Did you know that the ‘Japanese’ people who live in Japan now were not the fist inhabitants of the islands of Japan? While most Japanese are more than happy to forget about the original native peoples, the Ainu still exist. Though probably not for very long.

The Ainu’s history dates back to around 1200 CE. The people mostly lived in the northern parts of Japan, while what we call ethnic Japanese lived in the warmer south. Over the years Ainu were able to live more or less undisturbed by the Japanese thanks to the bad weather and rough terrain separating the two groups.

But in 1899, in one of many measures to modernize the country, Japan seized the Ainu’s land and attempted to assimilate them into the culture by force. The people went from being their own separate nation, to being part of a very modern Japan. Even more interesting is this tidbit from Wikipedia…

The 1899 act mentioned above was replaced in 1997—until then the government had stated there were no ethnic minority groups.[4] It was not until June 6, 2008 that Japan formally recognised the Ainu as an indigenous group (see Official Recognition, below).[4]

While the Ainu have received some reprieves from the Japanese government they still fight a very difficult battle. In mainstream Japanese society they face massive discrimination, and prospects outside of their traditional lands are bleak.

Recently Al Jazeera did a report on the Ainu. Its worth a watch if you you’re interested in the people.