Inau or Inaw (
Ainu: イナウ or イナゥ) is an
Ainu term for a ritual wood-shaving stick used in Ainu prayers to the spiritual world. They were used in most
Ainu religious rituals, and were also frequently made to request assistance for hunting and childbirth. Some can be used multiple times, while others are destroyed immediately after one use. Their size and the direction in which they are shaved depends on which
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 ...
it is offered to and what is being requested.
Etymology
The word ''inau'' appears to be a
loanword
A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because th ...
from other languages in the region, probably the
Orok language
Uilta ( oaa, ульта, also called Ulta, Uilta, Ujlta, or Orok) is a Tungusic language spoken in the Poronaysky and Nogliksky Administrative Divisions of Sakhalin Oblast, in the Russian Federation, by the Uilta people. The northern Uilt ...
of
Sakhalin
Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, r=Sakhalín, p=səxɐˈlʲin; ja, 樺太 ''Karafuto''; zh, c=, p=Kùyèdǎo, s=库页岛, t=庫頁島; Manchu: ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠨ, ''Sahaliyan''; Orok: Бугата на̄, ''Bugata nā''; Nivkh: ...
(''cf.'' Orok ''illau'' < *''ilawun''). It is most likely ultimately related to
Manchu
The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...
''ila-''/(ila-mbi) "to blossom" and ''ilha''/ "flower." The
Nivkh
Nivkh or Amuric or Gilyak may refer to:
* Nivkh people
The Nivkh, or Gilyak (also Nivkhs or Nivkhi, or Gilyaks; ethnonym: Нивхгу, ''Nʼivxgu'' (Amur) or Ниғвңгун, ''Nʼiɣvŋgun'' (E. Sakhalin) "the people"), are an indigenous et ...
word ''inau'' ~
''nau'' is most likely a loanword from the same Manchu-Tungus source via Ainu; both Tungusic languages and Nivkh have an sound, which the Ainu language lacks, so the replacement of with is probably an artifact of Ainu phonology.
[TSUMAGARI Toshirō, 「サハリンの言語世界 : 単語借用から見る」 ''saharin no gengo sekai: tango shakuyō kara miru'' ("The Linguistic World of Sakhalin: A View from Loanwords"), Hokkaido University Collection of Scholarly and Academic Papers (2009).]
Description
To make inau, the bark of a branch is first peeled and then a knife called an "inawke-makiri", is repeatedly used to shave the wood into thin curled strips that form a tuft.
Inau are usually anywhere from five inches to a foot in length. There are several different types of inau, all with different variations in length and thickness depending on purpose. Certain types of wood were also used depending on the inau's purpose.
Willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...
was exclusively used for offerings to good kamuy, and is preferred for this purpose, although a few other woods could be used if necessary. These inau tend to be close to a foot long. Conversely, inau made to repel illnesses and evil spirits (called ''wen inau'') were typically made from
alder
Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...
, and are usually around eight inches long. Some inau also have wings attached to them, although it is unclear exactly what function they served. The number of wings varies by region; Ainu from southern
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The la ...
typically made them with nine wings, while further north they were made with six or seven.
Inau also have shavings attached to them. Most point upwards, although ''chiahorokakepe'' or ''chehorokakep'' (Ainu チアホロカケペ or チェホロカケㇷ゚, literally "the thing shaven backward") have them pointed downward, making them very distinct from other inau. In addition, certain kinds of inau, such as
Chikube-ni inau, are equipped with spears.
Uses
With the exception of funerals, for which they were never made, inau were an important part of rituals involving kamuy. Because only men were permitted to participate in religious rituals besides the bear ceremony, only men could make inau. Before building a house, four inau and one chiahorokakepe were placed where the hearth was to be built. Every Ainu house had inau on the hearth in honor of
Kamuy Fuchi
Kamuy-huci (カムイフチ, ''Kamui Fuchi'') is the Ainu ''kamuy'' (''goddess'') of the hearth. Her full name is Apemerukoyan-mat Unamerukoyan-mat (''Rising Fire Sparks Woman/ Rising Cinder Sparks Woman''), and she is also known as Iresu Kamuy ('' ...
(known in Sakhalin Ainu as Unci Kamuy), and during Ainu house-warming ceremonies, three to four additional chiahorokakepe were typically placed on the hearth. Inau were also made to requests assistance from progressively more powerful kamuy during exorcism rituals and difficult childbirth.
In addition to personal use, inau were also used in larger ceremonies. Ainu bear ceremonies featured a large number of inau, of all different kinds. Certain elders, known as ''ekashi'', would also use inau in ceremonies to control the weather. Finally, inau were used by hunters both before and during a hunt to bring good luck.
Inau made for curing diseases were dismantled immediately after their purpose was served. Keeping them for any longer than was absolutely necessary was considered extremely dangerous, and it was thought they could cause a great deal of harm to the person who made them. Conversely, inau made to more benevolent kamuy were not so quickly destroyed.
See also
*
Chichilaki
*
Flail
A flail is an agricultural tool used for threshing, the process of separating grains from their husks.
It is usually made from two or more large sticks attached by a short chain; one stick is held and swung, causing the other (the swipple) to st ...
*
Glossary of Shinto
This is the glossary of Shinto, including major terms on the subject. Words followed by an asterisk (*) are illustrated by an image in one of the photo galleries.
__NOTOC__
A
* – A red papier-mâché cow bobblehead toy; a kind of ''engimo ...
* ''
Gohei
, , or are wooden wands, decorated with two (zigzagging paper streamers) used in Shinto rituals.
The streamers are usually white, although they can also be gold, silver, or a mixture of several colors, and are often attached as decorations to ...
'' – wooden wands used in Shinto rituals
*
*
*
* ''
Ōnusa
An or simply is a wooden wand traditionally used in Shinto ritual purification, purification rituals.
are decorated with a number of (paper streamers). When the are attached to a hexagonal or octagonal staff, the wand is also known as a ...
'' –
Shinto
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...
version of the ''inau''
*
*
Ruyi (scepter)
Ruyi () is a Chinese curved decorative object that serves as either a ceremonial scepter in Chinese Buddhism or a talisman symbolizing power and good fortune in Chinese folklore. The "ruyi" image frequently appears as a motif in Asian art.
A ...
References
{{reflist
Ainu culture
Ainu kamuy
Religious symbols
Exorcism in Shinto
Shinto in Japan
Wands
Ritual weapons
Honorary weapons
Ceremonial weapons