Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-09-17

biologists find many unusual peoples
among the Kafilrs. lOdas.. Australians,
&C, they are quite certain that theTe
are no people 80 strange rs the Ainu
OF Japan The name itself Is peculiar
| for. while Ainu means mon or men.
the name by which they are often
called. Ainu means half brute, a
beast or mongrel.
Although now confined to Yezo.
part of Saghalin and the southern por-
lions of the Kurile Island. The Ainu
territory once comprised almost the
wh0la OF Japan. In the national tradi-
! ton there was time when they could
look out on the waters and exclaim:
l"God of the sea. open your divine
teyes. Wherever your eyes turn there
echoes the sound of the Ainu speech.
The fullbloOded and dhe half caste
are remote survivors OF the remote
Asiatic branch OF the Caucasian race.
They are dying out so quickly that the
number Is now limited TO about 10000.
They are not Mongolians. as some
ethnolOgists have described them.
though their low stature. trc coloring
and the shape Of their skulls would
Indicate MongOlian surroundings.
The first thing that is certain to I'm
press the stranger is their hirsute-
ness the entire body from head to toe
being covered with fine hair. In con-
sidering their appearance" one must ad-
nit two thinss-that they are monkey
like and exceedingly dirty. According
to an explorer, who spent much time
studying these people" the forehead or
,the Ainu is narrow and sharply sloped
backward The cheek bones are prom
inent and the nose Is hooked slightly
fiattaned and broad with wide strong
nOStrils.
The mouth generally is large, with
thick firm lips, and the underlip well
developed. The shape from the nose
ito the mouth is extremely long. while
the chin, which is round. Is compara-
Itively short and not prominent. Thus
are made longer and more prominent
lby thee heavy weight OF their enor-
nous earrings. which work wonders
in deforming their ears. With the
old men and women this is a matter
of less importance. as the long mar
lusually covers the ear. But the child
rem often have holes large enough TO
pass a finger through. and this az
| fords great amusement to the little
folks.
The skin Is light reddish brown. not
yellow and sallow like the Japanese.
and, though 1t cannot be called ex-
|actly a beautiful complexion. 1t Is ia'
/ from being unattractive. The features
are not regular in the European sense.
vet the faces often are handsome.
with large. slightly curved noses. clear
brown or greenish eyes. set straleat
in the head, and olive brown or iair
jcomplexion.
The hair OF Ainu adults Is for the
most part black, wavy, and easli!
breaking into large curls. Though the
hair turns quite black by the time
thew are grown. among children one
often sees brown shades which turn
black when they grow q few years
older.
! The men have handsome dark
boards, shaggy eyebrows. sparkling
dark brown or black deeply set eyes
prominent cheek bones and high forS
heads and bushy heads Of hair.
The women average feet ~ or
/ 1ncnHS, Sltu > lSSS - itA>H
Ainu men arr proud OF aheir ,"ar"
which often are exceedingly i"nS, l"i
hev begin to grow these bears VIC"
thy are boys. BY the time man Is
&c he usually manages to have 4 go'd
hi ard and one that Is far iUnge'
wh, n he reaches 30. hit the women
y are not to be outdone, and though
most of them cannot raise long crop
iof hair on the lower part Of the race
ithey make up for It by having Ions
mustache tattooed on the upper ano
lower lip. They think this makes
them look manly.
Every girl undergoes this paihlu
!. Ioperation as she advances into young
vomanhood. She Is willing to nnder
20 this suffering to be In fashion
woman who lived among these
neoole many years kept q young glr
as maid servant. and the ~"mAh VIC,
7 ipsistant that the girls lace was no
TO he marred by tatooing. But on'
|; day the woman went OF on shor'
|. tourney. and when she returned no'"t
She found the girl had had her lace
'tattooed When she asked the girl 1ol
an exclamation she was answered:
am no white woman. l want TO bt
like other Ainu girls.
= The women are exceedingly shy
they usually droop their heads and
their eyes are fixed on the .as, a,,
'tb;s in itself is an indication Of theil
, innate ,imidity. Though their Gun
;osity may be aroused they reira,'
s,m asking questions or speaking m
IN they are spoken 70 first Thes
work exceedingly hard; in fact. "
! mos, households nearly all ane drr'Hs
cr, ;s lief, for them. They are expect
: ed 10 look after the household. carr
for the children and work out OF doors
j While the men enjoy themseive'
, eating resting and playing their same'
In. women are kept busy workins
from morning until nishtfail. In o'
iesrIv spring the women and girls q