The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1894-11-14
AMONG THE ANU.
They Are to Japan What the In
dians Are to America.
A Fast Dying Race With Many
Curious Customs.

The Ainu in Japan occupies the
same position as the Indian in America,
and like the Indian, he is, the aborigine
OF the country. 1t is race fast dying
out, replete with curious traditions
and superstitions Mr.. John Batche-
lor has made this strange people, their
customs and their folklore, his special
study, and he gives the results of his
Investigations in an interesting article
in the Journal of American Folk Lore
entitled "Items of Ainu Folk Lore"
A person, for instance, with bad
memory, is called 'otter-head." Mr..
Bachelor, made inquiries and dis
covered the following legend which
he translated from the language of the
people.
"The otter is most curious and
wasteful creature, and can remember
nothing at all. As soon as he has
caught salmon, he drags it ashore
and just takes one mouthful out of the
back near the head and leaves all the
remainder of tho fish. No sooner does
he take bite than he forgets all about
1T, throws the fish away, and sets out
to catch another meal. He very sell
dom returns to finish what he had pre-
viously caught. He forgets all about
it. This is the reason why a person
with bad memory is called otter
head" Such is the legend.
When the Ainu find fish which have
been killed by others they carry them
home and use them for food. But
when they eat such fish, or partake of
the flesh of the otter itself, special
prayers are said to the goddess of fire,
asking her to protect them from the
Vaccinations of the evilly disposed
offers. Not only 80, but while eating,
both men and women, old and young
alike, tie tara, j. o., ga sling used in
carrying bundles" round their heads.
The sling is said to keep the spirit of
the otter from entering the brain,
which the Ainu suppose to be the seat
OF memory. Should a person neglect
to wear tara while partaking OF
otters flesh or fish caught by offers,
he will pay the penalty by being pos
.sessed by an otter; and the next time
he goes to the mountains to work he
is certain to forget knife or an axe
or a hoe or some other tool.
Finding a name for the new baby is
a much more important matter with
the Ainu than it is with us. No one
may be called by the name of per-
son who has passed away. When any
one dies his or her name must die ALSO
Should the name of a dead person be
applied to boy or girl, it is supposed
that it would grieve the soul of the
departed, and be likely to call forth
his or her displeasure. Some evil
would be pretty certain to follow, for
the spirits of the dead can, it is thought,
act upon the living for good or evil.
No person can therefore take the name
OF his deceased parent, friend or an.
cestor. In the same way he must not
take the name of his living neighbor.
Should such thing be done it would
be looked upon as kind of theft and
treated accordingly.
The naming of Ainu children does
not take place before the child is two
or three years of age. The parents
generally wait till some trait of char
acter has developed itself, or the child
has performed some peculiar act, be-
fore they give name These circum-
stances decide what it shall be called,
for the word used generally points to
something which took place in early
life, and is sometimes not at all bad
index to character.