The Concepts behind the Ainu Bear Festival (Kumamatsuri) Author(s): Kysuke Kindaichi and Minori Yoshida Reviewed

work(s): Source: Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Winter, 1949), pp. 345-350 Published by: University of New Mexico Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3628594 . Accessed: 23/09/2012 10:36
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THE CONCEPTS BEHIND THE AINU BEAR FESTIVAL (KUMAMATSURI)1 KYOSUKE KINDAICHI:
TRANSLATED BYMINORI YOSHIDA2

LANGUAGE the bear is called kamui, which means a god. Not only a bear, but almost all living things such as a wolf, deer, fox, hare, owl, crow, woodpecker,whale, dolphin, shark, frog, a bird, a beast, an insect, and a fish, are gods. A bear is particularlyone of the gods of mountains (kimun-kamui), but he is head of the gods (sabane-kamui),and also he is the most careful god, who But usuallykamui,a god, meansa bear. is called Chira-Mante-Kamui. Outside of this world,wheremen are living, there is a countryof gods, where the gods, it is thought, live in human form, build houses and make fireplacesin the centerof the room;and it is thought that the head of the god's family sits on the right hand of the fireplaceand the guest on the left, just as is man's custom. These gods sometimescome to this world of men to play, where the god, a bear, comes in a disguise of black fur, sharp claws, and a big form; the wolf, a comesin a white robe;the fox, a god namedChirongod namedHorokeu-Kamui, Nubu-Kamuicomes in a yellowish-brown disguise;others in disguise of birds,or of insects, or of fish. These forms of living things are nothing but the disguise in which those gods visit this world. The hunting deity is always a beautiful young goddess in the kingdom of gods, but she comes to this world in the disguiseof a small bird, such as a Japanoffered to this god always consist of a twig, which is meant jay. The "flowers" for a perch for her. who is the god of land and agriculture, Nusaburo-Kamui, appearsin the form of a snake, which is the disguise of this god. The deity of water is still more strange, for the Ainu believe that the small long worms such as earthworms, which live in the mountainrivers,are the deities of water. But, in the kingdom of gods, the latter is a very beautifulgoddess;and in the god's song which begins she dancesfor humanbeingsto calm down the angry fish gods. Inusa-Inusa,
1 Translated from an article of slightly differing title in Gakuso Zuihitsu [Essays of a School Window], Jinbun Shoin: Kyoto, 1936. The translation was secured by Charles Redfield in connectionwith his study of the Ainu. 2 Respectively Professor in Tokyo University, a famous Ainu scholar, and Professor at the Hokkaido First Normal School, Sapporo. 345 VOL. 5, 1949

IN THE AINU

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Not only the animal forms, but also grassesand trees are gods: the corn and the lily-bulb, for example, are gods, called haru-kamui,which means "food gods." In olden days, when the Ainu tribe did not know that the lily-bulb was edible, it rotted vainly in the fields and the spirit of the lily or the god of the lily wanderedupon this earth in the disguise of a travellerwho visited every house and ate the lily-bulb himself, taking off his head and boiling it in a pot for his food. Among the Ainu people (who feared to eat the lily-bulb) there was a man who was brave enough to eat one; he found that it had a fine taste, and all the others becamewilling to eat it. After that, the god of the lily-bulb was able to returnto his kingdomof gods, withoutwanderingin vain upon the earth. Thus, the gods who came to this world can returnhappilyto the kingdom of gods, only by being freed of their hayokube (or willingly eaten and being respected) at the hands of the Ainu tribe. Therefore, the flesh and the skin of the bear, of the owl, or the salmon,which are their disguises,are given to the Ainu who catch them; and the Ainu receive them and eat them in thankfulness.Thus, the gods, who came down to the earth to play, can go home to the kingdomof gods. According to Ainu belief, the earth is as beautiful as the kingdom of gods; that is, it is the cradle of the gods or the prosperingland, where the gods come down to this earth when they bear a child. The human beings are as great as the gods; sometimesmen possessexcellent treasuresof which the gods are envious. Gods look at men with envious eyes, and they want to compromise with men, and they warn each other to be on good terms with men. They want to be well thought of by human beings, showing their good will to them. Gods can gain esteem in the kingdom of the gods by being well thought of or by being respectedby men, becausewhen people think well of them they will often hold festivals, offer wine, and make offeringsto the gods. These offerings, it is said, will be many fold when they reach the kingdom of the gods, wherethe gods can invite their neighborsto their houses to eat. On the contrary,the gods who are not well thought of by men and who are given no festivals,are miserable, for they are short of moneyand very poor in their country. Accordingto one view, kamui, god, means "those who cover,"which means the supreme existence, but usually kamui does not mean such a great thing; this world being the house both for men and gods. That is to say, men and gods are dependent upon each other, but are of opposing existence. The words "to pray gods" mean in the Ainu language "to ask gods"; really

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the plasterer, they ask gods just as we ask the doctor,as we ask the gardener, the shampooer, or the fortune-teller. The wordsnevermeanto depend uponthe The word"pray" existence. often means"to sophisticate," "to great spiritual "to instigate," or even "to coax."Sometimes it means"to negotiate," flatter," "todemand," or "tobehave like a spoiled child." at the time of natural calamities or otherterrible However, disasters, they askthe gods'helpin trembling; andsometimes theypiously prayto the ancestral between men and gods; and moreover, men are gods. There is little difference eventhoughtto be greater thangods.For instance, who is thought Okikurumi, thanthe gods. to be the forefather of the Ainutribe,is greater We can findthis fact in manystories:for instance, the storyof the recovery of the firegod, fromthe devil,or the story of the housegod,whois the husband the land by killing the greatspecterof a trout,or the storyof of recovering stonesby Hidaka-Ainu the of precious extinguishing greatfireof the mountain in co6peration withthe greatdevil. The kingdom but the sources of godsis usuallythoughtto be in the heaven, which the backbone of arein of the SaruRiverandthe mountains are Hokkaido the clouds,which are part of the kingdomof the gods. The head of the and he "the god of the mountains"; beargods is calledNupuri-Koro-Kamui, livesthere. of the sea.Farbeyond seems to be in the bottom But thekingdom of sea-gods whichmeans"the sea-well," between this world the sea, thereis Atoi-Shinbui, and the foreignland,and thereis a roadof sandthere.And if we go alongthe wherewe can find the housesof roadwe can reachthe land of the sea-gods, this of land. as the houses village sea-gods just the year; Besidesthese,thereare gods who go roundthe worldthroughout "theyeargod,"whocomesalwaysfromthe thesegodsarecalledPokoro-Kamui, sea-kingdom. Whetherthe yearis good or baddepends uponthe kind of gods who come to this land.When they cometo this landfromthe sea kingdom, theycomeon the which cover the surface of numberless sea; and it is ships,thoughinvisible, the boats,clothedin suitswithreddots. saidthat theycomerowing Those who died of fever,it is said, are going roundthroughthe country, by the gods, for threeyears,duringwhichtimepeopledo not hold accompanied is alsocalledPacoro-Kamui. The plague-god the funeralceremony. of various kinds worldcometo thislandin the disguise Thesegodsof another of livingthings;and whentheyare caughtand killedat the handsof the Ainu the usualdoors,but through comein the house,not through people,theirspirits

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whichis usuallythe and sit at the left side of the fire-place, the innerwindow, "the is This window calledkamui-kushabu-yara, window seat of guests. through is a present to man,if it is seen from The visitor-spirit whichthe gods enter." the pointof viewof the Ainu;but it is a guestas seen fromthe pointof view of the gods. When,thus,godsvisitthe houseof the Ainu,the disguise(ormeatand fur) is a complimentary gift to the peopleof the house.Then they hold a banquet, of the gods and eatingthis "souvenir" the of calling people theirneighborhood if it is seen from the viewpoint all together. It is called"to give a banquet" "anentertainment" as seenfromthatof the gods. of men,but it means means"giving" fromthe men's The offering side,but it means "being given" to if it is seen fromgods'side.It is thoughtthat the spiritsbringthe offering six-fold (or becomes the land of the gods.When they reachtherethe offering whena cup of winereaches thereit manyfold or manyten-fold);for example, a caskof wine,whena caskof winereaches thereit will become six will become casksof wine. whenthe gods returnto theirland,they can invitethe gods of Therefore, theirneighborhood to the banquet, tellingthemwithpridethat theywentto the This beliefis told amongthe Ainu homethe souvenir. landof menandbrought in various andalsodescribed songs. people, When menbringhomesuchgameas a bearor a deer,it is the god'svisitto of a guest,his entertainment, and the welcome theirhome;andit means entirely send-off. the mindof the Ainu that thereis a greatdifference between It is surprising whengamewascaught. Whena deeror a bearwascaught andours[Japanese] "an" means "thereis" and they say in the Ainu language"shumau-an"; meansthat "a god returns to his formerself by beingkilledby the "shumau" handof men."It does not meandeath,but a new life in the formof a god. When a livingthingis killedby men,its skullis decorated withflowers and the skull is calledRiwak-Kamui, "returning god."After killinga creature, they with makean offeringto its spiritand say, "Go thou hometo thy fatherland This is called"sending the souvenir." off,"of whichthereare manyexpressions or "to let depart." The wordKumamatsuri, suchas "to let go" or "to dispatch" in Ainulanguage, is Iomante which means off." "thebearfestival," "sending and eat the meatwith When they catcha bearor a deerin the mountains the peopleat hometo sendthe spiritawaywith civility,this is calledOmante. But whentheycatcha bearcubandrearhimto be big enough, andholda great

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with extreme ceremony civilityin orderto kill him and send him off, inviting this is calledIomante or Kumamatsuri. manypeople, especially the account of Kumamatsuri Therefore withrearing a bearcub.When begins a youngbearis foundin the mountains, the Ainu catches himalivewithoutfail, himin a cagemadeof logsbeside andrears the residence. to the Ainu According way,theybringhimup; theydo not simplyfeed himas we do, for he is a god. As if he is a childgivento men fromthe god of the mountains, they give him the samefood as men'sand servehim on a carved with This is platter respect. whichmeansto "bring calledreshi-yu, or "to the treat." feed animal up" They withas muchaffection as if theywerebringing an but take care up orphan, they of it muchmorethanof theirownchildren, for it is a guest,andtheyaretaking careof the god whocalledon themuntilhe is grownup. if it is a bearso youngthat it has no teeth,a woman whohas a Therefore, babywill suckleit with her own breaston her knees.Then it is calledhepere, "theveryyoung." Usuallyit will so passthe year,and whenit is two or three the Kumamatsuri is held in midwinter and old, (whenthe fur is thickest years with fat). At the bearfestival,the guestsare invited,the the meatis sweetest with offerings, and wine is prepared; altaris decorated and the bear is taken the altarand the gods' out of the cagewith a rope,to the openspacebetween window. A number of villagers shootit witha ceremonial arrow at first,and thenkill arrows(in somedistricts it withordinary a big log). theycrushit to deathunder to After that,theyplaceit beforethe altarandmakean abundance of offerings beforeit. The hostpourswineon it and saysthe wordsof "sending it, dancing off."The festivityis kept up threedaysand threenights.On the firstnightat calledKeo-Mante, whichmeans a secretceremony the left seat of the fireplace, the tongue, is held the the dead bodyoff," solemnly by taking brains, "sending outof theskullandfillingit withflowers. andtheeyeballs whichis held at midnight, when can takepartin this ceremony, No woman to heaven. On the secondday, the spiritof the beargoes up, as it is supposed, "thegreatfeast,"theyeat the meatall together. which is calledPoro-Ome-Kabu, the smallfeastis held. On thethirdday,whichis calledBon-Ome-Kabu, hasusually beenunderstood thisceremony to mean Hitherto, by the Japanese the god of heaven. thatthe Ainukillsthe bearin orderto worship Or, according the ceremony was held to comfortthe bear family as to other authorities, bear. child kill the they thanthebear,therefore it is impossible In Ainubelief,thereis no god greater

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that they offerit as a sacrifice to suppose to a greater god. Killinga bearis a him sacred which let return his to home as a act, by they god: it is reallyan act for whichthe bearshouldbe thankful. The Ainu hasno ideaof apologizing to a bearwhichis killed.It is thesameideaas treating a guest. In the past,the truemeaning of Kumamatsuri has not beenrealized, being as above-mentioned. explained superficially
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