The Ainu Home 



which a struggling fire burns constantly as in an 

 American Indian wigwam, the smoke escaping 

 through a hole in the roof. 1 Along the wall on every 

 side hang household effects, gala robes of red or blue 

 calico with a large, white, angular design, knives, 

 guns, and smoked fish, while about the fire dry 

 shrinking sea-cucumbers, sea-urchins, salmon, her- 

 ring, and dogfish. 



The largest cabin belonged to the chief of the vil- The chief 

 lage, a big man with gray patriarchal beard- -a andhis 

 veritable King Lear so far as beard and bearing go. 

 At superficial glance, he seemed a replica of Joaquin 

 Miller, a sweet liquid voice characteristic of his tribe 

 emphasizing the resemblance. Then one saw that 

 his complexion was dark, his arms and legs were 

 almost as hairy as a bear's, he had fawn-like, hazel 

 eyes and a short, weak nose below a high forehead. 

 His robust, stolid, silent, and muscular daughter, a 

 rosy, dull-eyed girl of eighteen, he ordered about 

 energetically. In silence on the floor by the fire sat 

 a youth of about twenty-two, with the characteristic 

 bushy black hair but smooth-shaven face - - appar- 

 ently not having reached his majority. To be recog- 

 nized as a man, I was told, an Ainu lad must first 

 kill his bear, and the Hokkaido bear is very large and 

 powerful, being cousin to our Grizzly. 



As we entered, the chief bowed to the floor in great Official 

 deference, after which I sat down by the fire with the wekonu 

 family. He now began a long and eloquent speech; 

 of this I understood not a word, but interpreted it as 

 in a vein of tribal humility, with grateful recognition 

 of the honor of my visit, followed by much philoso- 



1 According to students of architecture these one-roomed structures seem to 

 have been the prototype of the modern Japanese house, divided not by per- 

 manent partitions but at will by sliding screens. 



: 57 3 



