Conclusion
Ignorance and indifference. These are
the two words that best describes Japanese, particularly racial discrimination
against the Ainu. It is ashamed to admit that even Japanese politicians
are ignorant and indifferent as represented by the former Prime Minister
who said "Are there still Ainu in Hokkaido?". I, myself, grew up in Japan
and did not study about the Ainu extensively in 12 years of schools or
did not question about development of Hokkaido. The development
was actually colonizing the land of the Ainu. The history
of Japanese internal colonization should be focused on early education,
for example in elementary school or in junior high school, to enhance understanding
of their culture and history. The understanding is the essential step to
take for Japanese to coexist with the Ainu who has been trying to rediscover
own identity after long painful history. Especially, the racial discrimination
is deep rooted and the fight against it is never ending for the Ainu. Furthermore,
the large number of the Ainu are still struggling with the economic and
social inequality. We are the generation to change the ignorance and indifference
of the Japanese society and to improve the current status of the Ainu.
I hope this web page could be one little step for further understanding
and awareness of the Ainu history.
Introduction
Origin
History
Tradition
Current
situation
Bibliography