Ainu To Be Recognized As Indigenous People

[Mulboyne]

AFP: In landmark move, Japan to recognise indigenous people
Japan is set this week to recognise the Ainu as an indigenous people, in a landmark move for a nation that has long prided itself as ethnically homogeneous. The move comes ahead of next month's summit of the Group of Eight rich nations on the northern island of Hokkaido, home to most of Japan's estimated 70,000 Ainu. Japan's parliament is scheduled to adopt a resolution on Friday to urge the government to "immediately" provide support for the Ainu, who have long faced discrimination and income disparity, lawmakers said. The resolution to be submitted jointly by ruling and opposition lawmakers stipulates for the first time that the Ainu "are an indigenous people with a distinct language, religion and culture." "It's one of the steps forward, but it's a major step," Yukio Sato, an Ainu and director general of the Utari Association which campaigns for Ainu rights...Ainu activists had vowed to press forward their demands as the spotlight turns to Hokkaido for the July 7-9 Group of Eight summit at the mountain resort of Toyako...more...

[Cortana]

seriously, i never thought I'd see this happen. I'm honestly impressed, Japan. Now let's see the native Okinawans get recognized.

[Takechanpoo]

seriously, i never thought I'd see this happen. I'm honestly impressed, Japan. Now let's see the native Okinawans get recognized.

moron
Unlike Ainu, Okinawan themself chose to add as part of Japan by election.
But I honestly admit that Ainu is Tibet in Japan.

[Midwinter]

moron
Unlike Ainu, Okinawan themself chose to add as part of Japan by election.
But I honestly admit that Ainu is Tibet in Japan.

A. Choke. Cock. On.

Unscramble that fucktard.

In other news, this is really impressive. GJ Japan!

[baka tono]

So now what do they get to run casinos like "indigenous" people in other countries?

[SgtBeavis]

I'm totally shocked that Japan has made this move. Good for them...

[Visitor K]

with 16 completely independent (with distinct language, customs, food and art) groups of indigenous people, oaxaca has the highest concentration of indigenous people of any mexican state. especially with the history of the devestation of the indies by colonists (entire unknown cultures wiped out), one realizes how lucky it is to find such cultures still sustaining.
its great that japan made this step, and hopefully it will help with the ainu people's struggle to keep their original culture intact.. especially in the current trend of mcglobalization..
..but, being a skeptic, i cant help but think that this is just a superficial move by the j-government to look good before the G8 summit.

[Mulboyne]

AP: Ainu rise up from the margins of Japanese society

For someone who grew up ashamed of her ethnic identity, they are powerful words. "You are beautiful just as you are. Don't be afraid," Mina Sakai sings to a young, enthusiastic crowd in the language of the Ainu, the indigenous people of northern Japan. Sakai, 25, belongs to a group of young Ainu at the forefront of a revival of ethnic pride. Rebelling against a history of institutionalized discrimination, they want greater political recognition and the rescue of a culture that has been nearly wiped out by government assimilation policies and social pressure to conform...more...

[alicia454]

The identification of "indigeneous people" for any group is wrong. The Ainu should just consider themselves to be Ainu-Japanese, and identify themselves first and foremost as Japanese nationally, but also having the Ainu ethnicity second.

I lived in Canada were the government bestows special rights and privileges to "indigenous" people there, in a milder form of apartheid. Yes they have been mistreated in the past and still suffer economic hardship now, but that is no reason to establish any type of race based right or privilege.

Consider the country of Portugal were I was born. Ethnic Portuguese were the first "indigenous" inhabitants of many places including the Azores and Cape Verde. Despite this fact, no International body recognizes them as indigenous, even though the Māori of New Zealand are recognized. This is not fair since the Māori only settled in New Zealand within approximately 150 years or so that the Portuguese settled in the Azores and Cape Verde. Oh and by the way, pure breed Portuguese are now a small minority in Cape Verde, which is an independent country.

It appears that the real qualifications to be consider as an indigenous people are: technologically deficiencies, racially pure (little interracial mixing), and be an oppressed minority. Not even the Han Chinese are given any indigenous status by any international bodies, nor are not even allowed to participate in indigenous events.

The whole designation of indigenous is stupid and racist! It divides people by race and discourages interracial mixing, migration, multiculturalism, and equal rights. After all, we all originated from Africa.

[dimwit]

There is no consistency as to who is indigenous, as many indigenous people have wiped out the previous indigenous people as seems to be the case in North America. Other people who have lived in the same place since oh, the beginning of history are not indigenous. Dimwit's definition of indigenous would be 'Poor people who drink too much woody'.

[Takechanpoo]

I am a descendant of Emishi who is relative of Ainu. Actually I am so hairly like bears and have dried earwax.
Who said I am a Zainichi Korean?

[Greji]

I am a descendant of Emishi who is relative of Ainu. Actually I am so hairly like bears and have dried earwax.
Who said I am a Zainichi Korean?

The 2channelers!

[hundefar]

IActually I am so hairly like bears

let's fuck!

[Takechanpoo]

dried earwax.

mistake
not dried earwax but wet earwax
sorry

[Visitor K]

It appears that the real qualifications to be consider as an indigenous people are: technologically deficiencies, racially pure (little interracial mixing), and be an oppressed minority....

i would disagree. there are still plenty of groups designated 'indigenous' based on distinct clothing and diet, distinct language, and a distinct way of life. technologically deficient and oppression are usually side-effects of this, but i wouldnt say they are necessarily qualifying aspects.

The whole designation of indigenous is stupid and racist! It divides people by race and discourages interracial mixing, migration, multiculturalism, and equal rights. After all, we all originated from Africa.

while definitely sometimes negative, i dont think all of these divisive things are inherently evil (well, with the exception of unequal rights).. why should an independent group be forced to accept interracial mixing, migration, and multiculturalism?
this question becomes more important especially when you consider that, in this day in age, this almost always means accepting western capitalism, western consumer goods, a western language, and a western way of life.
personally, i enjoy being able to see parts of the world that are left largely untainted by the global markets, and in my opinion, it is too bad that one day that will probably not be a possibility.

[hundefar]

personally, i enjoy being able to see parts of the world that are left largely untainted by the global markets, and in my opinion, it is too bad that one day that will probably not be a possibility.

Primitivist romanticism.

[Visitor K]

Primitivist romanticism.

1) it has nothing to do with primitivism. i think that if left alone, each country could come to its own form of an advanced society. the western option should not be the only one.

2) im not a romanticist. i know that the rural lifestyle is difficult and not every indigenous person wants to live that way. im just saying that if they want to live in the same way as their ancestors, why not let them? -- usually they are not allowed to because it is their government looking to line their pockets with dollars that choose to buy into the american state-run capitalist system.

[hundefar]

1) it has nothing to do with primitivism. i think that if left alone, each country could come to its own form of an advanced society. the western option should not be the only one.

2) im not a romanticist. i know that the rural lifestyle is difficult and not every indigenous person wants to live that way. im just saying that if they want to live in the same way as their ancestors, why not let them? -- usually they are not allowed to because it is their government looking to line their pockets with dollars that choose to buy into the american state-run capitalist system.

Guess what: people such as the Ainu for example or natives of the Brazilian rainforest like modern (they're not "western" you know) consumer goods such as good food, medicine and so on as much as most other people in the world.

Indigenous peoples have been fucked over by governments, sure. We can agree on that. However, it has nothing with the "western option" (what ever the hell that means) to do, or with capitalism. In every system indigenous peoples lose out, be it capitalist states, communist states or those in between. From Sweden to Russia to Japan to the US. To see it as a problem of "western" capitalism is just plain stupid.

People do not exist in a vacuum. Nobody is "left alone" by the rest of the world. Every one has to interact with the rest of the world. In that process you see many different ideas and cultures intermingle. That is what we have all over the world: a mix of many different influences. It is not particularly "western". You seem to have some essentialist ideas about culture. Well, culture is not something pure made in a vacuum that reflects the true essence of the people.

[Visitor K]

well, i do think that in the world today, globalization and capitalism have everything to do with indigenous people's rights. just how natives in the americas, africa and asia got caught up in europe's territory expansion, indigenous people around the world are getting caught up in the creation of new markets and the manufacturing of consumption.
and guess what: there are many groups of people around the world who do not want to take part in globalization, but are being forced to by their respective (usually corrupt) governments (this is why the largely indigenous zapatista movement here in southern mexico is so powerful).

[hundefar]

well, i do think that in the world today, globalization and capitalism have everything to do with indigenous people's rights. just how natives in the americas, africa and asia got caught up in europe's territory expansion, indigenous people around the world are getting caught up in the creation of new markets and the manufacturing of consumption.
and guess what: there are many groups of people around the world who do not want to take part in globalization, but are being forced to by their respective (usually corrupt) governments (this is why the largely indigenous zapatista movement here in southern mexico is so powerful).

I am agreeing that governments fuck indigenous peoples over. But this happens everywhere, also in socialist countries. It is basically a problem of property rights. They are usually not very well defined or just not respected by the government who then gives the rights to the land to special interest groups, be it companies, settlers or whatever.

In the socialist countries nomadic peoples especially have been forced to settle down, as wandering tribes is usually seen as a bad thing in dictatorships. Totalitarian regimes like to know where everyone is.

Regarding the Zapatista, the problem is that they want autonomy from the state. They disagree with the free trade agreement and want protectionism for their local area. Personally I don't really care, but of course NO state could accept that any group suddenly starts to make new rules for themselves. It is a matter of state monopoly, rather than capitalism. Any state system would oppose to that.

[Visitor K]

i am mostly interested in indigenous people insofar as their resistance to global markets, and i dont think declaring yourself a socialist country has anything to do with the money and power game of globalization.
but i totally agree about the property rights, which is an important part of it as many indigenous groups have a strong connection to their area of land.
i also totally agree about no state accepting self-autonomy. which is really the root of the problem in my opinion.

[hundefar]

i also totally agree about no state accepting self-autonomy. which is really the root of the problem in my opinion.

Let's fuck!

[maraboutslim]

1) it has nothing to do with primitivism. i think that if left alone, each country could come to its own form of an advanced society. the western option should not be the only one.

I call BS. It's quite clear that many places on the world lack the resources to develop past a "primitive" level to an advanced society - if by advanced society you mean anything resembling the standard of living and technology of the G7 type nations. If left alone, these societies will just continue as they are now, thanks to deficiencies that are either/and/or genetic, cultural, lack of appropriate animal resources, lack of trade and information/technology sharing possibilities, poor climate and weather problems, and so on.

(hasn't everyone read Jared Diamond?)

Having said that, I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with being "primitive" and have a simple, subsistence kind of life. Personally I could be quite satisfied with that kind of life. Perhaps even now, knowing what I know about other possibilities, but most certainly if I had no knowledge of other scenarios.

[Greji]

Let's fuck!

This is no time for romance, we're trying to get the Ainu sorted out for Take.....

[Visitor K]

I call BS. It's quite clear that many places on the world lack the resources to develop past a "primitive" level to an advanced society - if by advanced society you mean anything resembling the standard of living and technology of the G7 type nations.

i think it is difficult to say what an advanced society is exactly, after all it are these supposedly advanced societies that go and take land and resources that are not theirs and kill or otherwise suppress people with opposing views or lifestyles.
but i do think that indigenous groups should have a right to determine their own future and conserve their heritage beyond what an ultimately foreign government decides. also, many indigenous groups are realizing that their (often times corrupt) government's succumbing to the US led global market economy does not significantly help their people or raise them up significantly on that 'development' ladder.

[hundefar]

i think it is difficult to say what an advanced society is exactly, after all it are these supposedly advanced societies that go and take land and resources that are not theirs and kill or otherwise suppress people with opposing views or lifestyles.

So called primitive tribes have wars against each other, conquer territory from each other, keep slaves, loot and pillage and so on. What you are saying in this thread seems to reflect your view of your own culture, more than it seems to have anything to do with reality.

[Baka Chan]

Well, I used to date this Ainu chic, okay... have sex with this Ainu who had an gunjin boyfriend. She really assimilated in the real Japanese culture nicely. If she would have never said anything, I would have never knew. This is a good thread, because, honestly, it made me remember her. Anyway, this has no contribution on the subject, but thanks for bringing up the Ainu

[hundefar]

[quote="Baka Chan"]Well, I used to date this Ainu chic, okay... have sex with this Ainu who had an gunjin boyfriend. She really assimilated in the real Japanese culture nicely. If she would have never said anything, I would have never knew. This is a good thread, because, honestly, it made me remember her. Anyway, this has no contribution on the subject, but thanks for bringing up the Ainu ]

was she hairy?

[Torimaro]

So called primitive tribes have wars against each other, conquer territory from each other, keep slaves, loot and pillage and so on. What you are saying in this thread seems to reflect your view of your own culture, more than it seems to have anything to do with reality.

Thats a nice regurgitation of one of the standard excuses for imperialism.

When these tribes have wars with "each other" their cultures aren't destroyed and forgotten. When they are invaded by an outside force, be it ancient kingdom or modern investors, culture, language and identity are often the first things to go. knowing this, identifying indigenous groups and helping them preserve their culture if they want to is pretty neat dontcha think? Also, if we don't designate indigenous groups how will we know who to make the reparation checks payable to?

As for some groups keeping slaves... well, life's a bitch innit?

[Greji]

As for some groups keeping slaves... well, life's a bitch innit?

Slavery is not bad if you're the owner. The job description on the other side of the coin ain't so hot....