Ainu from the inhabitants of Japan today.
Scientists and historians currently do not have an answer about the origin of the Ainu people. It is theorized that they are related to the Norse people. There are also opinions expressing the Ainu’s connection with the Jomon period, either from the Sea of Okhotsk (in the Pacific Ocean), or with some other cultural period of Japan.
The Ainu people are described quite similar to… the portrait of the great writer Lev Tolstoy
Men of the Ainus tribe used to grow long hair (many people still do). They also have long beards, and never shave.
Women in the tribe stand out with tattoos in extremely “unique” positions, which are added annually. From the age of 6-7, they tattoo a line on the upper lip and thicken it over time. So if you look at it, it’s as if the whole tribe is wearing the smile of… Joker (the villain in DC).
According to beliefs, the tattoo is part of a ritual to protect women from evil spirits entering the body through the mouth. Besides, when the tattoo is thickened to the point of… a smile , it is a sign that a girl is ready for marriage. During the 19th century, such tattooing was banned by the provisional Japanese government, but some people still practice it stealthily.
Ainu women’s tattoos are thickened to the point of… a smile.
The last Ainu woman to wear a “smile” tattoo passed away in 1998. However, in some Japanese cultural events, there are still girls with smiles painted on their faces, to commemorate a culture once flourished.
Besides the smile tattoo, Ainu women have a few other tattoos with quite special shapes, also to protect them from bad things like diseases and demons.
When the Ainus people appeared on the islands of Japan, they still lived according to the model: hunting, fishing, gathering. They live in rather special huts, called chise . Called a tent, but it can be quite large, up to 35m 2 with a fireplace in the middle.
In Ainu culture, the bear is a very important animal, because it is the main source of food. That is also the reason their spiritual customs mainly revolve around bears. Even the image of the mountain god of the Ainu people is also modeled after the shape of a bear.
Today’s Japanese have to thank the Ainu people for helping to bring about the Samurai culture . When the Japanese arrived here and established the nation, the Ainus continued to live in tribes, occasionally roaming around to “check in” on their neighbors using violent methods. So after a few centuries, the Japanese established an army to protect the northern border, which was the premise of samurai culture.
Not too long ago, Ainu territory occupied most of Hokkaido. But by the end of the 19th century, the Japanese began to expand their territory. This raises many problems. On the one hand, the Ainu still have their own land, do not need to pay taxes, and can build both schools and hospitals. However, many of their rituals (especially violent practices) are forbidden. As a result, the cultural characteristics of the Ainu people gradually disappeared. The tribe that has existed for thousands of years is in danger of being dissolved and completely disappeared.
Everything changed only in the 21st century, a period that saw the return of the Ainu. In 2008, the Japanese government recognized the Ainu as a nation’s tribe, and encouraged people to end discrimination against them. In 2019, the Ainu-related law was officially passed.
In fact, the Ainu people have quite a large influence on Japanese culture today. For example, language, many words in Japanese grammar are taken from the Ainu language.
Ainu women today.
Currently, the remaining Ainu people are trying to restore their cultural identity. They even have their own flag: A flag with a blue background representing the sky and sea; a white bow represents snow; and the arrow is red, symbolizing the poison commonly used by the Ainu to attack their enemies (currently banned by the Japanese government).
The flag has a blue background representing the sky and sea.