Opening Ceremony of Upopoi, a base for transmitting Ainu culture, Shiraoi Town, Hokkaido, July 11, 18:23
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A memorial ceremony was held by the government before the opening of the up-and-coming national facility "Upopoi" in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, on the 12th.
As a base for the reconstruction and development of the looming Ainu culture, "Upopoi" centered on the "National Museum of Ainu People" will be opened on the 12th in Shiraoi, Hokkaido.
The official name of the facility is “symbiotic symbol space” and the nickname “Upopoi” means “singing in large numbers” in the Ainu language.
At the government's memorial ceremony held on the 11th, Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga said, "It is important for the Ainu people to retain their honor and dignity as ethnic groups and pass it on to the next generation to realize a society in which diverse values coexist. It is extremely important for us to do so. We will do our utmost to improve the attractiveness of Upopoi so that many people from both inside and outside Japan will come to share the idea of the symbiosis of ethnicity."
“The true value of human beings does not belong to the attributes of the people, but to the spirit of the individual. I am confident that it will be a facility that contributes to the company."
After that, on the stage inside the facility, an ancient Ainu dance registered as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage was performed.
A reservation is required to enter Upopoi to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. For more information, please visit the Upopoi website.
What is Upopoi?
"Upopoi" was set up by the government in Shiraoi Town, Hokkaido, for about 20 billion yen as a base for the reconstruction and development of the lost Ainu culture.
The site of about 10 hectares is dotted with many facilities such as the first national museum in northern Japan, a hall where you can watch Ainu songs and dances, and a facility to memorialize the remains of Ainu people.
Of these, the "National Museum of Ainu People" holds about 10,000 items, such as living tools and materials used by Ainu people, and the permanent exhibition room is divided into six themes such as history and language. About 700 items are on display.
In addition, in the "experience exchange hall" that can accommodate more than 500 people, you can enjoy the traditional dance of Ainu and the performance of traditional musical instruments that are registered as UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage.
On the shores of the lake, you can see a traditional Ainu village recreated in a house called Chise, as well as an Ainu ritual to pray to God.
In addition, an exchange facility where you can experience the Ainu culture has been established, but for the time being, experience programs at risk of infection such as cooking Ainu dishes and playing traditional musical instruments due to the influence of the new coronavirus will be suspended. I will.
Searching for new expressions with Upopoi
At Upopoi, we are also focusing on transmitting Ainu culture in new ways.
An animation depicting a story that has been passed down to the Ainu people since ancient times has been produced along with the opening, and is shown daily in the hall inside the facility.
In the anime, an Ainu boy is depicted growing up through his relationship with a god called "Kamui." In order to reproduce the movement unique to the Ainu, we have introduced a new technology called "motion capture."
As an Upopoi employee, Hibiki Yamamichi, who has roots in the Ainu (31), uses sensors to read the movements of the limbs and creates the movements of the characters. Yamamichi also voiced the voice of an Ainu youth praying to God. Mr. Yamamichi grew up in an Ainu family and took a job to convey the Ainu culture at a young age.
However, we feel that there are limits to the traditional way of communicating, which sticks only to tradition, and we want to continue exploring new expressions so that the Ainu culture can be accepted by the younger generation.
Mr. Yamamichi said, “When I introduced only traditional lifestyles and dances, it was misunderstood that they still lived that way. It is not good to be too particular about traditional ones. One of the reasons why the Ainu culture is tapered. I will be connected".
After that, he said, "I would like to convey the Ainu culture with the sensibilities of modern people at Upopoi while introducing the past."
The role is to revive the Ainu culture
Upopoi has an important role to play to restore the Ainu culture that was being lost in the country's “assimilation policy”.
Iyomante, a ritual that sends the soul of a brown bear to the world of God with gratitude, is engaged in the restoration and reproduction of culture based on past video and audio materials in fields such as dance and crafts. is. The dance group responsible for singing and dancing in the hall will perform as a performance that expresses "Iyomante."
Upopoi's staff and sub-leader of the dance group, local Ainu in Shiraoi-cho, Shiori Shintani grew up without the opportunity to inherit the traditional culture. I came across people who are proud of their culture and wanted to regain the Ainu culture.
Mr. Shintani says that while working on the stage of Iyomante, he has encountered the problem of not being able to feel the rituals of the past, due to the changes in lifestyle and environment. However, through repeated discussions with the members, we tried to express our gratitude to bears not only by being strict, but also by creating a fun atmosphere, and we were able to express our unique ideas by advocating in the Ainu language of Adlib. Is starting.
Mr. Shintani said, "I don't know if I'm going to do the same yoyomante as before, but I would like the customers to see how they think and build together. It would be interesting if it could be seen as a form of tradition. I think."
Ainu history and challenges
The Ainu people have been denied their own culture since the Meiji era, and have suffered discrimination and poverty for a long time.
The so-called assimilation policy that enforces Japanese culture on Ainu people banned tattoos, which are witnessed by adult women, as well as requiring Japanese to learn Japanese at school. Lost to.
In addition, the Meiji government's land policy allowed the Ainu people to lose much of their land, prohibit free salmon fishing and hunting with poisonous arrows, and many people lost their livelihood. did.
Furthermore, under the "Hokkaido Old Civil Protection Act" that came into effect in 1891, Ainu people were targeted for protection, but their difficult living conditions were not sufficiently improved, which encouraged unfamiliar discrimination and prejudice. It is also pointed out that this has resulted in
This law was abolished in 1997 in response to the demands of Ainu people. Under the "Ainu Culture Promotion Law" that was enacted on behalf of the government, measures to restore the Ainu culture began to be actively implemented, but it was pointed out that this did not lead to the elimination of disparities in living standards and discrimination. It has been.
It was in 2007 that it became a major turning point. The United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the following year, the Japanese Diet also unanimously adopted the “Resolution requiring the Ainu people to be recognized as indigenous peoples”.
Then, six years ago, the government decided to develop a facility in Shiraoi Town, Hokkaido, which will serve as a base for transmitting Ainu culture, before the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, based on internal discussions.
And last year, the Ainu Measures Promotion Law, which came into effect, stipulated that Ainu people were the indigenous people for the first time. Under this law, a new grant system was established to promote the Ainu culture, and in the last year, over 730 million yen was granted to 13 cities and towns including Shiraoi Town in Hokkaido.
However, some researchers and Ainu people have criticized the law, saying that traditional indigenous people's rights have not been restored, such as the practice of traditional salmon fishing and the felling of trees. ..
In addition, there are also issues regarding the remains of the Ainu people. From the Meiji to Showa eras, the remains of Ainu people were excavated from graveyards in various places for research purposes, and more than 1500 bodies were stored at 12 universities nationwide, and inappropriate management was revealed.
Some of the Ainu people asked for their ancestors to sleep in their graveyard, and some of them were realized, but most of the remains were gathered in a memorial facility in Upopoi, saying that they did not know their identities. it was done. For this reason, there are criticisms that they are concentrated in places with no connection or ties.
"I want to strengthen PR activities" Chief Cabinet Secretary
Prior to the memorial ceremony, Secretary-General Kan visited the "National Ainu Museum", which is the core facility of "Upopoi", and the memorial facility for Ainu people.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kan told reporters that the annual number of visitors to Upopoi was set to reach 1 million people. "While gradually increasing socioeconomic activities while controlling the risk of infection with the new coronavirus, Then, we will strengthen our PR activities both in Japan and overseas so that we can approach the goals we set."
Expert "Restoration of Indigenous Rights"
Regarding the opening of Upopoi, Professor Hideaki Uemura of Keisen Jogakuen University, who is familiar with indigenous people's policies in other countries, said, ``Since the country's Ainu policy in the past has often supported Hokkaido, the meaning of the opening of a national facility Is reasonably large." In addition, he pointed out that it is not enough to build facilities, and the country should try to deepen its understanding by incorporating classes to learn Ainu culture at elementary schools nationwide.
In addition, Mr. Uemura pointed out in the "Ainu Measures Promotion Law" that came into effect last year that the Ainu people have clearly stated that they are "Indigenous Peoples" but that their rights have not been restored. On that basis, "Overseas, the rights are established by negotiating with indigenous people on an equal footing basis. It is important that we, who are called "Wajin" and the Ainu people, face each other on an equal footing. Careful work is needed to fill the gaps that did not exist,'' he said, admitting the Ainu people to perform traditional salmon fishing, and pointed out that consensus should be rushed to restore rights. Did.
New corona impact and countermeasures
Upopoi was scheduled to open this April, but due to the new coronavirus, the operation was postponed twice. With the goal of reaching 1 million people per year by the national government and roads, the challenge is how to balance it with measures to prevent the spread of infection.
For the time being, we will have to prioritize infection control, so we will adopt an online reservation system and limit the maximum number of visitors per day to about 2500.
It means that tickets with a specified date are sold at convenience stores nationwide, and depending on the reservation situation, same-day tickets will also be sold.
In addition, a separate reservation specifying the date and time zone is required to enter the "National Ainu Museum" in Upopoi, and the number of visitors per day will be limited to about 1200 for the time being.
In addition, experience programs at risk of infection, such as cooking Ainu food and playing traditional musical instruments, will be suspended for the time being, and the number of visitors to the halls that perform traditional dance will be limited.
In addition, we have installed a "thermography" at the entrance of the facility to check if there are any people who have a fever, and employees also wear masks and face shields to ensure thorough measures.
"Impression of admission is an unavoidable measure to prevent infections." I would like to achieve the goal of arriving at one million people per year, depending on the situation. "