Uepeker (
Ainu:ウエペケㇾ, old tale) are
Ainu folktales, and form part of Ainu oral literature. In
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 ...
, the term "uchashkuma" is used, and in other areas the term "tuitak" is used.
Etymology
The term u'uepekere may be a more accurate term to be used. It comes from ''u'' (mutuality prefix), ''ue'' (thereby), and ''pekere'' (bright). Ainu linguist
Chiri Mashiho described the term's meaning as "mutually inquiring after news".
General
Uepeker are short stories told as actual experiences of people of the past. According to former Ainu politician
Shigeru Kayano
was one of the last native speakers of the Ainu language and a leading figure in the Ainu ethnic movement in Japan.
Early life
Kayano was born in Nibutani village in Biratori, Hokkaidō, Japan. His family name at birth was Kaizawa, but he w ...
, the stories were essentially parts of dialogue between the natural world and human morality, and were responsible for moral and other forms of education.
People
*
Shigeru Kayano
was one of the last native speakers of the Ainu language and a leading figure in the Ainu ethnic movement in Japan.
Early life
Kayano was born in Nibutani village in Biratori, Hokkaidō, Japan. His family name at birth was Kaizawa, but he w ...
retold uepeker in some of his books.
*Toshi Ueda is a famous reteller of uepeker.
Bibliography
*. Ainu History and Culture. Ainu Museum Poroto Kotan. Web. 01 Aug. 2016
Ainu History and Culture
*Frey, Christopher J. "Ainu Schools and Education Policy in Nineteenth-century Hokkaido, Japan." Google Books. Web. 01 Aug. 2016
See also
*
Yukar
( ain, ユカㇻ) are Ainu sagas that form a long rich tradition of oral literature. In older periods, the epics were performed by both men and women; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, when Ainu culture was in decline, women were general ...
Ainu culture
Japanese folklore
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