Inau
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In Ainu culture, Template:Translit or Template:Translit (Template:Langx or Script error: No such module "Lang".) is a ritual wood-shaving stick used in prayers to the spiritual world. They were used in most Ainu religious rituals and were also frequently made to request assistance for hunting and childbirth. Some can be used multiple times, while others are destroyed immediately after one use. Their size and the direction in which they are shaved depends on which Template:Translit (spiritual being) it is offered to and what is being requested.
Etymology
Template:Contains special characters The word Template:Translit appears to be a loanword from other languages in the region, probably the Tungusic Orok language of Sakhalin (Template:Langx from earlier Script error: No such module "Lang".). It is most likely ultimately related to the Manchu terms Page Template:MongolUnicode/fonts.css has no content.ᡳᠯᠠᠮᠪᡳ(Template:Translit, 'to blossom') and Page Template:MongolUnicode/fonts.css has no content.ᡳᠯᡥᠠ (Template:Translit, 'flower').[1] The Nivkh word Script error: No such module "Lang". or Script error: No such module "Lang". is most likely a loanword from the same Tungusic source via Ainu; both Tungusic languages and Nivkh have an Script error: No such module "IPA". sound, which the Ainu language lacks, so the replacement of Script error: No such module "IPA". with Script error: No such module "IPA". is probably an artifact of Ainu phonology.[2]
Description
To make Template:Translit, the bark of a branch is first peeled and then a knife called an Template:Translit is repeatedly used to shave the wood into thin curled strips that form a tuft.[3] Template:Translit are usually anywhere from five inches (13 cm) to one foot (30 cm) in length. There are several different types of Template:Translit, all with different variations in length and thickness depending on purpose. Certain types of wood were also used depending on the Template:Translit's purpose. Willow was exclusively used for offerings to good Template:Translit, and is preferred for this purpose, although a few other woods could be used if necessary. These Template:Translit tend to be about one foot (30 cm) long. Conversely, Template:Translit made to repel illnesses and evil spirits (called Template:Translit) were typically made from alder, and are usually around eight inches (20 cm) long. Some Template:Translit also have wings attached to them, although it is unclear exactly what function they served. The number of wings varies by region; Ainu from southern Hokkaido typically made them with nine wings, while further north they were made with six or seven.[4][page needed] Template:Translit also have shavings attached to them. Most point upwards, although Template:Translit or Template:Translit (Template:Langx or Script error: No such module "Lang"., literally 'the thing shaven backward') have them pointed downward, making them very distinct from other Template:Translit. In addition, certain kinds of Template:Translit – such as Chikube-ni Template:Translit – are equipped with spears.[5]
Uses
With the exception of funerals, for which they were never made, Template:Translit were an important part of rituals involving Template:Translit. Because only men were permitted to participate in religious rituals besides the bear ceremony, only men could make Template:Translit. Before building a house, four Template:Translit and one Template:Translit were placed where the hearth was to be built. Every Ainu house had Template:Translit on the hearth in honor of Kamuy Fuchi (known in Sakhalin Ainu as Unci Kamuy), and during Ainu housewarming ceremonies, three to four additional Template:Translit were typically placed on the hearth. Template:Translit were also made to requests assistance from progressively more powerful Template:Translit during exorcism rituals and difficult childbirths.[4][6]
In addition to personal use, Template:Translit were also used in larger ceremonies. Ainu bear ceremonies featured a large number of Template:Translit, of all different kinds. Certain elders, known as Template:Translit, would also use Template:Translit in ceremonies to control the weather. Template:Translit were also used by hunters both before and during a hunt to bring good luck.[4]
Template:Translit made for curing diseases were dismantled immediately after their purpose was served. Keeping them for any longer than was absolutely necessary was considered extremely dangerous, and it was thought they could cause a great deal of harm to the person who made them. Conversely, Template:Translit made to more benevolent Template:Translit were not so quickly destroyed.[4]
See also
- Template:Translit
- Template:Translit
- Flail
- Glossary of Shinto
- Template:Translit – wooden wands used in Shinto rituals
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- Template:Translit – Shinto version of the Template:Translit
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- Template:Translit
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ikegami, Jiro (1980-03-31). "Remarks on the Origin of the Ainu Word inaw : with Reference to the Etymology of the Uilta Word illau". Japanese Journal of Ethnology (in 日本語). 44 (4): 393–402. doi:10.14890/minkennewseries.44.4_393. Retrieved 2011-03-12 – via Ci.nii.ac.jp.
- ^ Tsumagari, Toshirō, 「サハリンの言語世界 : 単語借用から見る」 saharin no gengo sekai: tango shakuyō kara miru ("The Linguistic World of Sakhalin: A View from Loanwords"), Hokkaido University Collection of Scholarly and Academic Papers (2009).
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Sapporo Ainu Culture Promotion Center (Sapporo Pirka Kotan)". City of Sapporo. 2011-02-23. Archived from the original on 2012-09-26. Retrieved 2011-03-12.
- ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Munro, Neil Gordon (1963). Ainu Creed and Cult. Columbia University Press.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Inau". The Field Museum. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Baba, Moses Osamu (1949). "Iku-Nishi of the Saghalein Ainu". Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. 79 (2). Royal Anthropological Institute: 107–117. JSTOR 2844501.
