The Ainu group at the Saint Louis ExpositionStarr, Frederick
History
The Ainu group at the Saint Louis Exposition
Starr, Frederick
Ainu; Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904 : Saint Louis, Mo.)
Mr. Fujimura, the Hokkaido government’s Fishery Expert, who speaks
excellent English, took us to see the Museum of the district. It is
fairly good in the Zoology and Geology of the Hokkaido. The upper
floor is devoted mainly to Ethnography and, naturally, most of the
specimens are from the Ainu. The collection is not so large nor so
complete as it should be, nor is it particularly well arranged.
There are examples of the mattings, the bark cloth, articles of
dress, ornaments, weapons, and implements, of Ainu of several
villages. There is a series of wooden war-clubs, apparently of
recent manufacture, from near Muroran, which shows a considerable
variety in form. These clubs are now rarely found in the villages
and originals cannot be easily secured. An entire case is devoted
to the cups, tubs, moustache sticks, implements, and _inao_ used in
the bear-feast, but they merely suggest what _might_ be done in the
making of such a display. One of the most interesting objects in the
Ainu collection is a grave-post from the Island of Saghalien, quite
different in its form and carved decoration from those made by the
Yezo Ainu. It is made from the forking trunk of a small tree and a
considerable part of the available surface is covered with carved,
apparently geometric, designs. The old man who conducts visitors
through the Museum is little likely to permit anyone to escape,
without seeing a great, stuffed, brown bear, which killed and ate
three persons. Parts of one of the victims, a little baby, taken from
its stomach, are preserved in a bottle of alcohol.
[Illustration: CARVED GRAVEPOST: ISLAND OF SAGHALIEN.]
We started out on Monday, February 22, legal holiday at home, for
our hasty trip through the Ainu villages of the Saru River district,
to secure our group of Ainu. We had already decided to take Yazo
(Ozara Fukotaro) and his wife, Shirake from Mr. Batchelor’s house.
As already familiar with white people and their customs, we felt
that they would be a good influence in keeping others satisfied.
Yazo has lived with Mr. Batchelor since he was fourteen years old,
now a matter of ten years. He is industrious and progressive and has
a little farm, some horses, etc. While we were gone, he went out
to his village to make arrangements for the care of his place and
property, while he should be away. His wife, Shirake, is a pretty and
attractive girl of eighteen years, timid and modest.
[Illustration: SHIRAKE.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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