THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, POBTLAND. JANUARY 19, 1908,
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BT AN'S'IB IAURA MIIXER.
IT Is perhaps not a froncratly known
fart that In Tezo, th northernmont
Island, there Is a fast disappearing
rar of people, the, original inhabitants
of Japan, known aa the Ainu. Very few
travelers pjo so far north, but missiona
ries have told us of them, and a Mr.
Batchelor, who has done mission work
among them for J5 years, has written a
most interesting book about this curious
rare. In reading "The Ainu and Their
Kolklore" we were so struck by many
likenesses between these people and our
own North American Indians that I want
to tell you a little of their childish be
liefs and half-savage lives.
Back in the dim historic days the Ainu
lived all over Japan, but now they are
crowded out of the main thoroughfares
of civilization by the more progressive
Japanese who are, according to some
authorities, a mixture of the Ainu and
the Malay. The Ainu race Is dying rap
Idly: clashes between the clans killed
many of them: the Japanese rulers of
the country no longer allow them to hunt
deer and to flsh in the best places, so
they have been forced to give up the
animal food they have always had and
to cat vegetable food, while strong drink,
the curse of the Indian, is their curse,
too. Then, perhaps, like the Indians,
they eannot endure the mere restraints
of civilization. Mr. Batchelor says that
the servants he had several years ago
used to leave the house with or without
permission occasionally and go oft for a
day's fishing or racing through the
woods, coming hack again much Im
proved In temper by their brief visit to
mother nature.
Odd Account of Creation.
The Ainu account for the creation of
the world as what rhce does not? Ac
cording to them the wdrld was an un
formed, floating mass of earth and water
with no life in it. amf God above decided
to fit the world for plants, animals and
men, so with the aid of tools he fash
ioned It rudely, turning over the finishing
work to the water wagtails. The wag
tail beat with Its wings and tail and
scratched with Its claws until It made the
level places. That is why when you see
the bird he Is always beating the ground
with his tail. Only the other morning
looking from my bedroom window I saw
one beating the sod in the garden. The
Island of Yezu. however, where the Alnus
live, was made by two gods. . a brother
and sister, and the west coast is rugged,
wild and dangerous because the sister
stopped to gossip by the way and so
made her portion hastily.
This is the legend of the first man:
"When God made man in the beginning,
he formed his body of the earth, his hair
of chickweed, and his spine of a stick
of willow. When, therefore, a person
grows old, his back bends In the middle."
The backbone Is, therefore, the seat of
human life, and so when a child Is born
a totem of willow is made to guard him.
The chief god, "the divine keeper of the
house." Is believed to have life. He is
made of a piece of green lilac two feet
long with, a cut for the mouth and an
other for the heart, which- is a coal" fas
tened in with willow shavings. More
shavings cover the mouth and heart and
the god is set up and worshiped. Other
inas. as they are called, are made and
offered to the goddess of Are and gods
of mountains and streams. Others are
offered to propitiate the demons of dis
ease, for what are germs to us are to
them veritable living, thinking evil beings.-
Other inas are made and set up
with a prayer to the gods for a good
catch when men set out on fishing trips.
Strange Superstitions.
It is difficult. to see what joy the Alnus
have In life, so full are they of supersti
tions that they fancy themselves moving
In a world filled with spirits to be wor
shiped, most of them spirits of evil. Life
which is sometimes difficult for civilized
people who must walk warily to keep
from hurting their fellow-men, must be
a fearful thing to an uncivilized people
who have not only their own kind to
treat with consideration, but also count
less unseen powers perpetually about
them. The Alnus are haunted by demons
of their own creation who inhabit the air
or the bodies of animals.
Is there anyone without some pet su
perstition? Would you leave unpicked a
four-leaf clover, walk under a ladder, or
sit with 13 at table? Tet how we outgrow
superstitions and shuffle them off as the
years pass and we train natural powers
to our use! We have traveled far beyond
the Ainu and the road ahead is full of undreamed-of
possibilities for the races who
move along conquering their fears. The
Ainu worship the bear, snakes, trees,
mountains and many kinds of birds,
and have innumerable legends about them
reminding one of the Indian legends.
They believe that the very elements of
the earth have lives of their own as in
dividuals have life. A few years ago they
believed that a photograph or sketch
shortened their lives.
This. too. is a belief with some of our
Indians. Several years ago I was pre
paring to take a photograph of a Warm
Spring squaw in a hopyard on the Wil
lamette. A most picturesque figure she
was with a papoose tied on her back
and a tiny kitten perched on one shoul
der. When she came toward me, throw
ing clods, holding a hopknife in her
hands and demanding the picture inside
the kodak that she might destroy It and
so regain the days that she imagined
had been taken from her and her child.
The Ainu burial custom also reminds
one, of the Indians, for both races put im
plements and utensils on -the grave to be
used In the next world. Perhaps you
have seen Indian graves covered with
things used in the life of the deceased.
In a little graveyard at the mouth of the
Siletz, I remember a woman's grave cov
ered with teacups and saucers and a
child's grave covered with clothes and
toys.
Sacrifice of Animals.
There is, to us, something revolting in
the Ainu Idea of sacrifice of animals.
Often young birds and bears are kept and
cared for, then killed with prayers, the
people thinking that the victim will be
so pleased to be sent to his ancestors and
to take with him as a present the food
provided that he and his ancestors will
reward the makers of the sacrifice. More
over, by killing the victim they give him
an opportunity to come back to earth as
an animal and to be killed again. The
people think that they are nearest these
gods while killing and eating these vic
tim. Such customs are the chief barriers to
mission work. The chief worship is the
worship of the bear. A young cub is
caught in the woods and kept until 2 or
3 years old. Then the owner sends out
Invitations and the guests gather, all
clothed in their holiday dress and orna
ments. All seat themselves about, the
fire in the hut. drinking sake, or beer,
and eating millet cakes. Then the 'men
make inao, put them by the hearth and
invite all of the goda to attend the feast.
The Jnao are taken outside and the peo
ple march In solemn procession to th
bear's cage where an address is made.
Here Is an address: "Oh, thou divine
one, thou wa?t sent into the world for
us to hunt. Oh, thou preotous little dl-
vlnity. we worship thee: pray hear our .
prayer. We have worshiped thee and
brought thee up with a deal of pains and
trouble, all because we love thee so.
Now. as thou hast grown Pig. we arc
about to snd thee to thy father and
mother. When thou comest to them
please !peak well of us, and tell them
how kind we have been; please come to
us again and we will sacrifice thee."
Worshiping and Killing o Bear.
All the guests form a ring, the bear is
led in, and then the spectators shoot
blunt arrows at him until he becomes
tired, whereupon he is tied to a stake,
more arrows shot at him, and finally he
Is held by poles . and shot py a i
sharp arrow, waereupon the people rush
forward and squeeze the life otit of him. ;
Then tlie head is rut off, a bit of its own i
meat put before it. together with other
offerings, after which a prayer is said.
There is a dance: the head is worshiped
and then a feast of the bear's meat is
eaten. Afterwards the skull is set up in
a sacred spot outside' the hut. One of
these -feasts, must be a crude, disgusting
sight to witness.
One turns from such degrading worship
with some relief toward the practical side
of Ainu existence. Game and fish were
so plentiful in former years that but lit
tle skill was required to obtain them.
Poisoned arrows were made and strong
hows of yew, many 'of them spring bows.
The Ainu were clever, too, at trapping
otter. Now, however, the Japanese rule
the country with a firm hand.oso that the
original Inhabitants are pushed aside in
small villages and settlements, where
they eke out a miserable existence raising
vegetables, cutting wood, weaving and
fishing. Before the Japanese occupation
all rule was by the chiefs of villages,
and many, curious and cruel were the
punishments -devised for offenders. For
tunately for the Ainu themselves, such
punishments have been done away with
now.
Domestic Iilfe.
Clothing is 'made of elm bark, which is
soaked until the fiber is divided into
threads, which are woven Into a coarse
cloth. Some of it Is dyed a dark brown
and sonie of it is embroidered in curious,
geometrical figures, that suggest Indian
designs. The men make for themselves
crowns, ornamented with birds or snakes,
which are worn at religious festivals.
Ainu widows" wear bonnets made of
heavy Japanese cloth.
The huts are most uncomfortable and
so badly built that the wind whistles
through them. First the roof is built of
poles tied together with rope made of
the inner bark of the elm tree or of
creeping plants. When the walls, which
are made of poles placed upright, tied
together and covered with thatch, are
'T ' ' '
' v . r?
TJORS3 OF TTE JHNT7
finished, the roof Is lifted up and fastened
on: later the roof is thatched, usually
with reeds, and the house is ready for its
occupants. Then the household sods are
installed. Two windows and a hole in
the roof allow the smoke to escape from
the fireplace in the center of the room,
but much of it floats about the huts and
aggravates the eye disease that is bo
prevalent among the Ainu. Vhe east end
of "the house is especially sacred, with a
place reserved for guests and all the
family treasures. It is believed that not
only the hut, but also all Its contents are
imbued with life, and will live hereafter.
Etiquette is elaborate, the women tat
too themselves according to time-honored
custom, the men salute one another with,
great ceremony; all women except
widows, take off their headdress when
meeting a man, and a wife never says
her husband's name. Formerly everyone
had only one name, and that was not
given until the child was 2 years of
or older, but now many of the ptojle call
themselves by Japanese surnames.
The Ainu have no literature.- Legend
says that long ago they had a book, but
it was stolen and carried away by Tos
hltsune, a Japanese hero who had some
strange adventures in Yezo. An Inscrip
tion in a small cave once caused great ex
citement, as the characters were un
known to all who examined them; but
they wore away rapidly, and it was con
cluded that they were the invention of
some funmaker. There are a few crude
musical instruments and a few sacred
dances, but in the main life is a very
joyless kind of existence.
It seems that the Ainu are like the In
dians, a race who have' almost served
their time, and will soon be gonav making
way for better and more progressive
race.
Yokohama. Japan, December 21. J" '
! HERE'LL soon be another bari
tone In the resident-chair of the
Federal penitentiary," said the
Hotel Clerk. "The paper says they re
bringing back the latest bank defaulter
to stand trial."
"They ketched him down In Mexico,
didn't they?" asked the. House Detective
of the Hotel St. Reckless, with a touch
of professional interest.
"Yes. and I guess it wasn't a job re
quiring the exercise of more brains than
you could carry in a large tin bucket."
said the Hotel Clerk. "It's very liard
for a party who's been addicted to side
whiskers and the lawn-tie habit for 40
odd years . to disirulse himself in such a
way as to deceive the casual eye. He
may put on a slouch hat and the same
kind of leather leggins that the villain
wears at the beginning of the second act,
but If you peel off the outer shucks you'll
find he's still faithful to his health un
derwear and his felt insoles. He's proper
meat for the first correspondence-school
detective that comes along wearing a
brought-on mustache and a German-silver
badge of office the size of a bock beer
sign, and carrying one of those three
dollar pistols that will put a bullet-hole
almost through a charlotte russe."
"This last one had blowed nearly all
ihe swag, accordin' to what I seen about
11," said the House Detective.
"Sure thing," said the Hotel Clerk.
"They all do. It's according to the pre
cedents. There are just two kinds of
money In the world. Larry money you
get honestly, and money you get dishon
estlyand one kind is very hard to get,
and the other kind Is very hard to keep.
By judicious and praiseworthy violations
of the penal code and the state banking
law, a trust company accumulates a large
and gratifying surplus. The cashier
quietly creates a perceptible hiatus In the
funds. He then passes It along to the
boss-copper of a downtown bucket shop,
who. In turn, confers It on a struggling
and dependent bookmaker that hasn't got
anything except a few race tracks to sup
port him, who. In turn, hands it over to
a low-voiced party that deals faro, who,
in turn, gives It to a member of a wire
tapping syndicate, who parts with it to a
Rentleman Interested in the great Indoor
sport called poker, who presents it, un
der duress, to a rough person with a as
pipe, who pays It over to a criminal law
yer who uses It for the purpose of cor
rupting a Juror, who puts it back into
the trust company and Utses it. Swiped
coin Is the only circulating medium that
really circulates. I-arry."
"The one they Just found down in Mil-
'JZEAH-ZZB ' CAN' J)OJVAZ.2 SB ?
AT THAT 2HXKENT DONALD 13 SEATED JUT SHERRY'S, GAZING
INTO THE SOULFUL VIOLET EYES OF JL WINSOME LITTLE
JZCEEPSAKB
ica had been having a lovely time ever
since he fled. He was established In a
semi-detached or two-family cave. living
on the regular food of the natives which
consists of red pepper with a little black
pepper stir-ed into It. Kvery time he
heard a passing footstep, his vital or
gans moved up into his throat, where he
could taste them, and every time any one
sneezed in his vicinity, he goose-fleshed
until her lookel like a half portion of
honeycomb tripe. He was having a pex-
mectly lovely time, by all accounts. He
couldn't have had a better time If he had
been sitting in a red-hot stove.
"When the Plnkertons. finally arrived,
he ran to meet them with loud cries of
joy. It would seem that he had been
under some suspense. The first reauy
restful moment he had was when they
adorned him with that style of sleeve
links which prevents a man from putting
his hands Into his own pockets, or any
body else's. But they only found the
sum of $9.75 on him. "He'd transferred
the remaining J94.992.25 that he swiped,
upon . number of gentlemen who'd inter
ested him in a system for tying up Wall
street Into a true lover's knot. It's truly
astonishing how many of these fatal
blows Wall street has endured."
"I s'pose he was a Sunday school
teacher, of course,'- said the House De
tective. "Yep, he ran true to form in nearly
eery particular," said the Hotel Cleric
"Tradition tells us that when he was a
small boy he had pale young eyes, and
those large, outstanding mother-of-pearl
ears with opalescent shades playing In
them when he stood in the sunlight. He
always minded every word his dear teach
er said to him and there is no record ex
tant that he ever mussed up his white
collar or failed to have his recitation per
fect of a Friday afternoon. A little later
on he rated 100 in mental arithmetic and
zero in town ball. As a youth, he .ever
shunned the alluring rum-holes of his na
tive village, because wine is a -mocker,
and strong drink is raging, and it costs
less, anyhow, when taken out of a bottle
behind the closet door. All the mothers
In town pointed him out to their daugh
ters as a type of what a young man
should be. and all the daughters promptly
went and took-up with the colty boys who
holds down the ends In the amateur min
strels and belonged to the poker club that
met upstairs over the livery stable every
Saturday night You take a lad, Larry,
that's reached the age when -he has a
faint trace of camelhair paint brush on
his upper lip, and walks like a pair of
button hole scissors on approaching the
presence ef the opposite sex take such
a lad, say, and let the report spread that
he leads an absolutely blameless life, and
you'll find that lad bringing his own sis
ter to the play-parties and going slcigh
rlding with his aunt.
"But to resume. Our hero, having lived
up to all the precedents, was exactly
fitted by training and environment to get
aojob in the bank when he' left the high
school. About the same time he began to
take an active interest in Sunday school
work an interest which never languished
until that bright morning last Spring
when he quietly and unostentatiously
caught No. 4 going west at 3:45 A. M.,
leaving behind him a large, palpitating
vacancy in the available assets.
"But you don't want to be putting the
black bean on the Sunday schools just
for that, Larry. It ain't the Sunday
school's fault. '
"You know how it is In our owrt dear
Wall street. Every now and then a
piercing shriek of poignant anguish Is
emitted from.' that bosky dell, where
grows the dark green to yellow fruitage.
A void has been discovered In the cash
in hand. It's the cruelest shock that can
possibly befall a bank with eleven millions
in assets to learn that one of Us em
ployes has cut a gash to the extent of
about nine hundred and seven dollars In
the funds. A death in the President's
family Is nothing to it. '
"So when the directors meet to hold
the Lodge of Sorrow, they nearly always
make the astounding discovery that the
trusted clerk who is responsible for the
deficiencies was a faithful member of
Sunday school.
"And, like you, Larry, they would blame
it on the Sunday school, which is very
wrong. The trouble Is that they will in
sist on hiring youths who haven't been
acclimated to Broadway's fitful fevers.
The temptations of a great city, or a
small one, eitner, are not especially dan
gerous unless you take 'em in a lump.
Wild oats are easiest digested when
served as breakfast food in the morn of
life. It's later on that they get dan
gerous. "Usually it begins like this: Domesti
cated Donald, the third assistant paying
teller, starts for uptown some eveninc
to take part in a debate at the Harlem
Self-Help Club on the issue that intem
perance has caused more suffering than
Concluded on Paga 11.)