Speaking in Ainu: Cultural and Personal Recovery

The author gives a public lecture. (Courtesy Kitahara Jirōta Mokottunas)

Sakhalin is at the southern edge of dog-sled culture in East Asia. The equipment and names used among the Sakhalin Ainu are very similar to those of northern peoples. The illustration shows a seta kiraw, a head decoration for the lead dog.

A man prays, holding in his right hand an ikupasuy, a ceremonial stick used when making offerings of alcohol to the gods. In his left hand is a lacquered sake bowl acquired through trade with Japan.

There are a number of comic Ainu stories about characters called Pananpe and Penanpe. In this story, the god of the sea teaches them how to worship.