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Ainu: Spirit of a Northern People Hardcover – January 1, 2000

by Arctic Studies Center (National Museum of Natural History) (Author), William W. Fitzhugh (Editor), Chisato O. Dubreuil (Editor)

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As soon as the Ainu became known outside Japan in the early 1800s, scholars recognized that their history was different from that of surrounding Japanese, Korean, and Siberian peoples. This book presents a broad range of contemporary scholarship on Ainu studies by leading European, American, and Japanese scholars, and by native Ainu artists and cultural leaders. Using materials from early, unpublished Ainu collections in North America, supplemented by archaeological, archival, and modern Ainu art from Japan, Ainu culture is presented here as a rich blend of traditional and modern belief.

Like other extant native cultures, the Ainu have survived by resisting political and economic pressure to assimilate. Although they have lost their northern lands and are confined largely to Hokkaido, their culture and language have recently received official recognition, in Japan and internationally. This book, jointly planned with scholars and the Ainu people, helps bring Ainu history, culture, and art into focus as a rich living tradition.

William Fitzhugh is director of the Arctic Studies Center and curator of anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. Chisato O. Dubreuil, of native Ainu descent, is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.

Print length

415 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Univ of Washington Pr
Publication date

January 1, 2000
Dimensions

9 x 1.5 x 11.75 inches
ISBN-10

0295979127
ISBN-13

978-0295979120
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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Ainu, a term meaning "humans," is used by native peoples of northern Japan to refer to themselves. Formerly, the Ainu also inhabited the Kurile Islands, southern Sakhalin Island, and a portion of northern Honshu, but now their only homeland is Hokkaido. This book, which accompanied an exhibit at the Smithsonian's Arctic Studies Center, is the most in-depth treatise available on Ainu prehistory, material culture, and ethnohistory. The clearly written text is divided into six parts, each dealing with an aspect of Ainu culture and each authored or coauthored by noted authorities of Ainu prehistory and culture and benefiting from contributions by Ainu scholars themselves. Included are chapters on theories regarding Ainu origins prehistory; the early scholars of Ainu culture, such as Hiram Hiller and Jenichiro Oyabe; religion and cultural practices; and material culture. Perhaps most significant is the last part of the book,which addresses Ainu social and cultural issues, maintenance of traditional cultural practices, and the future of Ainu language. Recommended for all larger public libraries and academic libraries.DJohn E. Dockall, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description

This richly illustrated volume presents the most in-depth treatise available on the Ainu, the native people of northern Japan.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Univ of Washington Pr; y First edition (January 1, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 415 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0295979127
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0295979120
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.7 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 1.5 x 11.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,831,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,916 in General Anthropology
- #93,557 in Social Sciences (Books)
- #179,052 in Arts & Photography (Books)

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Leslie Verts

this is a must read and an excellent addition to their bookshelf to be read and admired ...

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2016

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This is an incredible book. In 2005, I had the opportunity to travel to Sapporo, Japan. While there, I came upon a very tiny store owned by an Ainu woman who was stitching traditionally patterned coats, jackets, and various-sized flat pieces, along with knives and many other implements used in their daily lives. Although we did not understand one another's languages, we spoke textile. I then came upon a few small books filled with traditional Ainu stitched patterns. I went back to her shop and showed her the books--she of course also had them. She went into the back of her shop and came out with a piece she had duplicated from one of the photos--of course, I purchased it. All of what she had in her shop is reflected in this book. For anyone interested in the ethnography of ethnic groups with ancient histories, this is a must read and an excellent addition to their bookshelf to be read and admired again and again for decades.

4 people found this helpful

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Guy de la Rupelle

A "must have" book for the Ainu researcher

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2004

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In addition to what the other readers have written I would also add that this book is truly a "must-have" for anyone having an interest either in the Ainu specifically, or native peoples such as the Aleuts, the Inuits, the Polynesians, the Moari, etc. This, in part, because anyone interested in the Ainu will be hard-pressed to find a great deal of books in print regarding this topic, in any case in English. Photographs or Ainu artifacts are perfect and highly details, and there are a great deal of reproductions of "Ainu-e", or paintings done by the Japanese when they were slowly but surely in the process of taking over what is today Hokkaido. These are invaluable because they are rich in detail and depict a way of life that no longer exists, much in the same way that Edward Curtis' photographs of the Native Indians in the US are. I would personally recommend the hard-cover version though more pricy is a much better book to own in one's collection.

15 people found this helpful

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Professor Richard

Excellent Seller & Fine Text on a Unique Culture

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2015

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An excellent ethnographic text with fine examples of material culture. The seller, Henderson Books,was superb. The book was described exactly and well packed for shipping.

2 people found this helpful

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Ariel Valerie

large and colorful

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2013

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This is like an encyclopedia of info on the Ainu....I love the details and links it makes...I wouldn't usually order something like this ....but it makes a great and handy reference

One person found this helpful

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Momo Sakurai

Great!

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2014

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Most complihensive book on Ainu.

2 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Excellent Sourcebook

Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2005

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Excellent collection of essays- some repetitive, all comprehensive, accompanied by extremely good illustrations and photographs.

2 people found this helpful

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Kiki Grey

A Great Help

Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2019

I'm a writer that's doing a massive research project on the Ainu. This was the first book I purchased for said project and a lot of the sections are extremely useful. The wide breadth of topics especially on the culture are what I need to draw reference from. Granted, I have other books that cover certain topics in much greater depth and the sections here pale in comparison, but this still has a lot of indispensable information. The section on clothing was easily one of the most important for me.

All in all, if anyone's interested in the Ainu, this is one of the best books to have. It's pricey as heck (especially the hardcover edition) but 100% worth it.

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Fenevad

Truly an excellent volume

Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2000

Often scholarly volumes have excellent content but are poorly produced and edited while musem volumes are often well produced and edited but lack serious and contemporary scholarly material--they become catalogues of artifacts without real contextualizing material.
Ainu: Spirit of a Northern People manages to overcome both of these problems. As a scholarly volume it has excellent content (much of which has not been previously available to non-Japanese speakers) and is well-produced and beautifully laid out.
Aside from some small quibbles I have with some other articles seeming truncated for space concerns and others for not presenting enough information (notably the articles dealing with Ainu language/linguistics), I find little to find fault with. Even my concerns about some aspects of the volume are only a request for more, not a complaint with what is in the volume.
Overall this volume does a wonderful job of making contemporary Ainu research accessible to the lay reader while also presenting enough scholarly material to make it worth-while reading for those with a deeper interest in the Ainu. Even though the volume does not deal directly with the area of my research, the amount of knowledge it conveys has foced me to rethink aspects of my own work.

24 people found this helpful

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Ainu: Spirit of a Northern People Hardcover – January 1, 2000

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