The Ainu indigenous people have its origin as early as 10,000 years ago in the northern parts of Japan. They are ethnically distinct from the other Japanese populace and today they are mainly concentrated in the northern most island of Hokkaido, Japan. The word Ainu actually means “human being” in Ainu language.

The Ainu have share a harmonic relationship with nature as their traditional lifestyle was centered on hunting and fishing and their communities (kotan) were usually located along the river. They were mostly animist worshipping the gods of nature such as the spirit of animals especially the bear, and usually used a lot of rituals and dances.

In the 15th century this simply existence of the Ainu was disrupted but the northern migration of the Wajin (current majority ethnic Japanese) who began settling in Hokkaido nearly 1,000 years ago. During the Edo period (1600-1868), the Bakufu Shogunate government instituted trade policies that favored the Wajin and exploited the Ainu.

The Ainu resisted the invasion of the Wajin by staging a series of armed rebellions in 15th and 17th century, but in both cases they had to concede and were forced to sign a very lop sided agreement which subjected them to a “land lease system”. This system allowed the Wajins to act as they please, while the Ainu became the objects of exploitation by the unjust system.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, another wave of migration saw the increasing of Wajin populace to almost 1 million people minoritising the Ainu people in Hokkaido. These new settlers were granted logging rights besides fishing rights. 

This development saw the gradual but certain degradation of the Ainu people and their customary lifestyle and practices. Under the assimilation policy of the Meiji Government forcibly prohibited the Ainu from using their language, cultural practices and customs. Being already deprived of their usual economic activities, and not denied of their cultural identity and practices, the Ainus and Wajins were heading towards an inevitable clash.

Being economically subdued, the Ainu became increasingly impoverished and indebted. Many of them became forced labourers in the fishing grounds to pay off their debts. The working conditions were said to be almost “hell-on-earth” with the harshest and most dehumanising conditions. And many of the women folks who were often living alone in the villages were raped and killed the Wajin men.

According to some documentation it was also at this point that the Ainu people were experiencing a wave of infectious diseases such as smallpox, cholera and syphilis believed to have been brought to Hokkaido by the Wajin.

Laws which affected the Ainu

In the later part of 19th century, several enactments were passed and implemented resulting in a further alienation of the Ainu from their land and resources. Two significant laws were the "Land Tax Revision Act" and the "Hokkaido Land Deed Issuance Regulation" in 1877. 

With this new development more Wajin migrated to Hokkaido, further pushing off the indigenous Ainu into the high mountains and other isolated places. Many also resorted to land reclamation and had to start farming activities due to the Meiji government’s agricultural labour policy.

Another significant piece of legislation was the "Law for the Protection of the Hokkaido Aboriginals." Which provided for "those who devote themselves to farming will be given 15,000 'tsubo' - about 12 acres - per household free of cost". But due to another piece of legislation called the "Undeveloped Hokkaido National Lands Disposal Act" of 1897, this promise of land never materialised.

The Ainu were prohibited from cutting wood from the forests or fished in the rivers, both traditionally practiced by the Ainu for the past thousands of years. The land which some of them had received were actually on sloes or riverbeds, thus making it difficult for cultivation. And if the land was not fully utilised within a 15-year limit, it would then be confiscated.

In the 1960’s the Hokkaido prefectural government tried to improve the quality and standard of living of the Ainu people by establishing housing, education and environmental programs but these were short lived and minimal in its effectiveness.

In the past 30 years the Hokkaido government has been trying to formulate a more effective law to forward the aspirations of the Ainu people. Finally the "Act on the Encouragement of Ainu Culture and the Diffusion and Enlightenment of Knowledge on Ainu Tradition" was passed.

This new law advocates research on Ainu culture, provides opportunities to study the Ainu language and supports preservation of Ainu customs and traditions. Critiques claim that human rights issues are not specifically addressed but they expect that the new law will help expand awareness, improve understanding and lessen discrimination of the Ainu people.

Currently, it is estimated that several hundred thousands of Ainu people exist in Japan. Due to the societal and economic discrimination against them, they tend to hesitate to express themselves as the Ainu. As a result of successful assimilation policy by the Japanese government, today only a handful of elders can speak their language.

Tan Jo Hann, Malaysian writer