|
Wakka-us-kamuy
Wakka-us Kamuy ( Ainu ワッカウシカムイ) is the Ainu ''kamuy'' (''goddess'') of fresh water. She is also known as Petorush Mat (''Watering-place Woman''). Depiction Wakka-us Kamuy is portrayed as a long-haired woman who is a skilled dancer and singer.Ashkenazy, Michael. ''Handbook of Japanese Mythology''. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003. 283-284 Mythology In Ainu mythology, Wakka-us Kamuy is a benevolent goddess who oversees the river valleys around which Ainu communities centered and is responsible for all fresh water. She is sympathetic to humanity, and is sometimes petitioned to intercede with other ''kamuy'' on their behalf. One such myth tells how Wakka-us Kamuy ended a famine that had broken out. Petitioned by Okikurmi, the culture hero A culture hero is a mythological hero specific to some group ( cultural, ethnic, religious, etc.) who changes the world through invention or discovery. Although many culture heroes help with the creation of the world, mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ainu Language
Ainu (, ), or more precisely Hokkaido Ainu, is a language spoken by a few elderly members of the Ainu people on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It is a member of the Ainu language family, itself considered a language family isolate with no academic consensus of origin. It is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. Until the 20th century, the Ainu languages – Hokkaido Ainu and the now-extinct Kuril Ainu and Sakhalin Ainu – were spoken throughout Hokkaido, the southern half of the island of Sakhalin and by small numbers of people in the Kuril Islands. Due to the colonization policy employed by the Japanese government, the number of Hokkaido Ainu speakers decreased through the 20th century, and it is now moribund. A very few elderly people still speak the language fluently, though attempts are being made to revive it. According to P. Elmer, the Ainu languages are a contact language, having strong influences from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ainu People
The Ainu are the indigenous people of the lands surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk, including Hokkaido Island, Northeast Honshu Island, Sakhalin Island, the Kuril Islands, the Kamchatka Peninsula and Khabarovsk Krai, before the arrival of the Yamato Japanese and Russians. These regions are referred to as in historical Japanese texts. Official estimates place the total Ainu population of Japan at 25,000. Unofficial estimates place the total population at 200,000 or higher, as the near-total assimilation of the Ainu into Japanese society has resulted in many individuals of Ainu descent having no knowledge of their ancestry. As of 2000, the number of "pure" Ainu was estimated at about 300 people. In 1966, there were about 300 native Ainu speakers; in 2008, however, there were about 100. Names This people's most widely known ethnonym, "Ainu" ( ain, ; ja, アイヌ; russian: Айны) means "human" in the Ainu language, particularly as opposed to , divine beings. Ainu also i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kamuy
A ''kamuy'' ( ain, カムィ; ja, カムイ, kamui) is a spiritual or divine being in Ainu mythology, a term denoting a supernatural entity composed of or possessing spiritual energy. The Ainu people have many myths about the ''kamuy'', passed down through oral traditions and rituals. The stories of the ''kamuy'' were portrayed in chants and performances, which were often performed during sacred rituals. Concept In concept, ''kamuy'' are similar to the Japanese ''kami'' but this translation misses some of the nuances of the termAshkenazy, Michael. ''Handbook of Japanese Mythology''. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003. 187-188 (the missionary John Batchelor assumed that the Japanese term was of Ainu origin).John Batchelor: ''The Ainu and Their Folk-Lore'', London 1901, p. 580–582. The usage of the term is very extensive and contextual among the Ainu, and can refer to something regarded as especially positive as well as something regarded as especially strong. ''Kamuy'' c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Okikurmi
or for short is an Ainu ''kamuy'' (''god'') and culture hero. In Ainu mythology, he is credited with teaching humans domestic skills, and for this reason he is called Ainurakkur (アイヌラックㇽ, ''father of the Ainu'' or ''father of humanity''), and otherwise known as Okikurmi. Names Oyna or Ae-oyna-kamuy/Ayoyna-kamuy, who in Ainu tradition is a culture hero or , is otherwise known by the names Ainurakkur or Okikurmi/Okikirmiy according to some sources. Aynurakkur and Okikurmi may have originally been distinguished, but seem to have become conflated after a body of similarly plotted narratives became attached to them. Etymology Oyna-kamuy literally signifies "god who is passed on (in lore)" ( Kindaichi) or "god of the sacred tradition, ''oyna''" (Donald Philippi). But the name has also construed to mean "god who engages/participates in shamanism " by Chiri)". The Ae- prefix is "we", thus Ae-oyna-kamuy means "god whom we pass on (in our lore)" or "god concernin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Culture Hero
A culture hero is a mythological hero specific to some group ( cultural, ethnic, religious, etc.) who changes the world through invention or discovery. Although many culture heroes help with the creation of the world, most culture heroes are important because of their effect on the world after creation. A typical culture hero might be credited as the discoverer of fire, agriculture, songs, tradition, law, or religion, and is usually the most important legendary figure of a people, sometimes as the founder of its ruling dynasty. Culture heroes in mythology History of a culture hero The term "culture hero" was originated by historian Kurt Breysig, who used the German word ''heilbringer,'' which translates to ''savior''. Over the years, "culture hero" has been interpreted in many ways. Older interpretations by Breysig, Paul Ehrenreich, and Wilhelm Schmidt thought that the journeys of culture heroes were ways in which humans could attempt to understand things in nature, such ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hasinaw-uk-kamuy
Hasinaw-uk-kamuy (ハシナウ・ウｸ・カムイ; also Hash-Inau-uk Kamuy, Hashinau-uk Kamuy or simply Hash-uk Kamuy) is the Ainu ''kamuy'' (''goddess'') of the hunt. She is sometimes called Isosange Mat (''Bringing-down-game Woman'') and Kamuy Paseguru (''Potent Kamuy''). Depiction Hasinaw-uk-kamuy is depicted as a woman with long hair who wields a bow and arrows, who often carries a child on her back. She is accompanied by, or sometimes appears in the form of, a small bird, which shows hunters the way to game. She is also represented by the aconite plant, with which Ainu hunters poisoned their arrows.Ashkenazy, Michael. ''Handbook of Japanese Mythology''. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003. 161 Mythology Hasinaw-uk-kamuy is a deity of great importance to the Ainu, who historically subsisted largely on hunting, fishing, and gathering. She was born from the fire-producing drill, and is sometimes said to be the sister of Kamuy-huci, the hearth goddess, or of Shiramba K ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cikap-kamuy
Cikap-kamuy (also called Kotan-kor-kamuy, which should not be confused with Kotan-kar-kamuy) is the Ainu ''kamuy'' (''god'') of owls and the land. He is responsible for overseeing the behavior of humans and ''kamuy''. He is considered a deity of material success. Depiction Cikap-Kamuy is depicted as a great owl, as opposed to smaller owls (such as little horned owl) that represent demons and other malicious spirits. The Ainu believed that the owl watched over the ''mosir'' (country) and local ''kotan'' (villages), so Cikap-Kamuy came to be represented as the master of the domain. In some areas, his tears were said to be gold and silver.Ashkenazy, Michael. ''Handbook of Japanese Mythology''. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003. p. 125, 211-212{{Cite web, last=Chiri, first=Yukie, authorlink=Yukie Chiri, last2=Selden, first2=Kyoko, date=, title=The Song the Owl God Himself Sang, “Silver Droplets Fall Fall All Around,” An Ainu Tale, url=https://apjjf.org/2016/15/Chiri.htm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ainu Kamuy
Ainu or Aynu may refer to: * Ainu people, an East Asian ethnic group of Japan and the Russian Far East * Ainu languages, a family of languages ** Ainu language of Hokkaido ** Kuril Ainu language, extinct language of the Kuril Islands ** Sakhalin Ainu language, extinct language from the island of Sakhalin * Ainu music * Ainu cuisine * Ainu (Middle-earth), spirit in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium * Ainu (insect), a beetle in the family Tenebrionidae *Äynu people, of Western China **Äynu language See also * Äynu (other) *Ainur (other) *Aino (other) Aino may refer to: * Aino (given name), a first name in Finland and Estonia * Ainu people (sometimes called ''Aino''), an ethnic group of northern Japan * Ainu language (also sometimes called ''Aino''), the language of the Ainu people * Aino, Naga ... {{disambiguation Language and nationality disambiguation pages ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
