R.I.P. Kayano Shigeru - Ainu leader

On May 6, in a small town in Hokkaido, a 79-year-old man died. Nothing unusual in that. But the man himself was rather unusual in many ways. Kayano Shigeru, a man known by some as the "Ainu Mandela", spent his life promoting the cause of the Ainu people and its language in the largely hostile environment of mainstream Japan.

For many minorities and minority languages, having a charismatic leader is a real boon. Kayano was certainly that (and it should be said that he was not without his critics - even in Ainu circles). He had a high profile, becoming the first Ainu to win a place in the Japanese Diet (Government). His was the voice that spoke the Ainu language for the first time in government session, and therefore, perhaps more than any other in recent times, he served to remind people that Japan is not the homogeneous nation that former Prime Minister Nakasone promoted. Whether the Ainu people can find a worthy successor is a moot point.

Kayano's voice lives on in recordings; it is his resonant tones you can still hear at the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka. He has also left a wealth of books and other written materials. His memoir "Our Land was a Forest" is highly readable, and in Hokkaido there is always the Nibutani Ainu Shiryoukan (that bears his name) to visit.

But now it is up to others to champion the cause of the Ainu people in Japan. Many have been doing so for a long time. Below are a few links to interesting Ainu-related websites.

The Ainu Museum

The Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture

Ainu language lessons on the radio

A bibiography of Ainu language and culture

Ainu - English wordlist