In the shoes of an Ainu person.
Throughout human history, a staple of expansion of empires has been the oppression of indigenous people. Ainu people were not the exception to this trend, as they too suffered from the consequences of imperialism. While reading Hokkaido Former Natives Protection Law ,at first glance many of the articles seem to be fair and even beneficial for the Ainu people but upon further analysis the true nature of forced assimilation becomes more obvious.
One Article that was noteworthy was article 9, which proposes the construction of an elementary school at the expense of the national treasury in areas where there is “Former Native Villages”. At first, I thought this would be a fantastic idea, as public education is an essential tool for the advancement of people. However this is similar to a Trojan horse in the way that forced cultural assimilation is hidden within a seemingly harmless proposal. By installing state mandated schools, these institutions are bound to teach material provided by the state which could and would ultimately lead to the forced assimilation of the Ainu people into the Japanese empire. As an immigrant to the United States I can see how my sibling who has grown in the United States has a different world view than I do due to differing forms of education, leading me to believe that if I were an Ainu person during that time period this drift would feel more pronounced as not only there is a different education system, but there would be a different culture being instilled into my sibling against our own will.
Another article that stood out to me was article 1 and 2, where land is given to the natives and the conditions that apply to this land. Again, at first I thought this was a fantastic proposal as having autonomy over one’s own land is always a favorable thing. Once again, after thinking it through I saw more colonial rule being imposed. Supposing I was alive during those times as an Ainu person, First of all I would be land locked to those 12 acres of land assigned to me as the transfer of these lands were not allowed unless it was for inheritance. Secondly, my Identity as an Ainu would be tarnished as the article stated that I would be forced to work the land in the Japanese way. Another thing that would be impacted would be my autonomy, as I could not form any easements without the permission of the governor of Hokkaido.
As an Ainu person, I believe a way in which I would respond would be to refuse to assimilate in any way possible without explicitly breaking the law. I would refuse to speak the language imposed to me and maintain my cultural practices in order to keep a fraction of my cultural identity intact. Imperial governments may take a person’s land away and try to erase a culture but as long as people Identify as members of the culture, its erasure will forever be ineffective.
