Report: 16th Annual Ainu Speech Contest & AINU ART at Hokkaido MOMA

I went to Hokkaido earlier this month to cheer on my Ainu language students at the 16th Annual Ainu Speech Contest (Itak=an ro!) as well as to see the Ainu Art Exhibit ("Storytellers of the Wind") at the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art. 

The day started with a trip to the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, which was filled with many familiar faces and bigwigs in the Ainu community. Unfortunately photos were not allowed in the exhibit itself, so I have none to share personally... however, there are a few photos that others have taken that are shared on AINU PRIDE PRODUCTION's facebook page. 

It was an excellent exhibit starting with traditional crafts, particularly a thorough collection of exquisitely carved ikupasuy libation sticks and a look into the history of how woodcarvings of bears was introduced into Ainu culture. The exhibit also included the delicate embroidery of Mieko Cikap, abstract wooden shapes of Nuburi Toko, lifelike woodcarvings of Takeki Fujito, bold cloth designs of Noriko Kawamura, and more works from many modern artists.

The exhibit will be at the Hokkaido MOMA until March 24th, so definitely make your way there before it ends!

The Ainu Speech Contest began in the afternoon and ran for nearly 6 hours, featuring over 40 participants ranging from the very young in the children's division to grandparents in the adult divisions (which included both traditional oral performances and current speech presentations). It was reassuring seeing so many people putting such time and dedication to keeping the Ainu language alive. 

In addition to the two Ainu-related events, there were quite a lot of Ainu-related things we saw here and there - the most prominent being the display in the main underground walkway of Sapporo. 

Also the Super Kamui Limited Express train to Asahikawa... (kamuy means god/spirit in Ainu, not sure if it is appropriate to use for a train and/or in combination with "super")

Please come see our photo album on our Facebook page to see more photos from our Hokkaido trip!

WLE

Report: Ainu Shadow Puppet Project in Tokyo!

I was able to attend the at Ainu Shadow Puppet Project show at Asahi Art Square in Asakusa, Tokyo on Sunday, November 25, 2012.

Headed towards Asahi Art Square

The show was a brilliant mix of traditional Ainu yukar storytelling, Ainu traditional song, modern music, Indonesian shadow puppetry, dashed with bits of humor, political satire, and social commentary, all fused together with the American cinematic flavor of director Larry Reed.

 

Post-show talk

As Director Reed described in the post-show artist discussion, it was essentially a live performance of a movie. Indeed, arguably much more real and entertaining than a simple projection of film on a screen - the live performance definitely created a direct connection between the artists and the audience, drawing them into the story.  

Demonstration of what happens backstage

Also interesting was the discussion on the importance of balancing the conservative and the innovative in developing the show, as is often the case when working with indigenous cultures. One must be mindful of conserving tradition and at the same time find ways to create something new. 

Director Reed also noted that although he often asked Oki to explain different aspects of the story, in dealing with mythology not everything need to be understood, nor did everything need to make sense.

 

Shadow Puppet of OKI

The last chance this year to see the Ainu Shadow Puppet Project show will be December 1st in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, but hopefully there will be more opportunities in the future. Given the rich oral traditions of the Ainu people, I personally am hoping that the Ainu Shadow Puppet Project will be putting on many shows to share with audiences a variety of different Ainu stories.

(see more photos from the show on our Facebook page)

Ainu & Okinawa Connections

First, many apologies for being MIA for a long time - this is my first blog entry in nearly 7 months! Things have been quite busy for a while but hopefully I will be able to return to doing a better job of keeping everyone updated about goings on in the Ainu community.

The Ainu have been in the news recently, particularly in their relation to the people of Okinawa.

The Asahi Shimbun: "Genetic kinship found between Ainu and native Okinawans"

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201211010059

A study has found that Okinawan and Ainu peoples most closely resemble each other, sharing Jomon DNA while Japanese on Honshu were of a mix of Jomon and Yayoi DNA. This supports the theory that the Jomon people originally lived throughout the Japanese archipelago, and the Japanese people were into being as the Yayoi came from mainland Asia (China and Korea) and intermixed with the Jomon in Kyushu, moving northwards throughout Honshu.

The theory is already a well-known (and perhaps well-accepted) within certain parts of the Ainu community, so it does not come as much of a surprise. However, there are some criticisms of the study. Some people for example point out the fact that the study treats Jomon as a monolithic entity when in fact it consisted of many different groups and ethnicities.

Personally, I do not find the results surprising but am wary of putting great emphasis and meaning on genetic analysis. Indeed, given the history of using Ainu bodies for study, I have somewhat of a distaste of studies of this nature. Where did the Ainu DNA they used come from? Given all the issues with Ainu identity in the current community, how did they define what an Ainu person was?

Even without the "genetic kinship," many Ainu and Okinawans share a connection in modern society, whether from shared experiences as minorities in a Japan or from the simple fact that they occupy the extremities of the Japanese archipelago. Interestingly enough, these connections have also been brought to the forefront due to recent events, and it is these that draw my personal interest.

Recently the Ainu musician OKI teamed up with Okinawan legend Misako Oshiro for a tour to commemorate the release of their CD, "Kita to Minami (North and South)."  

I was able to attend their performance in Tokyo, an interesting mix of the two traditions. You can find some excellent photos of their rehearsals as well as from their performances in Tokyo, Naha, and Miyako-jima at photographer Masashi Noda's blog.

Also check out check out an interview with the two artists (in Japanese) on Ryukyu Asahi Broadcasting's "Q Report."

November also marked the 19th Annual Charanke Festival, the gathering of Ainu and Okinawan communities in Nakano, Tokyo. 

The festival was a great success marking a return to the park area in front of Nakano Station where the festival has traditionally been held. The festival featured many Ainu artists and Okinawan performers as well as various booths featuring crafts and foods from both communities. 

 

Check out more photos from "Charanke Festival 2012" on our Facebook page.

Indeed, the Ainu and Okinawan communities have strong bonds through people, music, food, and culture, regardless of what is written in their DNA - or perhaps, some may argue, because of it.

Marewrew on TV

Marewrew, the quartet of traditional Ainu singers, was featured in the NHK for School "Doutoku Document" program aimed at teaching elementary school students about social issues.

The program with Marewrew was the 17th of the series entitled "Wishes Upon Traditional Songs," and aired January 27 and February 3. The program is now available for viewing online here (unfortunately in Japanese only).

Marewrew will also be featured this week (Thursday & Friday, March 29 & 30) on the NHK E-TV program "Nihongo de Asobou" (Let's Play in Japanese) from 7:30 am to 7:40 am! Catch it if you have the chance! (Details in Japanese here)

REPORT: Gallery MOZART and Cafe & Gallery Pon-no

Yesterday I was able to visit the Ainu Traditional Craft Exhibit at Gallery MOZART and afterward have some delicious Ainu cuisine at Cafe & Gallery Pon-no.

The Exhibit at Gallery MOZART featured carvings by Mamoru Kaizawa,

Ikupasuy prayer sticks

embroidery by Setsuko Kaizawa,

Ainu Garment

as well as charming postcards drawn by Maki Sekine.

Postcards

Works by other artists were also on display, and will be available for viewing until the 28th.

After seeing the exhibit, I headed to Kunitachi to get some good Ainu home cooking at Pon-no. Having tasted the delicious dishes at Cafe Poronno in Akan, Hokkaido, I was eager to try Emi Toko's version of her family's recipes.

Cafe Pon-no Sign

The cafe was quite busy with people not wanting to miss out on this limited opportunity to eat Ainu cuisine in Tokyo. In addition to a full menu of Ainu dishes, the cafe also had on display a variety of works by Emi's silversmith husband Ague. 

Silvercraft by Ague

I enjoyed the delicious Ipeanro Set (ipe=an ro is "let's eat") featuring amam (rice & other grains), yuk ohaw (deer soup - you can also order cep ohaw, salmon soup), rataskep (pumpkin mixed with beans and sikerpe (fruit of the Amur cork tree)), and an additional side dish of cucumbers with bonito flakes. 

Ipeanro Set with yuk ohaw

The soup was rich with flavor from both the venison and vegetables, and was topped with pukusa (wild garlic) for added emphasis.

I also ordered the potceimo (fermented potato cake), a unique dish made from thawing potatoes in the spring after freezing them in the Hokkaido snow through winter.

Potceimo

The cafe will be open only through the 29th, so don't miss this rare chance to get some delicious Ainu food in Tokyo!

(More photos from the exhibit are available in our Facebook photo album.)

REPORT: The Beauty of Tradition & Creation -2011 Ainu Folk Art Exhibit-

I was able to briefly visit the "The Beauty of Tradition & Creation -2011 Ainu Folk Art Exhibit-" that took place last month in the Tokyo Tower gallery (apologies for not posting pictures sooner).

The display space was a bit strange, being an open space directly connected with shops and food areas. The art was also exhibited in a more museum-like manner rather than as pieces of art. 

The upside was that there were several artists present demonstrating their craft and providing a chance for visitors to experience the creation of Ainu folk art themselves.

Ainu garments on display

Close-up of tray by Nobuo Yoshida

Iri-makiri (skinning knife) by Tahachi Urakawa

Matanpus headband by Machiko Kato

(More photos from the exhibit are available in our Facebook photo album.)

OKI: Nukes and Revolutions, North and South

OKI is leading the OKI DUB AINU BAND around Japan as part of the -Revolution Year 1 Tour 2012-. Coinciding around the first anniversary of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster and the fears of nuclear radiation that followed, the theme of the tour as seen by the merchandise is "No Nukes":

Stickers

Pins

T-shirts
(all images from OKI DUB AINU BAND's facebook page)

OKI has been active speaking out (including on twitter) against the use of nuclear power in Japan, and particularly against the Tomari nuclear power plant in Hokkaido - as seen in this report from the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Tomari is home to one of the only two nuclear reactors currently remaining in operation. Indeed, soon following the disaster last year, OKI DUB AINU BAND released the following song and video in collaboration with Rankin Taxi:

Though they will be playing at an additional separate event in Shibuya on March 15, the -Revolution Year 1 Tour 2012- will draw down to a close tonight, March 14 (Wed) with a final event in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture. However, March 14 also marks the date that OKI's newest album goes on sale:

The new album, entitled "OKI meets Misako Oshiro: Kita to Minami (North and South)," is a collaborative effort bringing together and fusing the sounds of Ainu and Okinawan music. The CD will be released by Tuff Beats, and you can check out their page for further details (in Japanese only) as well as to listen to some sample clips from the album.

If you are interested in obtaining the new CD or any of OKI's "No Nukes" merchandise, please contact AINU PRIDE PRODUCTIONS.

Two Videos from YouTube

Here are two recent videos from YouTube:

First, a digest of kapiw & apappo's performance in Hokkaido from August of last year. Look for video from their performance in January 2012, expected soon.

Also available on YouTube is a look at the Ainu Shadow Puppet Project from December 2011.  As I was unfortunately unable to attend, the video thankfully gives a sense of the project and performance - hopefully they will have an encore performance soon!

REPORT: Gallery MOZART & Riwkakant Planetarium Concert

February 11, 2012 

I was able to visit the Ainu Modern Art Exhibit at Gallery MOZART and then later head to Tsukuba to see the Riwkakant Planetarium Concert.

The Exhibit featured a wide variety of different Ainu artists working in different media, and ranging from relatively more traditional styles to the quite modern. 

Woodblock Print by Koji Yuki

Tapestry by Yoko Koyama

Woodcarving by Toru Kaizawa

Handkerchiefs by Tamami Kaizawa

(More photos from the exhibit are available in our Facebook photo album.)

(Please contact AINU PRIDE PRODUCTIONS if you are interested in purchasing any of these works.)

The Riwkakant Planetarium Concert was quite an interesting experience, as we were treated to a unique fusion of songs, sound, and light.

From http://riwkakant.blogspot.com/

While the concert was only a one-time experience (Riwkakant does not normally do live performances), you can still catch "Stars of the Ainu" Planetarium show until February 26, or you can purchase Riwkakant's CD from the blog/website, which includes many of the songs featured in the show.

Takeshi Kainuma + Toko Emi = Riwkakant

Round-up for February

Following up on my previous entry, a quick round-up of events that took place in early February:

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February 4 saw the event Pursuing "Susuriwka" through Video (details in Japanese here), a reflection through discussion and video viewing on the collaborative work between the tonkori musician OKI and Santee Smith of the Kaha:wi Dance Theatre. The event included a showing of "A Battle on the Bridge - The Creation of Susuriwka," a making-of documentary on the collaboration (and for which AINU PRIDE PRODUCTIONS helped produce the English subtitles for). 

A clip of "Susuriwka" (meaning 'willow bridge' in Ainu) is available below:

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Also on February 4, the National Museum of Japanese History held its 6th History Museum Forum on the theme of "Preservation of Ainu Culture -Videos that Connect People with Memory, and People with People-" (details in Japanese here). The event featured a showing of various videos created by the museum documenting the current efforts of Ainu cultural preservation in Hokkaido, with comments and discussions from members of the community and lectures from experts in related fields.

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Finally, on February 7 an event was held in Tokyo that featured Koji Yuki and Shoji Fukumoto from Ainu Art Project for an evening of Ainu story-telling and performance on the tonkori.

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Launching of the Ainu Party of Japan (& Round-up for January)

Apologies for not updating for a while, unfortunately I missed posting on some major events before they happened - but here's a quick round-up of some of the events that took place at the end of January in this post (events for the beginning of February will be in a separate post).

If you would like more details about these events, please leave a comment or contact us.

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A major event was the launch of the Ainu Party of Japan (website here) that took place on January 21 in Sapporo (video in Japanese):

The Party is led by Shiro Kayano, son of the late Shigeru Kayano, the only Ainu representative to the Japanese Diet so far. The ceremony was attended by leaders in the Ainu community including Shizue Ukaji and Yuji Shimizu, as well as a delegation from the Maori Party of Aotearoa (New Zealand). 

Read articles regarding the event here:

Kiwi MP helps launch new Ainu Party in Japan

Leader of Japan's Ainu Party vows to represent indigenous values in gov't

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Another event that took place on January 21 was the Ainu Forum Hokkaido 2012 in Shiraoi. The event featured speakers, an Ainu puppet play, and presentations by students from the Urespa Project at Sapporo University (a scholarship & educational program that AINU PRIDE PRODUCTIONS supports).

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Finally, Ainu Art Project had a live musical performance at an art event on January 27 in Sapporo to celebrate "The Start of 2012 the Year of the Dragon."

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REPORT: Forest Gallery & Concert @ Haponetay

Haponetay (Mother Forest) is a forest in Shimizu, Hokkaido (near Obihiro) that is run by two Ainu women – the mother-daughter pair of Rumiko & Utae Ehara. Haponetay is the venue for the yearly “Forest Gallery” which display works by Ainu and other artists in a forest setting. Other events such as workshops and concerts are also held at the forest during the period of the exhibit.  

This year, the artists on display were Shogo Yoshino and sayo, two young Ainu artists that are former members of the AINU REBELS and are currently AINU PRIDE PRODUCTIONS featured artists, as well as Koji Yuki of Ainu Art Project. The works of Ague, a silversmith who incorporates the Ainu designs of his wife Emi Toko, and Atsushi Hirata, a “Jomon”-inspired artist were also included in the exhibit.

A piece by Shogo Yoshino

A series by sayo

The concert held this year featured traditional dancing and singing by the Hunpe Sisters, a trio of Ainu women who in their own words look like hunpe (whales), and the rock-infused Ainu music of Ainu Art Project. Other local performers and a group of schoolchildren learning Ainu traditional dance also joined the concert as well.

Hunpe Sisters in action

(More photos are available on our Facebook page)

Next year’s event is already being planned, please contact us if you would like to learn more about Haponetay or the featured artists – or visit Haponetay’s website (in Japanese only) or follow them on twitter.

AINU PRIDE PRODUCTIONS @ College Women's Association of Japan Luncheon

The College Women's Association of Japan is a non-profit organization of Japanese and non-Japanese women promoting education and cross-cultural exchange, providing scholarships and organizing an annual Print Show. One of the organization's activities is also to hold a monthly luncheon with speakers and guests on a given topic.

AINU PRIDE PRODUCTIONS had the honor of being invited to speak at the luncheon, and we were able to put together a program with renowned Ainu artist and activist Shizue Ukaji, dancer and performer Naoko Tateshita (formerly of AINU REBELS) and myself (head of AINU PRIDE PRODUCTIONS, W. Lonnie Ding-Everson).

The program included an introduction to the Ainu people, their history, culture, and current situation, including the story of the Ainu community in Tokyo. We were also able to present on several of the activities and projects undertaken by AINU PRIDE PRODUCTIONS.

This was followed by a question and answer session with Shizue Ukaji and Naoko Tateshita, who provided two different perspectives of their experiences as Ainu women from Hokkaido currently living in Tokyo – Shizue Ukaji as an elder who has lived in Tokyo for several decades, and Naoko Tateshita as a younger member of the community that left Hokkaido just a few years ago.

Following the Q&A session, Naoko Tateshita treated the participants to a performance of several traditional songs and dances, and at the end everyone joined in for a round of poro rimse (big circle dance).

(Photos courtesy of CWAJ. More photos are available on our Facebook page).

The event also featured a display of Shizue Ukaji’s embroidery work, which she uses in a unique fashion to illustrate traditional Ainu stories.

AINU PRIDE PRODUCTIONS sincerely appreciates the work of the organizers in putting the program together, and is grateful for the opportunity to share the stories and experiences of the Ainu people as well as the work of AINU PRIDE PRODUCTIONS.

Iyayraykere!

Ainu Art at Gallery MOZART

In the past few years, Gallery MOZART in Tokyo has been active in supporting Ainu artists by hosting a variety of Ainu art exhibits. This year as well, they hosted the exhibit “To the Sky” with works by Mieko Cikap from September 5 through 17, as well as works by such Ainu artists as Shizue and Ryoko Ukaji, Toru and Koji Kaizawa, Satoru Kawakami, Harumitsu and Sachiko Sawai.

I visited Gallery MOZART on September 10 earlier this year to see the Mieko Cikap exhibit. Her embroidery was dynamic and powerful, interweaving vibrant strands of color in traditional yet contemporary designs.

 

I purchased a copy of “The World of Mieko Cikap -A Collection of Ainu Embroidery and Poems” available at the exhibit, which includes beautiful photographs of her work against natural backdrops, together with her poems contemplating the various aspects of nature and life.

(Please contact AINU PRIDE PRODUCTIONS if you are interested in obtaining a copy of this book).

On October 20th I was also able to visit the gallery to catch the exhibit of Ainu crafts by the “Modern Ainu Research Group” (October 17 through 22), a collective of several different artists who not only make traditional embroidery and woodcarving but attempt to incorporate more modern designs and forms into their work.

More photos from both exhibits are available on our Facebook page, so please visit to take a look at the whole range of beautiful works!

Also, don’t forget to catch the upcoming exhibit of Koji Yuki’s works at Gallery MOZART runningfrom December 12 through 22.

Gallery MOZART entrance