Have You Heard About the Ainu? (Part 2) Toward a Better Understanding and World Peace
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- Опубликовано: 18 сен 2024
- This program is a sequel to Dr. Kinko Ito's first documentary film "Have You Heard About The Ainu? Elders of Japan's Indigenous People Speak" (available on RUclips). The Ainu are indigenous people of Japan whose ancestors suffered from oppression and exploitation by the Japanese. Today's Ainu are totally assimilated, but they still experience prejudice and discrimination. In this video the Ainu elders talk more about their experiences as well as messages for the young people and world peace.
Thank you for sharing this. I am studying Japanese in college, but have always been interested in both Ainu and Ryukyuans history. I am learning so much about Ainu culture from your documentaries. This is what I want to do - documentaries that help bring awareness about issues and cultures.
Dear Shanika, thank you for watching my film and commenting! I am super happy to hear that you want to make documentaries, too！！Good luck and keep up your great work! Awareness is the first step for us all to change society for the better!!
I very much enjoyed the music between the interviews. I loved seeing the different Ainu clothing that the women made and were wearing themselves. I also got encouragement out of this video. Although Mr. Nabesawa's advice was directed towards the Japanase being bullied in school, I definitely spoke to my soul as well! Another phenomenal documentary!
Dear ライケン, Domo arigato! I am glad that you liked Mr. Nabesawa's advice. He was such a wonderful person - wise, gentle, and compassionate. He experienced many nasty things as a minority, but he was always very positive and believed in goodness of people. He taught me a lot about life.
Many thanks to the elders of the Ainu in this video who were willing to share their heart and soul of the Ainu values and beliefs. It is a unique perspective. For me, the most interesting perspective shared was that when the Wajin settled in the Hokkaido area and found that it was a hard life. Many Wajin left the Hokkaido area due to the hardships and they left their children. The Ainu without hesitation brought them into their homes, adopted and raised them as their own. They lived what they believed.
Their culture is so unique. They have their own clothing and traditions. The scenery is so beautiful. I’ve never heard of this place until you mentioned it in class. This is like a hidden gem. They have their own language and everything. This documentary changed my perspective on studying abroad. This is something I would love to do. Learning different cultures is sacred. This is rare and to learn it is a privilege. Thank you Dr.Ito!
I really appreciated the first part of this documentary. I think that it presented more of the positive things about the Ainu whereas part two seemed to reveal many of the more negative realities such as the way that the Wajin took the homeland of the Ainu from them and then continued to oppress them in various ways. I am glad that part two revealed these things because it is important to understand the history in order to better understand the current state of the Ainu. It is a good thing that the story of the Ainu is being told so that they are not forgotten like so many other cultures have been.
Thank you so much for watching my film and commenting on it! You made my day!
Another great documentary Dr. Ito! It is disheartening that the Ainu were not considered human beings at one point and the term, Ainu, was viewed as a derogatory term. It's great that the Ainu Cultural Promotion Act of 1997 led to the revival of Ainu culture and that the language is taught at various academic institutions and community centers today. Hopefully, the Ainu language continues to thrive, even though it is at risk of being an endangered language with only about a dozen fluent speakers.
-Peace and Love- Shuntele Carroll
Hi, Shuntele! Thank you so much for watching my video and also for your comment!
One of the best things about the documentaries is that they go together as a pair.
The first one (as best as I can remember) focuses on who the Ainu are - what defines them as an ethnicity, a culture, a history - a people. Outside looking in.
The second one focuses on how the Ainu experience is a microcosm of all of humanity's - what defines us all as people, and how Ainu ethics can be used to (inter)connect us all together - all people - and the world. Inside looking out.
It was really fitting that this one is also about language - the way a person takes his thoughts from inside his mind, and expresses them out into the world.
This series is absolutely wonderful - a true insight into the Ainu world(view), which I don't think has many proper docs like this. I only just discovered this new doc (I saw the first one years ago), but this will hopefully remain as an important archive for years to come. Thank you for your work!
This is a treasure of treasures, along with the first part. Thanks so much for putting this together, my friend.
Hi, Joseph! Thank you so much for watching my films and commenting! You made my day!!
@@KinkoIto Your content made mine! Early twenty-year-old Caucasian from the States here. I'm sure you'd love to know your content is reaching an audience beyond Asian. This is such an important cultural heritage you've brought into the light.
Dr Ito,
Thank you!
I have to say that your two documentaries on the Ainu are both eye opening experiences for me personally.
I am well aware of the challenges that all races of humans face, but when I am able to actually see, hear, and learn about them makes a huge difference, not only for my understanding, but for my own life. It is welcoming to understand that I am not alone when I speak out about my challenges.
Your videos encourage me to express my challenges however, from a more positive perspective when I enlighten myself with the information from your two documentaries on the Ainu.
Therefore, thank you again Dr Ito as always for helping me Shine:)
Thank you for watching both of my films!! Understanding each other and treating everyone with due respect is the key to world peace and for our own peace of mind! I am sure your future will be so bright I will need a pair of sunglasses to see you!!
This video and the previous has motivated me even more to study Ainu!
Thank you.
Hi, AJ! Thank you so much for watching my film and taking time to comment!
So cool you were able to go to Japan again and do even more research. What a fulfilling experience that must be to travel and discover more about a topic you love with great people and conversation as well.
Thank you so much for your nice comment! You made my day!
It's really sobering when you see patterns of discrimination that are extremely similar to minority and indigenous groups all around the world. The way the Ainu were treated in school, made to feel as if their culture is inferior is something that seems to be put upon almost all indigenous communities around the world.
These issues of racism and discrimination are everywhere in our world. Did you see a lot of parallels between the Ainu and Native Americans (religion, etc?). I think the Japanese gov may have started too late to being back the Ainu language, but glad there’s local interest among young people to learn the culture. Beautiful landscapes in Hokkaido I’d love to visit.
Thank you so much for watching another film of mine and taking time to comment on it!! You made my day!! Arigato ("Thank you" in Japanese) !! The National Ainu Museum opened in the summer of 2020, and you might want to visit it sometime in the future. I am sure something nice will happen, and you will visit Hokkaido soon!!
It’s interesting to note that naive realism and ethnocentrism can exist in such close proximity. You expect it here where the notion of culture is often either blurry or set aside for the “more exotic”. The bear moment reminds me of the many stereotypes and labels placed on our own indigenous peoples. It’s frustrating to be reduced to mere caricature.
Ok so I could just jabber on about this. Perhaps one of the most amazing and heartfelt moments in the movie was connecting the fact that the Ainu adopted and cared for the children of those that rained discrimination down on them. What a graceful and gracious people. I’m adopted and that just meant a whole lot.
Something else so interesting; I feel like an American when I travel. But when I’m in the States, I’m “Asian American”. It’s neither my views nor my actions that change; It’s the way I’m treated. Outside I’m just an American, but there is clear social distinction made by the people who live here Stateside.
Thank you so much for this amazing and important labor of love.
Hi, Tim! Thank you so much for watching my film and commenting on it. I am glad you noticed a lot of things about culture, people, especially indigenous people, and society.
I heard about abandoned kids in Hokkaido. Many of them were half Korean. Japanese parents specially left their half Korean kids but Ainu people raised them like their kids. Korean is related too with Ainu people.
I am planning visit Hokkaido this fall to meet Ainu culture. There are only few informations for Ainu culture. Your video is very impressive. I can understand Ainu people more from videos. Thank you.
Gamsahabnida！ Thank you so much for watching my film and commenting. I have visited Korea several times, and I always enjoyed traveling there and meeting the kind and wonderful people. I was hooked on "Winter Sonata" and watched it 10 times, too! I do hope you will visit Hokkaido soon. There are many Ainu-related museums in Hokkaido and the National Museum is a must. I have an e-book titled "Today's Ainu: Tales from Hokkaido" which is available at Amazon's Kindle Store. It is a short book based on my interviews with the Ainu in Hokkaido. I also put some information about their history, religion, language, etc.
@@KinkoIto Thank you so much. I found your book, 'Today's Ainu: Tales from Hokkaido' in Kindle. I will read it. I wonder Ainu elders are still ok in your videos.
@@cheongmyongs Unfortunately, a few of them are deceased now. Aigoo!
@@KinkoIto So sorry about it. You are first generation of Hanryu! 😊 I remember many Japanese people visited some places like Sokcho or chooncheon where are connected with dramas. Thanks for your kindness. Its so helpful for my travel. 😊❤
Hello it's been 2 years already !! I love your videos , will you be doing more ? I don't know how the situation is in Japan but I notice alot of information is not shared enough in the world with the language barrier and the government hiding information , I would love to see you travel the world and do other documentary with native populations , in suggestions I have Russia , Canada , Greenland and a lot of islands around indonesia there is also alot of ancient ruins and museum around the world to visit and see archeology findings , I think all native people are related in some way and come from a common ancestor, a lot of history is lost with all the stupid wars but also there was huge cataclysm on earth with the ice age and the flood and we just lost all the history from before that exept maybe in Hinduism but that is changed with time and colonization , also alot of ruins underwater around the world.
Thank you so much for watching my film and commenting! Your suggestions are very constructive, and I really like the idea of making more films about Indigenous people in the future! You made my day!! Thank you so much!!
It was great to see the beautiful pictures and videos that you took on your voyage into the culture of the Ainu. Watching your video and documentary makes me want to do more research into my culture.
Thank you, Jaime!! I am working on the history of the Ainu (seen from their perspective) now. I miss you! Hope to see you again in class!!
OMGosh at the opening with Mr Tamotsu Nabesawa, "I want to advocate everyone around the world should become friends...." that is also my people's way of thinking and I'm sure it has been reflected through history and the present time including at the Olympics in Japan, everything he has said up to 1:16 is what my iwi [tribe] believe. From 7:53 to 9:17 what Mr Nabesawa said is 99% what my people went through, the only point of difference is Tangata Whenua [our name was changed to Māori by the colonisers] we invited them only for the purpose of business not to settle to take over. 13:35 my uncle shared about a new principal arriving at their school and exactly as was explained in the vid he was a good principal. Institutional racism occurs everywhere now however it has improved slightly in Aotearoa. 18:37 Māori have an oral history and it is power. I have no faith in the United Nations when it comes to people's rights. Thank you once again Dr Kinko Ito I enjoyed this vid much love from Maraea, Aotearoa [NZ]
Dear Maraea. Thank you so much for watching both of my films and commenting! It's just amazing that many indigenous people of the world share the same kind of experiences! I hope you can make a documentary film yourself about the history, culture, and society of your people. I talked with Mr. Nabesawa on the phone when I was visiting my family in Japan in the summer of 2017. Mr. Nabesawa was ill at the time, and he said, "When are you coming back here? I miss you!" His voice was weak but happy. I promised him that I would visit him the next spring or summer. He was very glad to hear about my future visit. I purchased my tickets and was going to visit him and the other Ainu elders on May 14th. I had invited all of them to lunch. Mr. Nabesawa passed away on April 30th, two weeks before my visit.... I am sad he is gone, but I am glad I could videotape him so that people in the world (like you!) can hear what he had to say about friendship and world peace.
@@KinkoIto I am very glad you were able to video him and the other gentleman who had passed. Because their words are valuable treasures for not only the next generation but for all indigenous people. Thank you Dr Ito for taking the time to record their history, I very much appreciate your time and much gratitude for the learning I have received from such an amazing vid. Also there are much better people than I who can best describe my tribe and history, so I will nicely decline the offer to video my people. Take care love and blessings to you in your continued fabulous work that you do and for you personally 💙💙💙💗💙💙💙
@@maraeacookson1573 Thank you for your comment! If you want to read more about other Ainu people I interviewed (as well as a few who appeared in my videos), you can go to Amazon.com and get my "Today's Ainu: Tales from Hokkaido." If you have Kindle Unlimited, the book is free. It is $9.99 (Kindle) and $24 (Paperback). You can also ask your local library to purchase a copy, too. You have taught me a lot about your tribe, and I really appreciate the opportunity. I once had a classmate who introduced him as Maori from New Zealand. I, my professor, and classmates learned a lot from him, too! He had a great sense of humor!
I was searching for information on the ancient development of the Japanese language, when I came across your documentaries. They are wonderful and so eye opening. Thank you so very much for your wonderful work. They have deeply touched my heart.
Hi, Stephen! Thank you so much for watching the film and your positive comment!! It made my day! My new book Today's Ainu: Tales from Hokkaido is now available at Amazon's Kindle Store for US$9.99 (FYI).
Part two of this video was very intriguing as well. It was interesting to hear that the word Ainu has the original meaning for humans, and how in every culture there is a way to express oneself differently. Thank you for opening my mind up to a new culture Dr. Ito :) .
Thank you for your watching and your positive comment!! I am teaching Japanese Culture and Society class this fall! I miss you!!
It's sad to see that Ainu people face the same ignorance from the majority as other minorities. "I'm sorry I need to learn more about the Ainu." (7:08) This just goes to show that without education, people will still believe things of the past or truly terrible stereotypes. At least the waitress was willing to admit her faults and apologize. I'm glad that there is more education being taught about Ainu so that someone who is Ainu might not have to be in this same uncomfortable situation. I feel bad that she had to explain herself :(
Hi, Adriana! Thank you so much for watching my film and commenting! Education, information, understanding, and compassion are all very important since ignorance often leads to prejudice, discrimination, and bullying. It indeed was nice of the waitress to admit that she made a mistake and apologized.
Wow you did an amazing job with this documentary! how much disrcrimination and prejudice the Ainu had to indure and then be such forgiving people enough to adopt the people that discriminated them.
Hi, Seth! Thank you for watching my film and commenting on it! The Ainu are very gentle people with compassion and understanding. I was really fortunate to get to know them and they let them stay at their homes, too!!
To hear there are only a dozen people on the planet left who speak Ainu fluently is heartbreaking for the culture. Though it was funny to see that accents can be difficult in any language like when the student heard a different word for hello in Shunzai and he thought they were calling him stupid.
1. Every person is covered by an invisible spiral web (This is a scientific fact from Alfred Blaschko, 1901).
The Ainu a long time ago recognized this, it can be seen from the decoration of their clothes.
2. Ainu people have own writing system, but this is Japan state secret. (a:head, i:neck, n:arms, u:legs =human, etc... bird legs rotated 90 degrees, with a different sounds (w,m,h,o), R=circle etc. (Ochiai Naozumi: Waseda University Library)
Part two’s message of racism should be taught in schools! I love learning about new spirituality and cultures. It’s very interesting to learn about a new culture but it also sad that many don’t know of the Aniu. Like the Native Americans this indigenous culture has so much to teach our progressive society, if we would only listen. Dr. Ito did a great job in the documentary with the firsthand accounts of their experiences and her $99.00 camera. Her work doesn’t surprise me as it is always high quality and very informative.
Hi, Demi! Thank you always for your positive comments! You always make people happy!! I am working on the history of Ainu, seen from their perspective. Thank you again!!
いいね！
Its sad to hear that people do not respect the Ainu culture, it seems that whenever there is an outlier culture within a larger group they are demeaned and ostracized. The story of land accusation from native populations is far too common in history and its depressing that their culture was seen as an obstacle.
Aine ＝Humans
hoku＝ Husband, Daddy
Aca ＝ Father
Have you heard of Kenji Kawano?
Thank you for watching my documentary film!! I am sorry but I do not know Kenji Kawano-san.
KIさん、こんにちは。本日陰性証明をとりいよいよ明日ダラスにむかいます。入国の様子をまたご連絡しますね
あやさん、メッセージ有難うございます！ 陰性証明書無事取得、おめでとう！ なんだかんだって、神経質にならざるを得ないので、「おめでとう」が正しいですよね！ ダラスまで、お天気がちょっと心配だけど、気を付けて運転してね！ 私は、29日に出発です。入国の様子、傾向と対策的にとても助かるのでお願いね！！安全を祈っています。
Thank you.