DNA Analyses and Genetic Origins of the Ainu

In this video I talk about the Ainu, the indigenous people from the northern region of Japan, their culture, genetic profile, and ancestry. They are well known as the ethnic group that appears in manga series “Golden Kamuy.”

[dewif]

The Ainu called Japanese people Sisam.
The bigger the tattoo around the women’s mouths, the more influential/important their husband is. The Ainu woman started getting mouth tattoo at around 12/13 yo, indicating that it has come their time to get married.
The hand tattoos are different in each areas.
The Ainu would look after orphan baby bears until they got bigger and then “send them to kamuy land” or basically kill them and they would take their pelts, meat, etc except their heads and hold a certain ceremony called Iomante.
There are other facts about Ainu that I know after I watched and read Golden Kamuy. But I don’t want to write the longest essay I’ve ever written here 😅

[Figgy]

Honestly, the Ainu language is pretty much gone. I was talking to a couple Ainu people in the Lake Akan Ainu village, and they said that there are basically no "native speakers" left, and although there are a few old people who can speak it to a degree and there are some linguists who learned it and try to pass on what they can, it's pretty much gone and even when the elders perform their kamuynomi ceremonies in Ainu, they are basically reciting a string of words they memorized but don't understand.

[andrewdunbar]

There is only one village in Japan that is majority Ainu. Nibutani in Biratori. There is an Ainu-run guesthouse called Yanto right next to a museum that hosts regular cultural gatherings open to anyone interested. I visited for a couple of days six months or so before the pandemic.

[richardengelhardt]

The Ainu seem culturally very close to native populations of coastal southern Alaska and northern British Columbia, as well as geographically proximate. If Ainu Jomon ancestry is now accepted through DNA tracking, then it would certainly be a productive line of archaeological inquiry to investigate possible lines of migration from Japan northeast to the Alaskan islands, in perhaps the pre- or early Jomon era, during the late Pleistocene.

[yoshiday]

Based on a recent genetic study I did, turns out my paternal lineage is of Ainu ancestry. Unfortunately my father nor his family speak the language or practice their custom, but fascinating to have found out regardless

[brainblox]

Im not sure if memory serves me correctly, but I remember learning about Ainus traditionally not washing things in flowing water, which was also custom among Turkic and Mongol tribes during their times as Tengriists

[pattobyo]

I would be very interested in seeing an in depth comparison of Ainu language and some northern "dialects" of Japanese like Tsugaruben to see if there were any links. This might just be wishful thinking, but if there were in fact similarities, it might shed some light on what a Jomon language could have been and / or more of the history of Japonic languages in general.

[j.b.]

Very interesting. I’ve always been fascinated by them. Visually, they look like a Siberian/Indian(subcontinent) cross.

[willlittleton]

Thanks for this, always thought these people were fascinating, and I think it's important to spread awareness of their cultural idiosyncrasies, it's so unique

[kennethmiller]

For some reason, my mind always draws a line between them and the Sami people of Finland.

[klkw]

I am so glad for these language isolates! It truly does make a person think...those isolates are so interesting, even though we could quite possibly never figure out that part of the equation, here. It may be why it makes us so excited to hear about such unique humans!
And I never knew the Ainu language still existed

[zenshinacademy]

I was sitting in a waiting room a few weeks ago, started looking in the end tables and found an old encyclopedia. I found the Ainu people and began to read about them. Very interesting group of people.

[kerrybock]

Interesting how close Ainu sounds to Innu or Innuit which the Eskimos call themselves, meaning: The People. The same as Ainu

[maggiejacobson]

I hope someone preserves the linguistic beauty of the tribe before it’s too late

[b_ks]

Fascinating vid about a fascinating subject. I appreciate the delivery of good, accurate info in a short form. Much respect.

[omomo]

My husband is Japanese and he has a very thick beard. His family is from the south West Island of Shikoku so I’m wondering if he’s showing his Jomon ancestry.
Really fascinating stuff!

[事情通]

I am a typical Japan person. There is a lie in the comments here that cannot be overlooked. Assuming that the Hokkaido Ainu are the indigenous people of Japan, do you want to claim that non-Ainu Japan people are not indigenous peoples?　 Do you want to claim that all the Japan people (not the Ainu) today are fake Japan from the continent? 　I would like foreigners who know nothing about the DNA, culture, and history of Japan people to stop talking about the race of Japan lightly. That's because it insults and makes the average Japan person uncomfortable.
Yamato, HOKKAIDO Ainu, and Okinawans are ancient Jomon people with the same Jomon genes (haplogroup D). (By the way, Chinese and Koreans do not have the Haplogroup D gene.) The Jomon period lasted for 10, 000 years, there were no wars, and everyone lived in peace and harmony. After the Jomon period, during the Yayoi period, the Yamato Jomon people were invaded by military immigrants from the Korean Peninsula and China, and the Yamato Jomon people mixed with them and became Yayoi people. As a result, mixed-race Yayoi people became physically different from Ainu people, but that doesn't change the fact that both Ainu people and general Yamato people are Japanese. The Ainu people have assimilated into the Japanese population, and most people do not even know that they have Ainu blood. There are almost no pure Ainu people left in Japan.

[Shadovvwithoutbody]

As an uralic speaker I find both ainu and japanese very fascinating and close to me. At least compared those who has been surrinding my people in the last few millenia.

[Spongeonyourblocc]

You can tell there straight up related to the Natives of Alaska and manitoba etc like the Art styles, aswell as Haida Gwaii, Haida stands out to me the most I used to get the Ainu and the Haida confused.

[beatpirate]

i love their music! so much energy. thank you for this! i learned so much!