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The Goddess of the Wind and Okikurmi

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The Goddess of the Wind and Okikurmi Volume 14 | Issue 15 | Number 6 | Article ID 4932 | Aug 01, 2016 The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus The Goddess of the Wind and Okikurmi Kayano Shigeru Translated and introduced by Kyoko Selden movement includes youthful attempts to create new forms that combine traditional Ainu oral performances with contemporary music and dance. Ainu Rebels, a creative song and dance troupe that formed in 2006, for example, is constituted mostly of Ainu youth but also includes Japanese and foreigners. The group draws on Ainu oral tradition adapted to hip hop and other forms and also engages in artistic activities that combine traditional Ainu art with contemporary artistic elements. Ainu Rebels 2009 performance with German subtitles Kayano Shigeru with Linguist Kindaichi Kyōsuke The three major genres of Ainu oral tradition were kamuy yukar (songs of gods and demigods), yukar (songs of heroes), and Kayano Shigeru (1926-2006) was an inheritor uepeker (prose, or poetic prose, tales). The and preserver of Ainu culture. He was a Ainu linguist Chiri Mashiho (1909-61, brother collector of Ainu folk utensils, teacher of the to Chiri Yukie whose work is included in this prominent Japanese linguist Kindaichi Kyōsuke, issue) located the origin of Ainu oral arts in the and recorder and transcriber of epics, songs, earliest kamuy yukar, in which a shamanic and tales from the last of the bards. In addition, performer imitated the voices and behavior of Kayano was the compiler of an authoritative the gods. In Ainu culture, everything had a Ainu-Japanese dictionary, a chanter of old divine spirit: owl, bear, fox, salmon, rabbit, epics, and the founder of a museum of Ainu insect, tree, rock, fire, water, wind, and so material culture as well as of an Ainu language forth. Some spirits were not so esteemed or school and a radio station. He was the first (and were even regarded as wicked, while others so far the only) National Diet member to were revered as particularly divine. This address the assembly in Ainu. He was also a gestured mimicry apparently developed into fierce fighter against the construction of a dam kamuy yukar, or enacting of songs sung by in his village that meant destruction of a sacred gods, in which a human chanter impersonates a ritual site as well as of nature. Finally, Kayano deity. Kamuy yukar later included songs of was an inspiration behind today’s appreciation Okikurmi-kamuy (also called Kotan-kar-kamuy) of Ainu culture, in which young people, Ainu, about Okikurmi, a half-god, half-human hero and non-Ainu of various nationalities, join to who descended from the land of gods to the celebrate and explore aboriginal cultures and land of the Ainu to teach humans how to make their contemporary development. Thisfire, hunt, and cultivate thekotan (hamlets) 1 14 | 15 | 6 APJ | JF where they lived. or a stormy blast. The following story by Kayano, published in In the land of the gods 1975 (reprinted in 1999) as a children’s book and in the land of the humans, with Saitō Hiroyuki’s illustrations, is anwomen need be good at embroidery. adaptation-translation from an old kamuy yukar I lived at my house in the land of the gods dramatizing a contest of strength between the and passed my days goddess of the wind and the demi-godalways embroidering. Okikurmi. One day, I stopped my hand that held a needle and chanced to look across the land of the humans. A village caught my eye. It was a big village of the Ainu. How cheerful the village looked! All the villagers were busily working. Children and little dogs ran about joyfully. My old habit began again: “All right, I’ll dance the dance of the winds and scare the humans—” so I thought. Once I felt like playing tricks there was no restraining myself. Right away, I put on layers of very beautiful wind-stirring robes, storm-hurling gowns that I had embroidered. Then, with a swoop I flew up to the sky. I flew and flew across the sky— And on landing on a lofty mountain, Book cover to Kayano Shigeru, The Goddess of I chanted, the Wind and Okikurmi “Blow wind, blow wind—” and began to dance my dance, I am Pikatakamuy, my wind-stirring dance, Goddess of the Wind from the land of the gods. my storm-hurling dance. I have the power to fly through the sky Then, as usual, and to raise winds at will, from the tips of my fingers, whether from the sleeves of my robe, a gentle waft fierce winds began to blow. a strong gust They blew from the mountains out to sea, raising fearful large waves. 2 14 | 15 | 6 APJ | JF The large waves, fierce winds began to blow. like waterfalls, Sand storms swirled around the Ainu village. began pounding Creating such turmoil, upon the village of the Ainu. it was as if the sea was turning upside down. Day and night for six days, The raging winds as I sent the winds, made me so happy. the gods of the trees began wailing Day and night with no rest, so as not to be blown down. for six days straight, Big trees broke with snaps, I danced. while those that did not break When I finished dancing flew away, pulled up by the roots. and looked at the village of the Ainu, it was clean and bare. While dancing the wind-stirring dance, Not one thing was left. the storm-hurling dance, Yet I found— I glanced at the village of the Ainu. The village had blown away, leaving One house was still there. All alone. a bleak, empty wasteland. It was the house where a young man lived. Yet, believe it or not, Upset and upset, all by itself, the young man’s house at once, I danced more fiercely than before. still stood there When I finished dancing, as it had before the storm. I looked carefully, and there it was, Appalled by this, the house, not yet blown away. I gave up trying to blow the house away, Upset and upset, I thought of trying one more went home to the land of the gods time, and passed my days embroidering. but too tired to dance again, with nothing to do I went home to the land of the gods. Soon afterwards, Suddenly, at my door When I came home, a young Ainu appeared. again I passed my days How daring of him to come to my door. embroidering. Before I, a goddess, had realized it— After days had passed, one day I was angered by the terrible Ainu. I remembered the events in that village But he smiled sweetly and said, and looked its way. To my surprise, “Pikatakamuy, goddess of the wind, the village, which I thought I had blown away, thank you for showing us your delightful dance. was just as it had been before. As a token of gratitude, let me show you Having rebuilt the houses, the dance of the Ainu.” All the villagers lived cheerfully. The moment he said this— Angered and angered to see this, putting on at once my wind-stirring robes The young man came into my house, and storm-hurling gowns, and started to dance his dance. I flew to the top of the mountain Then from the tips of his fingers and danced powerfully, from the sleeves of his robe, began blowing the wind-stirring dance, the storm-hurling strong, strong, fierce winds. dance. Things fell from the shelf. Ashes and fire rose from the fireplace. From the tips of my fingers, The house shook. The ceiling tore apart. from the sleeves of my robes, 3 14 | 15 | 6 APJ | JF Moments later a mere framework But you are the goddess of the wind in the land was all that was left of the house. of the gods. So I only punished you while keeping you alive. “Pikatakamuy, goddess of the wind, If you make such strong winds one more time, The dance of the Ainu is not done yet, know that I won’t forgive you then.” I will show you another.” This said, the young man fanned me with his fan. Taking from his pocket Strangely, each time he fanned, a fan, he danced. bruise after bruise on my skin On the fan was a drawing was gone. of cold winter clouds. And as he fanned, As the young man fanned me with his fan, cold, cold winds blew at me. my robes that were like tattered cloth flipped When he fanned harder, and flapped snow and hail danced around, into the beautiful robes they were before. grains of ice pelting against me. No, not only that—as he fanned around him, In the blink of an eye, my robes were torn. my shattered house pulled and heaved My entire body was into the fine house that it was before. covered with bruises. “Who are you? Please let me know your real name.” My body was cold as ice. I thought I was freezing to death. When I asked, Then the young man said, “I am Okikurmi,” “Pikatakamuy, goddess of the wind, the young man answered briskly. the dance of the Ainu “What? So you are Okikurmi!” is not done yet.” I was stunned to learn his name. With this he flipped his fan. No wonder he was so strong. Now there was a drawing Okikurmi is none other of a burning red sun. than the strong, strong, wise youth, who went This time, each time he fanned from the land of the gods to the land of the there was dazzling light Ainu.
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