Ainu Bear - 1960-70 No. 45

Carved and stained wood. Direct carving - wear - small shocks - circa 1960 - 70 --- The "human" Ainu are an aboriginal population living in northern Japan. They arrived around the 14th century BCE, in the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. During the Meiji era, forced assimilation prohibited their culture, dispossessed them of their lands, until the complete annexation of Hokkaido. For the Ainu, in nature there are divine spirits "kamuy", male or female, some good, others malevolent. When they come to Earth, they take the appearance of natural entities: animals, plants, rivers and mountains. It is assumed that the origin of the statuettes is in the "inoka" miniature animist figurines of stylized bears, showing the animal's power of metamorphosis. Kimun kamuy, when he comes down from the mountains, wears his bear costume. The bear thus becomes "a man of the mountains". The statuette transcribes his power. Just like the Eskimo populations of Canada, the Chukchi of Siberia, the Ainu, perceive the bear as the equal of humans. - In 1933 Emperor Hirohito ordered bears, this event brought the attention of the public, and led to the start of workshops. A detailed notice on the Ainu bears and a certificate will be given to the purchaser.