The Full Story

About

This is the Ainu people.

Hunting habits

The Ainu traditionally lived in northern , especially , as well as Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, where cold climates and dense forests shaped a subsistence lifestyle based on hunting, fishing, and gathering.
Their hunting followed seasonal patterns closely tied to animal migrations. In autumn, communities focused heavily on salmon fishing during river spawning runs, preserving fish by drying or smoking them for winter storage.
On land, the most important game animal was the Ezo deer. Deer hunting took place primarily in autumn and winter, when meat could be preserved in cold temperatures. Hunters used poisoned arrows (coated with aconite toxin), bows, traps, and coordinated group drives.
Brown bears were also hunted, though less frequently. Bears provided meat, fat, fur, and bones, but the hunt required ritual preparation and community involvement.
Along coastal areas, some Ainu groups hunted sea mammals and fished offshore using dugout canoes.
Importantly, hunting was regulated by custom and belief. Overhunting was avoided not just for practical survival reasons, but because it was believed to disturb spiritual balance. This created a system that was both environmentally adaptive and culturally reinforced.

Ainu religion is animistic, meaning that spiritual beings inhabit animals, plants, natural forces, and even tools. These spirits are called kamuy.
Animals were believed to be divine beings temporarily visiting the human world in physical form. When an animal was hunted, it was understood as the spirit willingly offering itself, provided humans showed gratitude and respect.
The most famous ritual is the bear ceremony, iomante. In this ceremony, a captured bear cub was raised in the village, honored with offerings, and eventually ceremonially sacrificed. The ritual was meant to “send back” the bear’s spirit to the divine realm with gifts, ensuring goodwill and future blessings.
Salmon and other animals were also treated with ritual care. For example, bones were returned to rivers or forests so that the spirit could regenerate and return in the future.
Ritual prayer sticks called inau were carved and offered to the kamuy during ceremonies.
Rather than a strict temple-based system, Ainu religion was woven into daily life, especially subsistence activities like hunting and fishing. Spiritual balance, reciprocity, and respect for nature were central values.