Ainu bear ceremony video (1931)

It’s not uncommon for Westerners to have a rosy-eyed view of shamanic and post-shamanic cultures (amongst which Shinto can be classified). The Ainu cult of the bear is an example, since in an animist-based culture one might presume the animal to be treated with respect and with a regard for its well-being.

Rare footage of an Ainu bear ceremony on youtube, however, shows quite a different story. In exchange for honoring the Bear Spirit, individual bears can be sacrificed and next year’s hunting assured. For Joseph Campbell, the rites involve atonement for the taking of life and a means of alleviating guilt.

The commentary below is taken from Sacred Hoop (The Quarterly Magazine for Shamanism, Sacred Wisdom and Earth Centred Spirituality). Click on the links to see the youtube video:

The Ainu Bear Ceremony of 1931
www.bit.ly/Ainu-Bear-Ceremony

Length: 30 mins approx

For both the Ainu – and the peoples of the Amur river area on the mainland – the bear is an important spirit ancestor, and the annual ceremonial year used to revolve around ceremonies of the bear cult, where a bear is ritually killed and its spirit honoured. This does not now happen with the Ainu, but it does sometimes occur with mainland cultures.

The film is an old and important record of this now extinct Ainu ceremony, filmed in black and white in 1929, with a narration in English. An interesting glimpse of a now lost tradition. The bear is shown being sacrificed, so some readers may find the film disturbing.