Our land was a forest : an Ainu memoir
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Our land was a forest : an Ainu memoir
(Transitions : Asia and Asian America)
Westview Press, 1994
- : hbk
- : pbk
- Other Title
-
Ainu no ishibumi
アイヌの碑
Ainu no hi
Available at 80 libraries
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  Tottori
  Shimane
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  Hiroshima
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  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
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  Fukuoka
  Saga
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Note
List of the author's works: p. [172]
Includes bibliographical references
Description and Table of Contents
- Volume
-
: hbk ISBN 9780813317076
Description
Based on the author's own experiences and on stories passed down from generation to generation, this book chronicles the disappearing world - and courageous rebirth - of the Ainu, the native and little-understood inhabitants of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. Their culture and economy have been absorbed and destroyed in recent centuries by advancing Japanese. Intimately tied to his own culture, yet familiar with the ways of outsiders, Kayano paints a picture of the Ainus' ecologically-sensitive lifestyle, which revolves around bear-hunting, fishing and farming, and around the twin resources of water and wood.
Table of Contents
- Our Nibutani valley
- the four seasons in the Ainu community
- my grandfather was slave to the Shamo
- following forced evacuation
- a long absence from school
- my father was convicted
- adolescence of a boy working away from home
- realizing my dream of being a foreman
- lucky is the one who dies first
- the teachings of Chiri Mashiho
- making the acquaintance of Professor Kindaichi Kyosuke
- building the Museum of Ainu Cultural Resources
- as a member of the Ainu people.
- Volume
-
: pbk ISBN 9780813318806
Description
This book is a beautiful and moving personal account of the Ainu, the native inhabitants of Hokkaido, Japan's northern island, whose land, economy, and culture have been absorbed and destroyed in recent centuries by advancing Japanese. Based on the author's own experiences and on stories passed down from generation to generation, the book chronicles the disappearing world-and courageous rebirth-of this little-understood people. Kayano describes with disarming simplicity and frankness the personal conflicts he faced as a result of the tensions between a traditional and a modern society and his lifelong efforts to fortify a living Ainu culture. A master storyteller, he paints a vivid picture of the ecologically sensitive Ainu lifestyle, which revolved around bear hunting, fishing, farming, and woodcutting. Unlike the few existing ethnographies of the Ainu, this account is the first written by an insider intimately tied to his own culture yet familiar with the ways of outsiders. Speaking with a rare directness to the Ainu and universal human experience, this book will interest all readers concerned with the fate of indigenous peoples.
Table of Contents
Foreword -- Translators' Note -- Our Nibutani Valley -- The Four Seasons in the Ainu Community -- My Grandfather, a Slave to the Shamo -- Following Forced Evacuation -- A Long Absence from School -- My Father's Arrest -- An Adolescence Away from Home -- Realizing My Dream of Becoming a Foreman -- Lucky Is the One Who Dies First -- The Teachings of Chiri Mashiho -- Making the Acquaintance of Kindaichi Kyosuke -- Building the Museum of Ainu Cultural Resources -- As a Member of the Ainu People -- Epilogue
by "Nielsen BookData"