The Ainos: Aborigines of Yeso.

Author(s): H. C. St. John

Source: The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 2
(1873), pp. 248-254
Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland
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248 H. C. ST. JOHN, R,N.-The Ainos.

The followingpaperswere read by the Director.

THE AINOS: ABORIGINES OF YESO. By CommanderH. C. ST.
JOHN, R.N.
THIS strangerace,inhabitingYeso, Saghalien,and thesouthernof
the Kurile Islands,are in Yeso and Kunashirentirelynndersub-
jection to the Japanese,and are made use of in hunting, fishing,
and collectingseaweed. In the interiorof Yeso theymust be
freerand moreindependent, as the Japaneseare at presentcon-
tentwith settling,along the coast,and knowlittleor nothingof
otherpartsof the island. The Ainos naturallypreferthecoasts,
foodbeingmuchmorecertainand moreeasily procured.
Accordingto the Japanese,there are ten thousandAinos in
Yeso aloine. This I think is greatlyin exaggerationof their
real numbers. From what information I could gain,it would
appear the race is decreasing. They live quite distinctfromthe
Japanese,having a separatevillage,as it were,in the same set-
tlement. The Japalheselook downuponthem,and despisethem,
talk of them as qluiteinferiorbeings,and have no nearercon-
nectionwiththemthan is necessarybetweenmastersand slaves.
The Ainos are below the middlestatue,the men averagingfive
feettwo inchesto fivefeetfourinchesin height. Theirframes
are lightand wiry,shortmusculardevelopmentbeingveryrare.
They are well proportionedand well knittogether, showingno
certain peculiarityor variety. The women are short; their
averageheightis ratherunderfivefeet. Like the men,theyare
spare,stoutnessbeing quite exceptional. They are capable of
undergoingtoil and exposuresimilarto themen,bothsexesdoing
the same work.
The conditionoftheAinos along the coastis materiallyaltered
and betteredby the introduction ofrice as a part of their daily
diet,supplied by the Japanese authoritiesat the different sta-
tions. The colour of their skin is dark; a coppercolouLr, with
an olive tint,or a dirtycopper. There appearsalmostperfect
uniformity in their colour,both in the northand southof the
islands. OccasionallyI noticeda manhavinga darkercomplexion
thanusual,but I neverobservedthatvariationamongthewomen.
The childrenvariedonlyin havinga clearercopperhue thanthe
elder people. Their featuresare regular,good, and decidedly
pleasing; entirelydistinctfromthe Mongolian,having neither
the high-cheekedbone,noroblique uppereyelidpeculiarto that
race. Many have most intelligentfaces. Their temples are
fiat; foreheadsbroad,square,and high. Arch of the head flat;
entirehead roundand well shaped. Theirlips are full,but not
repulsivelyso. They resemblethe Euiropeanrace,not alone in
theirfeaturesand generalcontouir, but in theirexpression. Their

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 VI~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~I

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16~~~~~~qiii

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 Aino Girl.

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 Aino Hut.

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 H. C. ST. JOIIN.-The Ainos. 249
eyesareuniversallyverydark; eyebrowsare straightand parallel
to the axis of the orbits. The hair of this race is verycha-
racteristic. It is coarse,straight,and flowing,and invariably
black; existsin the greatestprofusionon the head ofbothsexes.
The men wear long,flowingbeards and moustache,theirarms,
breasts,legs,and entirebodybeing almost invariablymore or
less hairy; frequently to an extraordinary degree-even in the
childrenthis is observable. Exceptional cases of hairymen
occurin all races,but in this racethe exceptioniis to finda man
not hairy.
The Ainos have not the appearanceof possessingmuscular
strength. They are, as well as being low in stature,small in
girthof body,light and wiry. The average life of this race
mustbe oflow standard,fewreachingthe age of fifty-five.The
wornenage verysoon; the exposed life theylead as children,
the earlyage theymaTryand becomemothers, and thecontinued
hard life theylead afterwards, fishing,collectingwood and sea-
weed,at the same time performing theirnioreparticularduties
attachedto the rearinga numerousfamily,combined,verysoon
age the women. The children,as maybe supposed,in earlyyears
become independent, takingcare of the house and the smaller
urchinsduring the absence of the parents. The womenwear
their hair long and shaggy,simplyflungback on the head, and
sometimestied behind. Like their sex in otherparts of the
world,theyhavetastesand ideasregarding ornamentation. When
theytrimtheirsimplerobeof deer-skin,
it is procurable, orcoarse
canvas,withblue cloth. Theywearlargemassiveear-rings;somie
have hoops ornamented withbits of blue glass,which,wornas
a coronet,theyappearin on grandoccasions.The regularAino. dress
forbothsexes is a single robeof deerskin,whichreachesto the
knee. This,tied roundthe waist,constitutestheir dress. Be-
sides thedeer-skinrobe,theymanufacture fromthe innerlayers
of the birch bark a coarsekind of canivas. The inen have no
peculiarityin theway of tattooingorornaimentation. The women
tattoo their face round the lips, carryingthe markout on the
cheekto a finepoint. This customis commencedwhentheyare
small children,and constantlyadded to untiltheymarry. The
wife of a chief or head man wearsa piece of striilgpassed six
timesroundthe waist. The wives of the inferior men are only
allowed to have threeturns. The womenalso tattootheirwrists
in rings,workingfromthe hand up the armto the elbow. The
exact meaningof this customI could not ascertain,but believe
it is in connectionwith markingperiodsof time,or numierating
somethingthe numberof whichtheywish to retain. They are
a dirtypeople,hardlyever washing even their faces or hands.
This being the customn duringthe summer,it may be concluded
VOL. II. S

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250 II. C. ST. JOHN.-TIe Amnos.

that duringwintertheyneverattemptto wash. Theyare much

addictedto skin disease,and in all small settlementsseveralin-
dividualsmay be seen entirelybald fromthis cause; probably
the quantityof lime theysmearovertheirheads when infected
also helps to producebaldness.
The introduction ofrice to theirusual customarydiet of flesh
or fishhas done muchto amelioratethe prevalenceof skin dis-
ease. I believein Saghalientheysuffer muchmorethan in Yeso.
Small-pox is known amongstthem; when it appearsthe tribe
immediatelyquit their sea-coast residenceand dispersein the
interior. This circumstanceand othercauses inclineme to be-
lieve that small-poxis introducedby the Japanese,probablyby
junks. These two diseases appeartheonlytypeof sicknessthey
sufferfrom. Theirteethare solid and good,and bytheirsound-
ness invariablyobservedin theirskulls,mustalso be,lastingand
generallyfreefromdecay. Fish is theirstaple food; rice and
salki (sprouts)have bothbeen introduiced by the Japanese.
Duringthe springand summera bulbous-rooted grass is col-
lected and cured as a vegetable. This,if not the onlynative
vegetable,is the mostcommonone,and showsthatpreviousto
the introduction ofrice the Ainos,like otherrude and insulated
races,valued excellentplants. Deer's meat,duringwinter,when
fishingis precariousor entirelystopped by the weather,is the
miainfood. The men at this seasonkill greatquantitiesof deer
for their horns alone,deer's hornsbeing one of the fewtrade
exportsfromHakodadi. Not manyyearsago theywerebouglht
at thatplace fortlhreedollarsper one hundredand thirty-three
pounds, and sold for fortydollars. At the presenttime the
samiequantityis boughtat six dollars,and sold at nine.
The bow and arrow(poisoned)is tlheirnative and still prin-
cipal weapon used. At sonmestationsthey use the Japanese
nmatchlock.Dogs, the same species as foulndin Japan, are
much used in huntingdeer; and whensnow lies thickand soft,
numbers are killed with these animals alone. Their bow is
short,about threefeetin length;the arrowsare not longertllan
twentyinches,tippedwitha hard,cup-shapedpiece of bamboo,
bone,or iron. The cup or hollowcontainsthe poison. This is
preparedfroim the brainsof crows,the ashes of tobacco,and two
insectsnamedby the Ainos,Yousiki alndKronmbi;the latteris
a waterinsect,and is foundattachedto sticksor stones. These
fourinigredients,miixedtogetherand allowed to becomeputrid,
are thenireadyforuse. This poisonis so strongthata consider-
able portionof the fleshround the wound has to be cut away
beforethe aniimalcan be used as food. I thinkthe poisonmore
generallyused is preparedfromthe deadlynight-shade.
The Aimos are good-natured,kind, and obliging; they are

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 H. C. ST. JOHN.-The Ainos. 251

always willingto do anythingtheymaybe asked,appear glad to

see a strangeface amongstthem,are neitherrudenorinquisitive,
and invariablyin theirpeculiarway salute you. This is done
by droppingon theirknees,mnaking a low obeisance,liftingboth
hands to a level with their head, strokingtlheirlong beards
down,and lettingthemfall palms up on theirknees. The wo-
men raise their hands and rub their-upperlip underthe nose
withthe forefinger of the righthand. At first,and until the
fair sex became accustomedto the appearance of foreigners,
theyinvariablycovered their mouths with their hands,seem-
ingly,it appeared,to hide the tattooing.
Altogetherthey are a happy,contentedrace. Their wants,
of course,are nothingbeyondfood and clothing,and, to a cer-
tain exteit, both these are found them as paymentforlabour,
moneybeing kept most scrupulouslyfromthem. The women,
when paddling about, fishing, or pickingup shells,often sing
wild snatches of songs. The men always meet you with a
smile,and the childreninvariablyappear up to games. These
and othertraitsshewtheircares are few,and their spiritslight.
Their dwellingsare rude enough; grassmattedovera rough
squiareframework ofpoles,withpoles again lashed across out-
side. These huts are usually about 15 or 20 feetlong,by 10 or
12 in width; slope fromthe base to thetop; have a squareopen
hole at one end of the upper part to allow the smoke to
escape,and generallya small openinglowerdown on the oppo-
site side as a window. The door is always underthe chimney
end of the hut, and has a porch,or small outerchamber,with
anotherdoor to it. In this compartment theykeep theirnets
and such gear; their dogs also live here. In the centreof the
large chamberis the fireplace. The inside oftheseroughdwell-
ings is black fromthe constantwood fire; everythingwithin
is black; poles stretchacross,on whichhang the most extra-
ordinarymedley of tlhingspossible,fish,deer'smeat,mocassins
made of fishskin,robes,nets,and I know not what else. Close
to everyhut is a store-houseof the same materialand construc-
tion as the dwellinghut,raised 8 or 10 feet offthe ground on
poles. In theseplaces theykeep theirwinterstore of fish and
otherfood. They are raisedfromthe groundto be clear of the
snow,of dogs,foxes,and wolves.
Out of the birch bark they make manythings. The outer
bark is made into coveringsfor numerousarticles; fromthe
inner bark theymake twine,and thenfishingnets,and also, as
previouslymentioned,a kind of coarse canvas. Log canoes
(the solid treehollowed out) from25 feetin lengthto all sizes
underthat,having sometimesboardslashed on eithergLnwale,
are their descriptionof boat. It can hardlybe said theyhave
s2

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252 H. C. ST. JOHN.-TheAinos.

any certaini burialground;sometimesone localityappears more

used than another,but as a rule theydig a hole anywhere,and
deposit the body in it. Neither do theyappear to have the
least respector feelingconnectedwith theirdepartedfriends,it
beinga commonoccurrenceto findthe hole scratchedopen,and
skulls and bones scatteredabout; wolves,foxes,and probably
their own half-wilddogs do this, the Ainos looking,upon it
as a matterof course,or at any rate withindifference.
These people in a manner believe in spirits. There is the
spirit of the sky, of the river,mountain,forest,fire,and the
fishingspirit. To representthese several spirits,they have
stickspealed in different ways. The pealingis lefton in curls,
It depends on these curls,and on the particularpart of the
stick on which the curl is, which spiritit represents. Sup-
posing the fishingspirit to be the one they wish to ap-
pease, the sticks representinghim are stuck about the
beach on theirfishinggrounds. They have no shrineor temple
for their spirits either singly or collectively. In springocca-
sionally,it appears,theyhave bear hunts,killing the old bears
and capturingthe cubs. When the cubs are verysmall,they
are handed over to the men's wives, who either bringthem
up by hand or suckle them,continuingthe latterprocessuntil
theirteethbecomedisagreeably long. At someofthesettlements
I visitedtherewerefouror fiveyoungbears kept in large cages
made of hard wood poles. In the aut-umnthese animalsare
killed and eaten at the feastofbears, a ceremonyheld at that
time.
The Ainos have no writtenlanguage. In connectionwiththe
Japanese,a mixtureof both is used. If an Aino wishesto be
very explicit, particularlyin a geographicalview, such as
explaining the course of a streamor the situationof a lake,
he takes you to a soft patch of groundon the sand,and with
a stickor his fingerdrawshis ideas. The women of the tribe
are greateradepts at this primitiveliterature, having been in-
structedby some old lady ofthe tribein patterndrawingwhen
childrenand girls. When old enough theywork the different
patternslearnt as children on their robes. There are some
strange customs connected with the Ainos, related by the
Japanese,which read (they are printed)more like fablesthan
reality. Queer as theymay be, I believe theyare mainlytrue.
A fewI will give in as near an approachto the Japanese word-
ing as is possible. The firstevidentlyrelatesto the invasionof
Yeso by the Japanese; unfortunately, no date is given or ob-
tainable in connectionwiththe event,whichis as follows:
" A numberofyearsago a great battle was foughtbetween
the Japaneseand theAinos. The Japaneseused matchlocks, the

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 H. C. ST. JOHN.-TheAinos. 253

Ainosbowsand arrows;oftheformer fivewerekilled; theAinos

buried their dead as fast as they fell, and retreatedinto the
woods. There is a famousfish called the 'one boo,'which is
foundonlyat one place,and thereonlyin May, June,and Octo-
ber. Then this fishappears,and the Ainos beg,into make raids
after him. They commenceby observingwhat is called in
Japanese'mon-ou-me',the nearest interpretation to which,in
English,besidesbeing,strangeas it seems,the best description,
is the code of laws foundin the eighteenthand otherchapters
ofLeviticus. Theymustbe verycleanin theirperson."This alone
mustbe an eventofgreatimportanceand consideration to thein.
" If any of their familybave lately died theywon'tfish. Sup-
posingeverything and theirpreparations
is propitious, completed,
theycommenceby keepingstrictsilence,even their women at
home are prohibitedfromsinging,and no musical instrument
can be used. The hearing organs of this green fish are so
acute that it appears he can detectthe slightestmusicalnote
miles away, and disappears instantly. Having caught their
fish and broughthim home, he is passed quietlythroughthe
small openingat the end of the hut,and not by the door,if he
did the otherfishwould certainlysee him and disappear."
In Saghalien,thefollowing strangefLneralcustomwas observed
until quite lately: "When the chief of a tribe or village died,
his body was laid out on a table close to the door of his hut;
his entrailswerethenremoved,and daily fortwelvemonthshis
wifeand daughterswash him thoroughly. He is allowed,or I
shouldimaginesupposedto dryin the sun; the washingprocess
beingthe onlymeans used to curehim. At the end of the year
whichhas beenin preparation
his coffin, all thetime,is completed,
and thenif the bodyis cured,he is depositedtherein,and laid
on the ground. The wifeand othersare much conmmended by
the tribe for their care and attention,and receivepresentsof
tobacco,etc. But if,notwithstanding all theircare and trouble,
the body becomes putrified, then the wifeis killed,and buried
beforeher late husband is put out of the way. When women
die they are buried at once, and a tomb placed over them."
This is certainlynot the case now,if it everwas before. Sorrow
is supposedto be highlydevelopedin theAinorace. When an in-
dividual of eithersex dies in a family,the neighbourscome and
mournwiththe survivors, and tearsare always shed. If thename
ofa departedfriendis mentioned, it is,however,consideredan un-
pleasantsubject of conversation, and avoided as much as possi-
ble. When a mandieswithinhishouse,orifanyonediessuddenly
oppositeor close to a house,the house in eithercase is burnt.
Husbands are kind to their wives; the duty of the wife
appearsto be to save the lhusbandall the work she can by the

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254 H. C. ST. JOHN.-TheAinos.
simpleprocessof doingit herself. A successfulorexperthunter
or fishersometimeskeeps two wives. If a woman findsher
husbandan unsuccessfulNimrodshe abandonshim. Concubines
are allowed,but do not reside in the same hut as the lawful
wife. In Saghalien the men look afterand keep in orderthe
womeni'swardrobe. In Yeso it is viceversa.
The meetingoftwo friendsafterthe absenceof eitherforany
lengthof timeis peculiarlyceremonious. The one who has not
been absenttakes the other'shands in his and rubsthem,weeps,
and asks afterhis health. Not untilthisis gone througlhcan
businessbe transacted. Feasts are not iinfrequent amongstthe
Ainos. As soon as the guests have assembled,and are seated
on mats produced for the occasion,the host pours a little
saki into his guests' cups; while he does so the guestsalutes
him by rubbinghis hands together. The drinkingsticksare
presentedwiththe saki. The guest now strokeshis left-hand
withhis right,waves the stick round the cup, dips it into the
saki,and throwsa littleoverhis head: this is the offering to the
spirit. The host and guest again exchange compliments. The
latter now holding his moustacheup drinks one mouthfulof
saki, salutes his host,refillshis cup, and proceedsthroughthe
same ceremonyfrombeginningto end. The Japanese law is
publicly read out every 15th of November. On tlhatday a
dance, called the crane dance,is performed by the girls of the
settlement.The same dancetakesplace at thegreatfishingfeast.
Owls, forwhichbirdsthesepeople have a kind ofreverence,are
frequently kepttamed. Theybelievethatfromthewisdomofthis
birdtheirancestorswereinstructed howto obtainchildren.Eagles
are foundin all their settlements, and,as previouslymentioned,
bears. That theyare excessivelydirtyin personI have men-
tioned. It is by no meansuncomnon to see a woman hunting
amongthe shaggylocks of her daughter'sprofusehead of hair,
and whensuccessfuldevourthe spoil thenand there.
DISCUSSION.
Mr. ST. A. ST. JOHN beggedto drawattention to a similarity
be-
tweenthepracticesoftheAinosand theHill tribesof NorthAracan
in thematterofspiritworship. WhentheAinoswishto attractthe
specialattention
ofthespirits,
theyerectstickswithshavingsattached
to them; thehilltribesdo thesamewithlongbambooshoots. This
has, with Burmeseand Hindoos,been convertedinto flagsand
streamers.

INDIAN PICTURE WRITING in BRITISH GUIANA. By CHARLES

B. BROWN,Esq.
WHILST engagedduringthe last fewyears upon the Geological
Survey of British Guiana, I travelled in various directions

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