Abstract
The Ainu, the aborigines of Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, were originally a fishing and hunting tribe though they have been much civilized under the influence of Japanese settlement which was started at about 1869. Before that time deer and salmon were plentiful and sustained some 30.000 Ainu for several thousand years. The fishing of the Ainu was done mostly along inland rivers, where the salmon coming up for spawning were caught. Before the development of Hokkaido there were virgin forests with thick undergrowth everywhere and there almost no trails except those made bydeer.Therefore, transportation was done mainly by river. Even tiny rivulets in the mountains had proper Ainu names according to their geographical or biological characteristics. Mountains were also named by the Ainu for their convenience. Since the Ainu had no written language the names of rivers and mountains were written recently in Japanese following Ainu pronunciation terminology. In old times there were no shotguns among the Ainu and deer were caught with poisoned arrows. However, when necessary a great number of deer were driven to bay on top of a mountain cliff and forced to jump to their death by well trained dogs. Salmon fishing was done by means of primitive fish-nets or harpoons. As the abundance of salmon was closely related to the welfare of the Ainu, they performed a ceremony praying for a rich catch. The river was cleaned at the beginning of the season and young women were prohibited from fording or even approaching it. Making noises in the home was restrained. The mountains afforded many kinds of edible plants which were useful as subsidiary articles of diet and as medicinal herbs. They prepared starch from the tubers of Lilliaceae plants. Collecting the roots of Aconitum-grass in the mountains was very important for the Ainu as a source of poison for their arrows. When they went hunting in the mountains they carried no bivouacing equipments. They made temporary huts wherever they were by utilizing twigs and leaves in the area. Sometimes a boat was made of tree-bark for transitory use land oftentimes a canoe was used for distant travel. They walked usually barefoot, but in the mountain they used sandals of vinefibres. In winter they kept their feet warm with boots made of salmon or deerskin. Knowledge concerning the hibernating sites of bears was inherited from generation to generation. They hunted bear not only for meat and skins but also for god-service. No bear was killed unless the traditional ceremony was performed. The bear was the god of the mountain for the Ainu and provided bountiful game.
