Iyomante: The Ainu Bear Festival in Hokkaido and Sakhalin

Abstract

The Ainu are a folk whose history, origin, way of life, traditions and beliefs have been attracting close attention of scientists for more than a century. From an ethnographic and historical point of view, the Ainu have a very difficult and sometimes dramatic fate. Nevertheless, despite all the colossal difficulties, unfavorable geographical and political conditions, the Ainu manage to survive as an ethnic group. One of the main conditions for their survival is the maintenance of traditional rituals. One of the ancient customs, which the Ainu still revere, is the famous Bear Festival. The striking distinguishing features of this cult were the cultivation of an animal in captivity and its subsequent slaughter. Although the Iyomante rite of the Ainu was also applied to other animals, the bear occupied the most important place in their life. Despite numerous ethnographic and historical studies concerning the Ainu, the tradition of the Bear Festival is recorded in detail only by two scientists — Bronislaw Pilsudski and John Batchelor, who lived among the Ainu for a long time, studying their life, history, culture, and religious beliefs from the inside. In this regard, the features of the Bear Festival of the Sakhalin Ainu are viewed here based on the views of Bronisław Piłsudski and the specifics of the Hokkaido Ainu Bear Festival is based on the research by John Batchelor. Overall, the specific features of the ceremonial events turned out to be quite stable, despite the geographical and political division, the harsh climate, and the lack of writing system. In addition, the tradition of the bear cult (widespread among many peoples) in the form of a Bear Festival helped the Ainu people to survive as an ethnic group to this day.