Memoir (1) by Professor Joe Watkins, University of Arizona, USA
On Sunday, August 21, 2022, Carol Ellick (Archaeological and Cultural Education Consultants, LLC), Hirofumi Kato (Director of GSI), and I attended the 6th annual Kamuinomi and Icharpa ceremonies at Atsunai, the eastern part of Urahoro town in Hokkaido. The community started with a “Kamuinomi”, a traditional Ainu ceremony of offering prayers to the gods. After the Kamuinomi had been completed, community members performed an “Icharpa,” a ceremony for honoring the ancestors. We were invited to participate in the Icharpa and I was honored to be included. After both these solemn ceremonies were completed, members of the community performed traditional dances. I have participated in Ainu ceremonies such as these before, and I always feel honored to be included and to watch how Ainu communities continue to keep their traditions alive.
*Note:
The Raporo Ainu Nation is an organization of the Ainu in Urahoro Town, a former Urahoro Ainu Association.
*** In “Memoirs” we introduce a glimpse of GSI members’ experiences in Japan.