AINU, the indigenous people in Hokkaido and neighbor Islands.

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1 AINU, the indigenous people in Hokkaido and neighbor Islands. Japan has 4 major islands and many smaller islands around the major islands. Hokkaido is one of the major islands, and is the Northernmost, the second largest one. It accounts 78,000 km2. It is little smaller than Ireland, and is little larger than Sri Lanka. In Hokkaido Island and some neighbor islands belongs to the subarctic climate area, the human has been living since over 22,000 years ago depending on the rich natural resources from forests and seas. A lot of ruins teach us there was no white page in the history book from that time until recently. Through some big ethnical changes, SATUMON people became conspicuous of the island in the end of 12 century. The SATSUMON people is considered the origin of AINU people living now. From 13 to 19 centuries, they had archived progressing the original AINU cultures with hunting, fishing, collecting plants, and trading treasures with other peoples including Japanese. In 1869, about 140 years ago, the Japanese government from Tokyo in Honsyu island established the Developing Office in Sapporo, Hokkaido. The Office started developing Hokkaido with great power. Many soldiers and migrators came from other major islands of Japan to Hokkaido. With the Japanese imperialism, the Developing Office never admitted the human rights of "natives". The Office inhibited AINU people to live in their way. They were forced to speak Japanese language, to go to Japanese schools, to name Japanese names and to wear Japanese dresses. And they were plundered their places and were forced moving. AINU people lost the rights of hunting and fishing, but got duties of working and military services. Although Japanese government had turned form imperialism into democracy after loosing WW II, 1945, but had not admitted the rights of self-determinations of AINU people for long time. At last, in 2007, the government ratified the united nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, and presumed AINU people as indigenous people. AINU people has about 24,000 of population. Japanese has about 120,000,000 people. Anthropologists dug graves and pillaged old bones of AINU people. In 1880s s, some Japanese anthropologists and anatomists were very interested in 1

2 the ethnology and had gathered plenty of bones by digging graves of AINU people in Hokkaido and other islands. Why did they do such blasphemy? Because they were ambitious of looking for the features as AINU race by measuring bones. They actually finished many papers depend on this "researches". However, they sometimes dug the graves without the admissions of bereaved family. And sometimes they brought not only bones but grave goods also. There were some treasures so-called TAMASAI in the goods. The names of the scientists ; Ph.D. Masakiyo KOGANEI ( ) from Tokyo National University, Ph.D. Kenji KIYONO ( ) from Kyoto National University, and Ph.D. Sakuzaemon KODAMA ( ) from Hokkaido National University. In 1980s, a bereaved family of AINU required the University of Hokkaido to give back the ashes keeping in the laboratory for animal examinations of the faculty of medicine for many years. The families and the Association of AINU handed notes of protest to the University, and then, 35 families received each ashes. The University built a charnel for AINU people by the hospital of the faculty, and stored again the ashes. There are 929 ashes in the charnel. However, the University has never apologized for the indigenous people. Nobody knows where the many grave goods are. So Mr. Ryukichi OGAWA(1935 ), one of the EKASIs of AINU, has required to show all papers, reports, letters, notes, and something else concerns with the researches in 2008 using the Low of Information Legislation. The office of the University has given him 35 information. The Lists of AINU bones gathered by digging, written by the 2nd Department of Anatomy, recorded year unknown, is one of the new materials in public at first time. The Research of HOKUDAI Materials, a group for supporting Mr. OGAWA, has found some conflicts between materials and papers, for example, the numbers of ashes or grave goods. 2

3 AINU people wants the restoration. had had a symposium for this theme with about 100 audiences on June 10th 2011, in Sapporo. Mrs. Yuri JOHNOGUCHI (1938-) living in Urakawa Town, had been taken her grandfather's ash from his grave by Ph.D. KODAMA in "My mother told me that she was sorry she could not restore grandfather's ashes, and she was dead. Now I am old like mother, but when I go to the heaven without the restoration, Grandfather and Mother will feel vex again.", she said. Ph.D. Tetsuya UEKI, professor of philosophy in Tomakomai Komazawa University said "Anthropologists gathering AINU ashes with their powers of authorities was very violent for the minorities. The universities must investigate the historical guilty, find out bereaved families of each ash carefully, give back them the ashes and grave goods, and apologize them". Finally, all of the audiences and The Research of HOKUDAI Materials read the requests for Japanese Government, National Assembly, and the University. ; On the premise giving all ashes back to the families, you must start honest and careful conversation with all AINU people. Please check our blog pages ; 3

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