Song of the Ainu Gods

The Ainu culture is often referred to as the indigenous people of Japan. Ainu means human in the indigenous language. The Ainu once covered the territory known today as Japan but were pushed by more aggressive tribes to the Hokkaido and the southern part of the Saghalien Island. The predominant belief concerning their origin is that they originated from the Jomon culture, which grew out of a population who lived in the area around 10,000 BC when Japan was connected to Korea. The Ainu had a very similar spiritual system to many indigenous groups around the world. They were polytheistic with a deep reverence for their ancestors.