Celebrate Ainu Culture in NYC
Celebrate Ainu culture with presentations, demonstrations, workshops, and film screenings at Japan Society
Ainu Summer Festival: The Stories, Culture, and Traditions of the Indigenous People of Northern Japan
Wednesday, July 22 and Thursday, July 23
Wednesday, August 12 and Thursday, August 13
Japan Society – 333 E. 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues)
For the first time, Japan Society is bringing more than 25 Ainu performers, artisans, and educators to the United States. Years in the making, this exciting series of events is a collaboration between Japan Society and the town of Biratori in Hokkaido. The events are co-programmed by filmmaker Naomi Mizoguchi, director of the film Ainu: Indigenous People of Japan.
The Ainu have a long history of persecution and erasure in their homeland, but their culture is now being revived with a renewed interest in their traditional art forms and cuisine.
Presentations and Demonstrations
Sinot: The Dances of the Sar River
Wednesday, July 22 and Wednesday, August 12 at 7:00 p.m.
Discover the cultural significance of traditional Ainu dance and its strong connection with nature. Followed by a reception.
Ipe: The Culinary Heritage of the Ainu
Thursday, July 23 at 7:00 p.m.
Learn about the sustainable food culture of Hokkaido, featuring an on-stage cooking demonstration and a tasting of select Ainu foods.
Ikarkar & Itak: Ainu Embroidery and Language
Thursday, August 13 at 7:00 p.m.
Explore the history of Ainu fabric art and learn about the projects currently underway to preserve their critically endangered language.
Workshops
Inuye=an ro!: Woodcarving Workshop
Thursday, July 23 at 4:00 p.m.
Learn intricate Ainu carving techniques from the Nibutani Craft Cooperative Association and take home your own creation.
Ikarkar=an ro!: Embroidery Workshop
Wednesday, August 12 at 4:00 p.m.
Discover specific appliqué stitching designs passed down through generations and take home your own embroidery.
Itak=an ro!: Language Workshop
Wednesday, August 12 at 5:30 p.m.
Take part in an introductory class to help preserve the critically endangered Ainu language.
Sinot=an ro!: Ainu Dance Workshop
Thursday, August 13 at 4:00 p.m.
Join a rare, interactive session to learn the basics of Ainu dance directly from Biratori performers.
Screenings
Ainu: Indigenous People of Japan
Wednesday, July 22 at 5:30 p.m. SOLD OUT
Thursday, July 23 at 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, August 13 at 5:30 p.m.
Filmmaker Naomi Mizoguchi started visiting Biratori in 2008 and felt a great urgency to record the Ainu’s history, language, and culture on film. In this work, four Ainu elders tell their stories in one of the only films that present modern-day Ainu life. Followed by a Q&A with Mizoguchi.
Ticketing
Presentations, demonstrations, and workshops are $20 for the public, $17 for students and seniors, and $15 for Japan Society members.
A Series Pass with access to all presentations is $60 for the public, $50 for students and seniors, and $45 for Japan Society members. Workshops are not included in the Series Pass and must be purchased separately.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit Japan Society’s website. To purchase tickets for individual events, please click the specific event’s thumbnail.
JapanCulture•NYC followers can use discount code ARTSAINU50 for a 50% discount upon checkout for any of the main auditorium events:
Sinot: The Dances of the Sar River
Ipe: The Culinary Heritage of the Ainu
Ikarkar & Itak: Ainu Embroidery and Language
Please note: Workshops are not included in the discount.
Tickets for all Ainu: Indigenous People of Japan screenings are free with RSVP.
About the Ainu
The Ainu are an indigenous people who have lived in the northern part of the Japanese archipelago, particularly Hokkaido, for centuries. They have inherited their own unique culture, including the Ainu language, which is different from Japanese. In 1869, Japan incorporated the Island of Hokkaido into its territory and integrated the Ainu into Japanese culture. As a result, various Ainu traditions, customs, names, language, and history were lost as part of this assimilation in the early Meiji era.
In 2019, the Japanese Diet passed a law to recognize the Ainu as an Indigenous People with their own unique language, religion, and culture. Currently, efforts are underway to revitalize the Ainu culture and language, which UNESCO has designated as a critically endangered language. Key to this movement is the small village of Nibutani, part of the Town of Biratori. Nibutani is home to the highest percentage of Ainu residents in Japan, and it was home to Shigeru Kayano (1926-2006), a leader who worked to keep Ainu culture alive and the first Ainu politician to sit in the Diet of Japan.
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