THE AINOS OF YEZO, JAPAN. 475 



ter as to be worthy of a fall description ; but, since I was unable to be 

 prescntat a celebration myself, I can do no better than to give a rather 

 full account of the ceremonies as witnessed by Dr. Scheube,* who has 

 published the only complete description yet given by an eye witness. 

 The original article is rather long, but in somewhat condensing the 

 description it is believed that no detail of importance or significance 

 has been omitted. 



Before entering upon a description of the festival the bear-cage and 

 nuslia Tcamui should be noticed. The bear-cage is represented in Plate 

 cxni. The cages are all of this general form, built of logs notched at 

 the ends so as to hold securely together. The bear sometimes makes 

 most strenuous efforts to free himself by scratching aud gnawing with 

 his teeth through the tough, heavy rails, so that it becomes necessary 

 to take out the old ones and replace them with others. 'This is easily 

 done, for, owing to the manner of putting the cage together, any rail 

 can be replaced by prying up those above it. 



I saw many such bear-cages in the course of my travels in Yezo, but 

 it is said that they are less numerous now than they formerly were. 

 The nusha kamui, or sacred hedge, already referred to, is represented in 

 Plate cxn, from a photograph taken at Urap. It is also shown in some 

 of the succeeding plates. This rude hedge of rough poles is an impor- 

 tant structure in connection with the ceremony about to be described, as 

 well as in other religious observances. The significance of the name 

 is not exactly "temple," but it is the nearest approach to "temple" in 

 the Aino language. Before it prayers are recited to most of the 

 gods, although not to all, as we shall see. It is here designated " sacred 

 hedge" for convenience. 



Dr. Scheube witnessed the bear feast in 1S80, aud his account reads 

 substantially as given below. Plates cxtv to cxvn, illustrating the 

 ceremonies at the bear feast, are reproductions of Japanese drawings, 

 from a makimono formerly belonging to Mr. Edward Greey, now in pos- 

 session of the Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Dr. G. 

 Brown Goode. Dr. Scheube has given two illustrations of the cere- 

 mouy, which are substantially the same, although in one picture the 

 crushed bear has his head directed toward the sacred hedge, while the 

 niHi sit with their backs against the hedge. Perhaps there is no estab- 

 lished custom in the matter, and such incidental changes are of no sig- 

 nificance. 



THE BEAR CULTUS OF THE AINOS. 



[Condensed from Dr. B. Sckcnbe.] 



According to the accounts of travelers concerning the Ainos, the 

 bear is honored by this peculiar people as a god. But it would be an 



*Der Biirencultns nnd die Barenfeste ties Ainos, mit einigen Bemerkungen iiber die 

 Tiiuze derselben. Mittheilungen der Deutschen Geselisckat't fur Natur- und Voiker- 

 kunde Ostasiens, Dec, 1680. 



