The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-10-24
THE ANU RACE OF JApA N.
Mrs. Mabel Loomis Todd's ConsoIatio ms
for the Failure Of the Amherst Eclipse
Party.

The Ainu were obsoured by NO clouds
of any sort during the sojourn In their
vicinity. and very fine opportunities for
studying this interesting race were
IF erded. There are no roads in north-
ern Yezo, no jinrikishas, no kagos, no
carriages, but plenty of horses and NO
side-saddles. So the country had to be
explored in rather primitive but psr-
fectly effectual ma inner, on horseback
through the narrow and often bewilder-
| ing footpaths through the thiokly grow
ing scrub bamboo, or along the hard
sand beaches at low tide. In these rides
I was fortunate in having the company
of Japanese gentleman, formerly
governor of one of the Hokkaido provin
| ces, who knows the Ainu thoroughly,
and their language as well, and who, still
miles in all directions. In way they
are shy race, almost hermit-like, SO far
as foreigners are concerned, and any
| casual traveller visiting the village alone,
or with Japanes guide who is strange
| to them. sees little of their life or GUS
toms, and can rarely purchase any OF
their implements or articles OF dress. The
had interested them greatly, and that
for the first time foreign lady was near
by aroused much curiosity, and at all the
villages they seemed as glad so see me as
l was to see them. So. mutually in ex-
ceedingly good huMor, and able to COM
municate easily by my helpful acquaint-
ance, our study of each other progressed
finely.
The elder women have elaborate orna-
mentation around the mouth in tattooing
of blue black color, which gives them
a peculiarly barbarous appearance; but
the young girls are attractive, and often
pretty, for the tattooing was forbidden
by the Japanese government several
years ago, and, while not entirely sup
pressed, is far less frequent than former
IL. These young girls have generally
clear brown skin, showing wal m
russell red in the cheeks, with beautiful
brown eyes, shaded by long and thick
eyelashes. In the younger generation.
100, the luxuliant black hair IL often
simply coiled at the back of the head,
instead of being cut in the strangely
awkward native way. to stand out thick
ly on each side of the h cad, like an over
grown hearth-trush, and perfectly short
at the back of the head nearly halfway
to the top. Their teeth are even and
white, and altogether they look little
ike the cruel heaJhen race they were
formerly supposed to be. But the inu
have no literature, no written Language
. even, and their arts are of the rudest.
Contact with the cultivated Japanese for
a thousand years has apparently taught
them little or nothing, rnd even now
they would be scarcely beyond the stone
&c except for the easily obtained nipple.
ments OF Japanese make.
The native Ainu utensils are primitive
and very interesting. The bows with
their poisoned arrows, the tobacco
pouches, the knife-handles and sheatha,
the apparatus for weaving elm fiber into
cloth-all of wood, often very we'll carved
-haye sometimes been handed down
|, from parent to child through several gen
!. erations. Frequently q family has but
. one of each article, and that one highly
q priced, which accounts largely for theil
: dislike of selling their posse ssions. My
g Japanese friend, however, prevailed upor
9 some of the Ainu to sell their dearly
: loved heirlooms, by the promise @
Unlimited sake as we'll as the purchase
, money. l was fortunate enough to fnt
a garment of salmon skin quite elabor
1 ately decorated, made in the same ahap
r as tie :aore ordinary elm fiber kinono
and the only one Of its kind encounters
during the summer. Some OF the bead.
and ornaments for the great bear festi
walls are brought from Saghalien. an'
: are quite odd enough to have originated
o in region 10 remote.
: In one of the horseback rides within
r few miles Of Esashi, visited an AIM
house where very old man lived, wit
;, many children and grandchildren. Til
= roof was matched thiokly with soru
d bamboo. and the general plan within wa
v much like the usual type of Japanes
" house-one end having floor OF cart
trodden hard, and the remainder, raise
foot Or more above, covered with tn
=. straw mats. A square hole was lille
70 with burning faguts, the smoke froi
T. which WAS supposed to find Its own wa
I out of a small hole in the roof. bu
seemed to prefer lettering about tn
n room. The rafters hung several incne
CO deep with SCOT, and even the fish dryin
~ ~ above was similarly ornamented. Lynn
on the floor. with one arm thrown owe
q. his eyes, lay an Ainu man sound ASLEEP
r his bushy hair and beard standing OF
T. wierdly about his face. Two OF thrt
lie shy children were eating RIGA near tt
fire, over which an iron pot, full Of q
~ Understandable stew, was suspended, an
II buEbllng vigorously. A pretty youn
l. girl sat sewing dark-blue Japanese co
e, ton upon an elm-fber apron in fanoif'
IN Hgures and an older woman. curle1 I'M
n tiny heap, looked up at US from
TO meath her arm with bright and rattle
. alarmed eyes.