The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1907-12-17
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On the island Of Yezo in northern !
Japan. and on certain Of the Kurile
islands which extend northwards to-
wards Kamtchatka, there dweIs to-
day a race Of people distinct in type
They are the Hairy Ainu, and although |
numbers Of their settlements have
from time to time been visited by
travellers, most Of the inhabitants have
been living in a semi-civilized state
Very few have seen the true Ainu, as
they are still to be seen, living in
barbaric style on the widest parts Of
Yezo island. Among various writer's
who have contributed to the literature
on the subject Of the Anus, no one
has given a more graphic description
Of these natives than Mr. A. II. Saw
age Landor He had previously com
pleted a long and arduous journey,
which embraced a tour Of the whole
coast Of Yezo and part Of the Kurile
islands, during which he spent many
months studying the habits and Gus
toms Of these quaint people Although
the present writer has also visited
parts Of Yezo, and travelled along the
whole length Of the Kurile islands, he
does not attempt, in such an article as
this, to do more than touch briefly up
on one or two customs Of the Ainu. As
their name suggests, they are race
Of exceedingly hairy people. The men
grow great boards, of which they are
excessively proud, and their bodies are
thickly covered with hair, almost like
members Of the monkey tribe. The
women grow no hair on their faces.
but seem to find solace for this
imaginary defect in tattooing nous
taches on their lips, and often primi-
tive designs on their hands and arms
and also across their foreheads. Young
unmarried women have very little
tattooing on them; but, once a wom-
an is married, her husband seems to
take pride in decorating his bride
with representations of hirsute adorn-
ment The modus operandi is one
which requires considerable fortltude
on the part Of the patient, since the
crudest form OF tattooing is adopted.
This consists Of making a number Of
incisions in the skin with the point Of
knife Cuttle-fish black or smoke
black is then rubbed into the wounds.
and the operation sets up great in
fiammation Of the lips, and is very
painful.
A characteristic Of the Ainu race is
the color Of their skin. which is Of a
deep bronze OF copper color. and in
nowise resembles any other Of the
oriental races, but is more like that
OF the American red Indians. The
Ainu have no records, written or 9th
erwise, of their former history, nor al
how and whence they come to inhabiI
the island Of Yezo. These matters
seem unknown to them and even tc
anthropologists. Legends, however
exist among certain of the Ainu tc
the effect that many years ago YezC
was inhabited by a race Of diminutivs
people who were conquered, and an
parently exterminated, by the Ainu
These people were called by the Ainr
Koro-pok-kurn, or pit-dwellers, owins
to their habit Of living in huts con
structed over form of rectangular
circular. or oval-shaped pit. man,
traces Of which are still found in Yez,
and the Kurile islands. A few years
ago the present writer also discoyere.
on the Behring sea coast Of Alask.
some very perfect remains of a pit
dwellers' village, which Is quite unlik,
any settlements made to-day by tn,
Eskimo or Aleut natives OF Alaska
The Anus claim that at some remot,
period they were themselves the ia
habitants Of some far northern coun
try and as evidence Of this they cit,
their hairy bodies They say. "Why
If we did not come from cold coun
try. should we need to have skins lik,
bear2" 1t IS possible that they dis
migrate southwards from the shores O
the Behring sea. either BY way Of n,
AIeutian Islands, or along the coasts d
Kamtchatka and the Kuriles.
One good trait In the Ainu characte
is their great bravery, and this Is
quality held in high esteem anon,
them On the island Of Yezo, and som.
Of the Kursles, bears are very numer
ous. The Ainu men. who are merel,
armed with such primitive weapons Il
bows, arrows and knives, hunt aut
XIII a great number Of bears. on.
species Of these bears (Ursus ferox) \
notoriously savage. One Of the mos
curious and unnatural customs of III.
Ainn has puzzled me as to its origin
At certain seasons Of the year the mel
organize parties for hunting bears,
old bears arc killed their sklns ans
sknlla being brought home The akall.