Indigenous Language Speaker Series: Ainu Language

Part 1: Incorporating Ainu topics into the Japanese Language Class (In-Person)

Dr. Yukiko Yoshizumi, East Asian Studies (University of Toronto)

Part 2: “Irankarapte! Ainu Language Resurgence in Contemporary Japan” (On Zoom)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/82792729472

Meeting ID: 827 9272 9472

Passcode: 0704

ann-elise lewallen, Pacific & Asian Studies (University of Victoria)

Japan's linguistic landscape extends far beyond “standard Japanese,” encompassing two distinct Indigenous languages: Ainu in the north and Uchinaaguchi in the south. While Ainu language has faced marginalization under Japan’s ongoing settler colonialism, recent developments have brought it to the forefront of public consciousness. From the surge in popularity of anime Golden Kamuy to the establishment of Upopoy, Japan's National Ainu Museum, Ainu language has experienced newfound visibility in the Japanese mainstream. However, this has also spawned complex discussions surrounding Ainu representation and agency in shaping their own narratives. This talk explores how Ainu-driven initiatives have attempted to spur Ainu language resurgence by tracing Ainu language revitalization. In it, I examine how Ainu language, once labeled as "moribund" and destined for "language death," has defied such projections through a series of Ainu-led transformative initiatives and through youth efforts to adapt the language to everyday needs. Ultimately, this talk sheds light on the ongoing journey towards reclaiming and celebrating Indigenous voices in contemporary Japan.

Dr. ann-elise lewallen, Pacific & Asian Studies, University of Victoria

Biography

ann-elise lewallen is an engaged anthropologist who supports Indigenous empowerment through decolonial mapping, ecosystem health, and efforts to restore Indigenous Land relations in East and South Asia, as showcased in this Storymap. Her first monograph, The Fabric of Indigeneity: Contemporary Ainu Identity and Gender in Settler Colonial Japan (SAR Press and New Mexico, 2016), focuses on Indigenous Ainu women’s cultural resurgence through clothmaking. Her book-in-progress, The Banyan Tree and the Fish with no Scales, engages with Indigenous Land relations in the face of settler extractivism in Japan and South Asia.