Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-10-18
SAVAGES IN JAPAN.
THE HAIRY Amos AND THEIR RESER-
VATlONS IN THE EMPIRE.


Their Resemblance to Our Indians.
The Anus, generally known to Amer
leans and Europeans as 1.-THE hairy
Amos" are the only aboriginal people
now living in Japan. They are called
hairy" in contradistinction to the
smooth faced Japanese, Koreans and
Chinese. Their present home is In Hok-
kaido, or Yesso, the most northerly part
of the empire, although 1t is supposed
that in earlier times they occupied
most of the entire country. Ancestors
Of the Japanese of today found them III
possession and by force of superior
arms and civilization gradually drove
them to the north, much in the same
way as the savages were driven back
toward the Pacific by the early settlers
in America.
The Anus live today pretty much as
the Indians on their reservations in the
west They are still for the most part
half savage, and the japanese name
for them, "Yesso," means barbarian.
They are very skillful in hunting and
fishing, which are their chief occupa-
TONS They are under the. protection
of the imperial government and are
entirely separated from the Japanese.
The latest census showed that they
number very nearly 1900.
Among the many curious customs OF
the Anus perhaps tbo-quaintest is their
method of ma p,ing their children. They
obseryo~d peculiar economy in giving
panes. The infant must go without a
name until it shows itself worthy Of
bearing one. If it is sickly and not
likely to live, it is not considered worth
while to waste a name upon it. AS
each child must by immemorial custom
have a brand new name. used by no
one in the community, names are scarce
and must be guarded. If the child
should be given a name borne by some
one else, the ghost of the former pos
SCISSOR of the name may come back
from the underworld to avenge the
slight.
1t is customary to take a name from
some incident that occurred at the
child's birth or it is left to the parents
afterward to choose one for it. Should
the infant come into the world with a
smiling face it might be called Ikishi-
maburu, Which means a smile, or fond
parents may call it Kanoissage "a
pulling rope of the gods if they wish
their child TO be in the special care Of
the gods.
From the age of to 10 Ainu children
of either sex have their heads shaved,
but after II they are allowed to have
long hair and wear the same clothes
as grown persons. They wear no cloth
ing unless the weather is very cold.
The favorite and almost exclusive or
nament is the earring, usually made Of
metal. What clothing is worn is made
of straw. They never wear shoes or
other covering for the feet except as q
great luxury and mark of distinction
on ceremonious occasions.
The men carry small knives and to-
bacco pouches, and the women carry
small looking glasses and knives. The
knife is used as symbolic. The maiden
wears it with the blade bare, but when
she marries it is worn in sheath. The
women also paint their faces, using a
kind Of ink for the purpose.
The Anus live mostly by fishing and
hunting. They hunt the bear and deer,
catch salmon and other fish and grow
potatoes and millet. Whenever they
can get it they eat rice, which they re-
gard as the best food, though they do
not raise it themselves. Both sexes
smoke tobacco and drink liquor.
The marriage customs differ widely
from those of the Japanese. The ques-
ton is first settled between the youth
and maiden, who then refer the matter
to their parents through a mediator,
who should be a relative of the pro-
spective bridegroom. The man must
send a present Of lacquered ware,
which Is regarded by them as one Of
the most precious things in the world.
This, however, is reclaimed by him If
his wife afterward seeks a divorce.
Anus live in dwellings of about the
same class as those of the American
Indians. The rude hut has two win
doWs, one of them for ordinary earthly
uses, the other reserved for the en-
trance Of the gods.
Woman is fairly treated and held in
deep respect. The man Is not allowed
to enter the house when the woman is
In it alone, and he is not permitted to
walk behind woman. When q man
meets a woman, he must salute first,
by smoothing his beard and rubbing
his hands. Then she responds by
touching her nose with a finger of her
left hand.
During October the Anus hold re-
ligious fete, which is called the bear
festival, because they sacrifice a bear
which has been carefully fostered for
three years.
Judicial punishment among the Anus
consists of a severe beating with a
stick administered to the culprit. The
crimes are generally theft-stealing ar
ticles or the wife Of neighbor. AS
there are eight men to one woman the
majority of the males are not married,
and wife stealing is very common The
accused is subjected to a long examina-
tion by the chief Of the community and
is then compelled to resort to the ordeal
of fire. He must take a stone out Of
boiling water. If innocent. the Anus
think he will not be injured If the
question cannot be settled in this way,
the principals lip the dispute must fight
1t out.
The Anus are polytheists, though
they limit their gods to two, a god of
fire and god of water. The first is
called Kabekamoi and the latter Hato-
kaMAoi. They, also, like most peoples
who have religious system. believe in
some sort OF heaven and hell.-Japap