Presentation Information
[PO2-30]Stars, Constellations, and the Universe:
Traditions passed down by the indigenous Ainu people
*Yuko NARUSE1, Tomio HIROSE2, Hiroshi NAKAGAWA3 (1. Tamarokuto Science Center (Japan), 2. Professor at Kanagawa University (Japan), 3. Professor Emeritus at Chiba University (Japan))
Keywords:
The Ainu,indigenous people,Ethno-constellations,Constellations and star names,Stories,myths,legends,Creation myths,cosmology,and the world layers,Planetarium Program,Live commentary
Do you know the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido, Japan?
This poster presentation intends to introduce the audience to the unique constellation and star names of the Ainu people (with auxiliary printed materials to be distributed to enhance your knowledge).
Why don’t you be the first to talk about the Ainu stars—what they call nociw—at your planetarium?
The Ainu have their own language, culture and customs characteristically different from those of other Japanese. They used to make a living by hunting, fishing, farming, and trading—but about 150 years ago, the government of Japan enforced an assimilation policy, suppressing and in effect devastating the traditional Ainu way of life. Yet, the Ainu have survived the hardship to maintain their cultural tradition, and moreover, develop a new one for the future.
Today, it is virtually impossible to find an Ainu individual who knows much about Ainu-specific constellations, but fortunately, we have access to a book by Tomio SUEOKA on celestial bodies of the Ainu origin. Thanks to Sueoka’s book, we are still able to learn about the way the Ainu people look up sky and now ready to share the following items from his book:
- Multiple constellations pertinent to the Big Dipper
- Similarities to the 88 constellations (such as the Long-Tailed Bear and Start Chase)
- Constellations revealing aspects of the Ainu traditional life and fascinating myths
- Constellations in harmony with the seasons
- Constellations relating to dark nebulae
- Creation myths, cosmology, and the world layers
- Seasonal names for the sunset/sunrise directions, etc.
We hope that our presentation helps spread the Ainu’s view of the universe and inspire people around the world to appreciate it.
Ainu Constellations, by Tamarokuto Science Center https://www.tamarokuto.or.jp/blog/rokuto-report/2023/07/02/aynu-21/
About Ainu Culture, by the National Ainu Museum
https://ainu-upopoy.jp/en/ainu-culture/
This poster presentation intends to introduce the audience to the unique constellation and star names of the Ainu people (with auxiliary printed materials to be distributed to enhance your knowledge).
Why don’t you be the first to talk about the Ainu stars—what they call nociw—at your planetarium?
The Ainu have their own language, culture and customs characteristically different from those of other Japanese. They used to make a living by hunting, fishing, farming, and trading—but about 150 years ago, the government of Japan enforced an assimilation policy, suppressing and in effect devastating the traditional Ainu way of life. Yet, the Ainu have survived the hardship to maintain their cultural tradition, and moreover, develop a new one for the future.
Today, it is virtually impossible to find an Ainu individual who knows much about Ainu-specific constellations, but fortunately, we have access to a book by Tomio SUEOKA on celestial bodies of the Ainu origin. Thanks to Sueoka’s book, we are still able to learn about the way the Ainu people look up sky and now ready to share the following items from his book:
- Multiple constellations pertinent to the Big Dipper
- Similarities to the 88 constellations (such as the Long-Tailed Bear and Start Chase)
- Constellations revealing aspects of the Ainu traditional life and fascinating myths
- Constellations in harmony with the seasons
- Constellations relating to dark nebulae
- Creation myths, cosmology, and the world layers
- Seasonal names for the sunset/sunrise directions, etc.
We hope that our presentation helps spread the Ainu’s view of the universe and inspire people around the world to appreciate it.
Ainu Constellations, by Tamarokuto Science Center https://www.tamarokuto.or.jp/blog/rokuto-report/2023/07/02/aynu-21/
About Ainu Culture, by the National Ainu Museum
https://ainu-upopoy.jp/en/ainu-culture/