Japan’s Indigenous Ainu people fight stigma to reclaim identities

Monbetsu in the forest in Biratori, in northern Japan's Hokkaido. For centuries, the Ainu traded with Japanese from the mainland, known to them as Wajin. But in 1869, Japan's imperial government forced the Ainu to abandon traditional hunting practices, speak Japanese and take Japanese names. Photos: AFP

In a forest in northern Japan’s Hokkaido, Atsushi Monbetsu kneels on the moss in the thick morning fog and begins to pray in a language that has nearly disappeared.

“Kamuy,” he begins, addressing the gods of the Ainu Indigenous people, as he starts a small fire with birch bark.