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The Ainu family was rather small. It consists of Father, Mother, and children. Along with other families, about 13 on average, would live in a Kotan. Living with extended family was rare and usually consisted of widowed family members. Death of a spouse would change your life back to how it was before you got married and dissolved connection to your late spouse's family. A widower would have a new home built new his kinsmen, the old house was burnt down. A widow went to live with her brother of her mother's brother. Children of opposite sex would be split up. Male children would live with the father's relatives and female children lived with Mother's relatives.

In the Ainu language, which they don't speak anymore, a widow was called cise sak menoko or woman without a home. Terms of relatives have changed to the Japanese terminology and have also had their detrimental affects on the Ainu. The traditional Ainu terms included ekasi and huci for grandfather and grandmother, respectively, on either the maternal or paternal side. Ona is your dad. Unu is your mother. Wife is maci and husband is hoku. Son is po and daughter is matnepo. These terms are not cognitive it is simply the relation of the individual. For example daughter is matnepo that consist of maci-ne-po and literally would mean po who will become mat or wife-to-be son. Besides Ona (dad) and unu (mom) all other terms are terms of reference and address. The terms of address for ona and unu are iyapo (daddy) and hapo (mommy), but these may also be terms of reference when kukor (my) is added, for example, kukor iyapo (my daddy). Gender is very important in for names. For example, a male Ego will call a female sibling (matepa) something different than a female Ego will call the same female sibling (mataki). Here it is easier to see that mat is similar to female in English. The Author explains that po is more likely to be offspring-of. So matnepo (daughter) is offspring to become women. Whether they are your or your wife's sister's or brother's kids all nephew and niece types are referred to as them same. A strange gender-less term, mitpo, applies to all grandchildren. Which also shows up in great grandchildren (san mitpo).

Descent groups of the Ainu are neither patrilineal nor matrilineal, but and amalgamation of the two. It was very hared for me to understand because it was explained using the Ainu terms without English translations. So unless I took the time to learn the Ainu language it will seem foggy. The complexity is that brothers and sisters have different descent groups. It is called juxtaposed descent. It seems a brother would trace patrilineal and a sister will trace matrilineal. All males on your father's side shared, a emblem or seal, itokpa. It was passed from father to sons. Members of this group shared the same deities, which must be worshiped. The eldest son would inherit the lions share of the father's wealth, but the youngest would gain the father's house. The same happens with the woman. At the time of her betrothal a girl would receive gifts and a girdle-type belt known as an upsor, kut, or a pon kut. The upsor was the same type as her mother's upsor. The women also received tattoos traditionally. One at puberty, the second around 15 years of age, and a third before she got married (around 19). Women were tattooed to appear similar to the gods of the culture. The demons wouldn't mess with the gods, so they also won't mess with a tattooed woman. Again the Japanese have broken this tradition by outlawing tattoos

Kinship, Marriage, and Family There are some basic features of sociopolitical organization that are shared by most of the Ainu groups, although their finer workings vary from region to region. Among most Ainu groups, the nuclear family is the basic social unit, although some extended families are present. In most Ainu settlements, males related through a common male ancestor comprise the core members who collectively own a hunting ground or a river with good fish runs. Although some scholars emphasize that among the Ainu along the Saru River in Hokkaidō women related through females comprise a corporate group, the exact nature of the group is unclear. Among these Hokkaidō Ainu, an individual is prohibited from marrying a cousin on his or her mother's side. Among most Ainu groups, a few prominent males in the community practice polygyny.

The Ainu hunted from late autumn to early summer. The reasons for this were, among others, that in late autumn, plant gathering, salmon fishing and other activities of securing food came to an end, and hunters readily found game in fields and mountains in which plants had withered. A village possessed a hunting ground of its own or several villages used a joint hunting territory (iwor) . Heavy penelties were imposed on any outsiders trespassing on such hunting grounds or joint hunting territory.

The Ainu hunted bear, Ezo deer, rabbit, fox, raccoon dog and other animals. Ezo deer were a particularly important food resource for the Ainu as were salmon. They also hunted sea eagles such as white-tailed sea eagles, raver and other birds. The Ainu hunted eagles to obtain their tail feathers which were used in trade with the Japanese.

Hunting was done with dogs by several hunters who got on well with each other. Before the Ainu went hunting for animals like bear in particular, they prayed to the god of fire and the house guardian god to convey their wishes for a large catch, and safe hunting to the god of mountains.

Marriage The Ainu people had various types of marriage. A child was promised in marriage by arrangement between his or her parents and the parents of his or her betrothed or by a go-between. When the betrothed reached a marriageable age, they were told who their spouse was to be. There were also marriages based on mutual consent of both sexes. In some areas, when a daughter reached a marriageable age, her parents let her live in a small room called "tunpu" annexed to the southern wall of her house. The parents chose her spouse from men who visited her.

The age of mdrriage was 17-18years old for men and 15-16 years for women, who were tattooed. At these ages, both sexes were regarded as adults.

When a man proposed to a women, he visited her house, ate half a full bowl of rice handed to him by her, and returned the rest to her. If the woman ate the rest, she accepted his proposal. If she did not, and put it beside her, she rejected his proposal. When a man became engaged to a woman or they learned that their engagement had been arranged, they exchanged gifts with each other. He sent her a small engraved knife, a workbox, a spool and other gifts. She sent him embroidered clothes, coverings for the back of the hand, Ieggings, and other handmade clothes. According to some books, many "yomeiri" marriages, in which a bride went to the house of a bridegroom with her belongings to become a member of his family, were conducted in the old days. The yomeiri marriage was conducted in the following manner. A man and his father brought to the house of a woman betrothal gifts, including a sword, a treasured sword, an ornamental quiver, a sword guard, and a woven basket (hokai). If they agreed to marry, the man and his father would bring her to their house or the man would stay at her house for a while and then bring her to his house. At the wedding ceremony, participants prayed to the god of fire. Bride and bridegroom respectively ate half of the rice served in a bowl, and other participants were entertained.

Village Location A village is called "kotan" in the Ainu language. Kotan were located in river basins and seashores where food was readily available, particularly in the basins of rivers through which salmon went upstream. A village consisted basically of a paternal clan. The average number of families was four to seven, rarely reaching more than ten. In the early modern times, the Ainu people were forced to labor at the fishing grounds of the Japanese. Ainu kotan were also forced to move near fishing grounds so that the Japanese could secure a labor force. When the Japanese moved to other fishing grounds, Ainu kotan were also forced to accompany them. As a result, the traditional kotan disappeared and large villages of several dozen families were formed around the fishing grounds.

Housing Kotan houses were made of cogon grasses, bamboo grass, barks, etc. The length lay east to west or parallel to a river. A house was about seven meters by five with an entrance at the west end that also served as a storeroom. The house had three windows, including the "rorun-puyar," a window located on the side facing the entrance (at the east side) , through which gods entered and left and ceremonial tools were taken in and out. The Ainu have regarded this window as sacred and have been told never to look in through it. A house had a fireplace near the entrance. The husband and wife sat on the fireplace's left side (called "shiso") . Children and guests sat facing them on the fireplace's right side (called "harkiso"). The house had a platform for valuables called "iyoykir" behind the shiso. The Ainu placed "shintoko"(hokai) and "ikayop" (quivers) there.

Outbuildings Outbuildings included separate lavatories for men called "ashinru" and for women called "menokoru", a "pu" (storehouse) in which food was stored, a "heper set" (cage for young bear) , and drying-racks for fish and wild plants. An altar "nusasan" faced the east side of the house (rorunpuyar). The Ainu held such ceremonies there as "lyomante. " a ceremony to send the spirit of a bear to the gods.

It was believed that every day of life was made possible, and that peaceful harmonious life was ensured only by the gods' protection and supply to man of food for subsistence. Therefore, the Ainu dedicated various dances to the gods by holding various festivals that would enable families and "kotan " (villages) to live peacefully. Furthermore, dances were meant for people to share the feelings of joy and sorrow with the gods, and therefore played an important role in daily life.

Ainu who lived in Hokkaido, the Kurile Islands and Sakhalin were called "Hokkaido Ainu", "Kurile Ainu" and "Sakhalin Ainu"respectively. Most Ainu now live in Hokkaido. It has been confirmed that a few Ainu people now live in Sakhalin. The census of the Ainu was started by the Japanese in the 1800 s for various purposes, e.g. for putting them to work. The Ainu population from 1807 to 1931 varied as follows : 1807 : 26,256 1822 : 23,563 1854 : 17,810 1873 : 16,272 1903 : 17,783 1931 : 15,969 These figures (estimated ones) show that the population decreased particularly sharply from 1822 to 1854. The reasons for the decrease were, among others, the spread through the Ainu population of such diseases as smallpox, measles, cholera, tuberculosis and venereal diseases and the breakup of families due to forced labor. According to a current survey conducted by the Hokkaido Government in 1984, the Ainu population of Hokkaido then was 24,381.

Chup - Kamui  is the chastity goddess of the Ainu people.    Kamui is the Ainu word for a supernatural or divine being.  Chup means luminary.  She was originally the Moon Goddess of the Ainu people, but as She watched the earth on Her very first night and saw the sinful and adulterous behaviors of humans, She begged to trade places with Her brother, the Sun.  Hence, She became the sun and he the moon.  She is the symbol of modesty and innocence and protects women from adulterous actions.