AINU GLOBAL
Ainu Literature
While Ainu literature was exhibited orally, there are some books in English that contain information on Ainu oral literature and tradition. Clicking on the title or cover of the book will take you to where you can purchase the book.
Indigenous communities worldwide, including the Ainu from northeastern Asia, hold rich oral traditions. Sarah Strong's "Ainu Spirits Singing" offers an English study and translation of Chiri Yukie's Ainu Shin’yoshu, the first Ainu oral narrative transcription. These narratives, called kamui yukar, feature animals narrating their stories, emphasizing the animistic Ainu worldview. Strong also presents the first detailed English biography of Chiri Yukie, highlighting the impacts of Japanese colonization on the Ainu people and underscoring the significance of preserving these narratives.
Written by a missionary who lived among the Ainu from the late 19th to early 20th century, "The Ainu and Their Folklore" presents the renowned stories of the Ainu people, including their creation myths. A recurring theme depicts a deity sending a bird, often a wagtail, to transform the watery expanse into land by stomping on it. Subsequent stories vary, with some portraying a bear as the Ainu's ancestor, while others recount the creation of the first humans, Okikurumi and Turesh..
This collection and English translation by Donald Philippi contains thirty-three representative selections from a number of Ainu epic genres including mythic epics, culture hero epics, women's epics, and heroic epics. It is one of the primary English-language sources on Ainu epics.
This book documents Ainu archaeology, ethnology, history, and modern life, presenting their traditional artifacts, clothing, art, and belief systems in the past and today. It also includes sections dedicated to Ainu oral traditions.
