Yukara

YUKARA epos of the Ainus study and translation of Kamuy-Yukara by Kiyoko Miura TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Two Songs That Were Sung and Danced by Owl God I. II. Three Little Songs I. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Red Cuckoo II. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Viper III. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Otter Three Saghalien Songs I. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Dolphine II. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Yeiresp III. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Guide-Dog Two Songs That Were Sung and Danced by Goddess Ermine I. II. Two Songs by Shellfish I. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Stream Shellfish II. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Swamp Shellfish Four Märchen-like Songs I. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Otter II. Song That Was Sung and Danced by the Son of Okikirimuy III. Song That Was Sung and Danced by the Son of a Wolf God IV. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Frog Song That Was Sung and Danced by Oynakamuy and His Wife Song That Was Sung and Danced by Young Lord of Matsumae INTRODUCTION MY DEAR UNCLE "T" had so enthusiastically recommended me to read the Ainu epics and given one of the books as a special present. The title of the book as translated into English might read: "The Appreciation of the Yukara". When I had just opened it to take a quick look through, I had never imagined that the book would have captivated my mind so much as to as to make myself go right ahead to pick some of the most beautiful expressions and gradually to drag myself into the dreadful work of translation of all the poems in the book. But, this came only shortly after I had begun to read closely. Thus, this presentation of translation is simply to show my friends and readers the multitudinous and peculiar beauty of the Ainu sentiments as expressed in this book of "yukara" as much in its original manner as possible. Although I didn’t go deep to dig the cultural and traditional customs of the Ainu people, something must yet be said about the people and their "yukara" in order for the readers to comprehend more easily.

It is now known that the Ainu is the oldest tribe having once occupied the land of Japan before some strong tribes came from the Southern Asia and landed and pushed the Ainus gradually up northward. They finally had to be settled in the northern-most island of Japan called Hokkaido and the southern part of the Saghalien Island. Although they had their own religious faith, tradition and culture quite different from those of Japanese, they have been gradually disappearing; and the true descendants of the Ainu today are scarce. For many generations they have been thoroughly Japanized and their legends and traditions have become more commercialized, to be the means of living, rather than their life itself. The Ainu people had always been very spiritual and religious creating and worshipping many gods and goddesses; and their spiritualism has remained through centuries in a very ancient and primitive form which might be similar to the totemism or animism of the American Indians and other ancient tribes. Very well known among the scholars of the Ainu culture, Rev. John Bachelor who had come from England on mission and lived for long among the Ainu people early in this century tells in one of his books, "Ainu and their Legends": what they worship for is not an object itself, or for instance a tree, but the spirit that dwells in an object, or the tree. And, spirits are entirely separately thought in their nature from visible objects. Perhaps that is why they could have done two contradicting things simultaneously, i.e., to kill animals and to worship them as gods. To them the world beyond the cemetery is a mere extension of this world where spirits of one kind of beings remain as a unit, possessing its character permanently. That is, the spirit of an owl, for example, transmigrates after the death of its body and may reborn still as an owl. This does not conform with the Budhistic concept of transmigration.

As for their own origin, or the origin of mankind, they believed in the long-handed legends that say: "God created man with soil for bodice, chickweed for hair, and willow branch for back-bones; and that causing man to hunch as he grows old." From this, willow tree is considered sacred and symbolistic, out of which the people make sacred symbol, called "inaw", in the Ainu language meaning sacred wooden stick. The collective name for the "inaw" is "nusa". Every family keeps "inaw" that is used at every and all occasions of ritual performance. Wherever there is Ainu living, there must be this "inaw" with which they decorate the house and the object they are to worship, together with other offerings. Therefore, it is very important that such "inaw" must be kept in the best condition, as they believe certain spirit dwells in the "inaw". Further, they believe that when the "inaw" withers its divine power is also terminated, or, for even worse, that the possessor of the "inaw" may be ceased to live. There are various ways to prepare the "inaw". A tree or a branch of tree may be shaven upwards or downwards and at the either end the shavings are left as decorations; or, it may be shaven in both directions. Various trees are used, but principally willow tree is considered most important for the reason as above mentioned. Thus, it is essential for us to understand the religious faith and traditions derived thereof, which are thoroughly woven into the stories of the "yukara".

As above said, the religious faith and the wooden symbols, "inaw", are the central subjects in their legends and folklore. Their "yukara" is lately more widely introduced and more seriously searched by a small number of the "yukara" collector-translators working together with the few existing Ainu story-tellers. The Ainu people have never invented letters of their own; and at every rite a story-teller or a medium used to sing and dance with the stories that had been handed down from mouth to mouth and from generation to generation. Therefore, there is no way to trace up the origin or to know how old a particular legend could be. Some are quite ancient in source; and still some are but a few centuries back as estimated from the social structures and cultural background as suggested in stories. But, for many the exact date cannot be located. The "yukara" in the Ainu language means the singing voice. Basically it is a cry or singing of animals, insects, birds and so forth; and as they are gods themselves, it means the singing voice of gods. On the other hand, the word, "yukar" as verb, means "to imitate". It might be quite sensible to say that the word had been derived of another Ainu word, "yuk-kar", that meaning "to make doings of the animal captured" or "to imitate the animal captured". In the ancient Ainu society like any primitive tribes, a "dance dmma" imitating animals is the central activity in which the shaman or medium disguised as the animal caught and to be worshipped, that is, a God of whatever it is; and acted with the cry of the animal. Songs had never existed by themselves. However, as time advanced, they took independent forms and were established singularly as a form of litereture. So, the "yukara" in original sense involves the whole performance of acting and singing after animals and other objects.

So, what is today generally called as the Ainu literature is the "yukara" itself. It is told either in verse or prosaic form. There are two types of "yukara": "Gods yukara" and "Human yukara". The former can be further divided into two categories: "Kamuy-yukara", or epics in which natural beings such as animals, plants, solid materials and nature phenomena tell about their experiences or doings; and "oyna", or epics in which "human" gods or personified gods tell of their experiences. Since this translation deals with the "Gods yukara", further details of it are given hereunder. Such natural objects as told and sung in the "Gods yukara" are generally grouped as follows: 1. Animal gods: bear, wolf, fox, ermine, weasel, owl, orc, snake, frog, shellfish, etc. 2. Plant gods: aconite, yew, etc. 3. Gods of solid material: boat, anchor, etc. 4. Nature gods; fire, wind, thunder, etc. The peculiarity of their belief is that the gods of all kinds appear in man’s shape up in their domain but disguise according to their kinds when they come down to the man’s land for the purpose of protecting the land or supplying foods and animals by sacrificing their bodies. The moment they are shot and killed by men, they become gods and sit upon their respective bodies "between their ears". Such expression as "sitting between ears" is found practically in all the stories presented here. This does not have any significance of further symbolism, but may be merely what they had long believed.

On the other hand, the "oyna" or the "yukara of human gods" are such stories as centered upon completely personified gods as heroes. The names such as Oynakamuy, Ainuruckle, Okikurmi, and Samaykur widely appear in the stories of this category. And, they are in the position to govern human societies as absolute authority. Therefore, by the time the idea of such personified gods occured, the Ainu society might have grown to develop into the classes of the rulers and the governed. The hero, for instance, Ainuruckle, the name meaning "man-like god", was himself a shaman or chief in the actual primitive Ainu society; therefore, behind the story of "oyna" there is seen the Ainu society at the height of shamanism. Some outstanding characteristics of the "yukara" must be mentioned. The "gods yukara" is characterized by the use of the first person, "I"; and the whole story is told autobiographically. Although this is an important element, it is not absolute one, for there are some exceptions. With the use in general of the first person, it ends as: ". . . So told the God of such-and-such about himself." Such ending was said, however, a later addition when the "yukara" was established as oral literature and such explanatory ending was desirable. Saghalien "yukara" however do not follow this pattern. The "yukara" both in verse and prose is written in narrative. Sometimes a series of happenings is plainly told one after another; and sometimes quite sophisticated plottings are employed. Most and particularly the long narrative pieces have dramatic charm and effectiveness. For instance, the story of Oynakamuy captures the reader’s mind with its colorful descriptions unfolded one by one. The main characters are shaman and his wife, the personified gods, and the story gives a historical background of perhaps 16-18th century, when the Japanese shogunate took the reign over Hokkaido and their misrule and tyrany oppressed the Ainu people so badly. Though long, this story is free from the sloppy tediousness, with the variety of plots employed.

The perhaps most important factor in the "Gods yukara" may be the use of "refrain". Each story contains at least one refrain. When the central character is changed in the middle of the story, the refrain changes also. Or, when the theme of a story changes with the same central character, the refrain changes. Some refrains come at the opening of each phrase, some at the end; still some at every important position; and still other at specific place in the whole story. Most of them come at the openings and this is the most natural and accepted pattern, for the refrains designate the God’s self-introduction. The use of refrains as above-described is very characteristic and has effects: sometimes they have effects of refreshing and heightening the tone in a long narrative that goes on in quite a length; often such refrains are short and beautifully poetic as contrasting to the narrative. A typical and most outstanding example is that in "The Song of an Owl (I)" which goes: "fall, silver tricklings, fall . . . / fall, golden tricklings fall . . ." In the Ainu language this refrain denotes a singing voice of Owl God, but also characteristically an expression to heighten the whole tone with poetic effect. This piece happens to be the only long story here that renders the poetic tinge to the entire expression; for that, this is one of the most exquisite pieces. As the readers may note, the stories here are mostly told naively and with no real villains therein and with full of good will. Often stories give reason, for example, why men had to suffer from disaster, which men understand and adjust their wrong deeds. Often, then, the narratives are so plainly told that we may tend to read through without thinking deeply of their religious implications. For instance, the story of Ermine goes on to tell why men had to suffer from famine, and how they were saved. To kill animals with stones and rotten sticks is quite contrary to their religious belief, for all the living things are disguised gods. The communications between gods and men are commonly done through dreams; so in above story men were told through dreams of the very reason for the famine they had to suffer.

Some or rather many expressions are found peculiarly beautiful and plain. And, I personally feel they are quite highly refined as describing some states and actions. From gracefulness in expression and good faiths given in stories, I feel also that the Ainu people have gentle heart towards their own people and things around, and love a good harmony with the surroundings in their lives. My knowledge of the Ainu folks and their "yukara" is very scanty; all what I have ever read are those ten story-songs as translated here. Nevertheless, I think I could have touched their heart and sentiments therein. Although the stories before translation are presented not in the Ainu language but in the Japanese version, so this making a secondary translation, the book was excellent which being written and edited by the well-known Ainu-Japanese anthologists, Mashio Chiri and Kunio Oda, and I believe they were specially careful in selecting words. I regret the lack of the depth of my learning; and above all I most regret that I have never met the Ainu people and never yet visited their "kotan" or village. Two Songs That Were Sung and Danced by Owl God I. "Fall, silver tricklings, fall . . . Fall, golden tricklings, fall . . ." So singing I flew Along a stream. As flying over the hamlet, I looked And there I saw the people-- Those who had once been poor were now rich, Those who had once been rich were now poor.

Those who had once been rich were now poor. At the seashore, The children were playing With their little toy bows And with little toy arrows. "Fall, silver tricklings, fall . . . Fall, golden tricklings, fall . . ." So singing I went Gliding over the children. Running below my eyes, The children said each and all: "Beautiful little bird! Divine little bird! Come, now, come quickly! Whoever would shoot that little bird first, Whoever would fetch that divine bird first Will be our hero! And be our leader in the true sense!" The children of those-once-poor-but-now-rich Notched their little golden arrows Upon their little golden bows, and Off they shot! But, I let those golden arrows Go beneath my body And above my body. Then, There was a boy Among those children, Who had an ordinary little arrow And an ordinary little bow. I looked at him. From the cloth he wore He appeared to have come from a poor family. But-- From the looks in his eyes He appeared to be descended from an illustrious family. So he stood out among all other boys Like a bird of virtue! And, he too Notched his little arrow Upon his little bow. As he drew his bow, The children of those-once-poor-but-now-rich Said scornfully: "How funny! Such a cub of a wretched tribe! Even our golden arrows Can’t reach That bird-- That holy bird! It’ll be a wonder If that bird-- That holy bird-- Would ever take This ordinary wooden arrow--

This ordinary wooden arrow-- This arrow of rotten wood-- That this son of a wretched Would dare to shoot!" Abusing thus, The children gathered around the boy Giving him kicks and cuffs. But-- The poor boy did not hesitate and Drew his bow at me. Watching at him, thus, I felt sympathy toward him. "Fall, silver tricklings, fall . . . Fall, golden tricklings, fall . . ." So singing I went slowly Gliding over in a big circle In the sky. The boy stood On one foot drawn far back And on the other stepped foreward. And, biting his lower lip, He drew his bow at me. Then-- Off he shot his arrow! The tiny arrow glittered in the air As it flew toward me; And, as I saw it nearing me, Soon I held out my hands And took that little arrow. And, while I was descending round and round, The wind whistled by my ears. Then-- The children all ran toward me, Striving with one another, And leaving sand storm behind. As soon as I fell on the ground, The poor boy reached And grabbed me before anyone. So, the boys of those-once-poor-but-now-rich Who arrived late called him With a score of bad names, And pushed and beat this poor boy calling With ten and a score of cursing names: "Abonimable cub! Son of the wretched! How dare you would take the lead In what we were doing!" But, the poor boy Covered me again and again, Held me under his stomach, And escaped from the crowd of those boys Taking as long as an age.

Taking as long as an age. Then, after such hubbub His footsteps on a run Sounded light and rhythmic. The boys of those-once-poor-but-now-rich Threw stones and chips of wood After him, but he ran Without the least attention to them, Leaving sand storm behind, Until he at last arrived at a little house. Then, the boy took me in From the window of the honour room of the house, And he began and told the story Of what had happened. From the house appeared An old man and his wife Shading their eyes with their hands. They seemed, the man and his wife, To bear an air of dignity, In spite of their poor attire. As they looked at me, They were so astonished, They doubled their bodies from the waists. The old man then tightened his belt And bowed at me: "Owl, our God! Our heavy God! In spite of our poverty, You have come to our house. We thank our God a thousand times! We had once counted ourselves among the rich, But now we are poor and worthless as you see. So, God of the village! Heavy God! We have no right to beg you to stay At our house . . . ; but, As it is already after sunset, We should offer our heavy God The place to rest And we shall perform a ceremony tomorrow To send our Heavy God to where He belongs At least with the sacred wooden symbols." Thus saying, the old man Bowed twenty times And bowed thirty times. The wife of the old man Spread a "flower" matress Over the seat of honour

Over the seat of honour Below the window I entered And put me upon it. Then-- They went to bed and Soon started snoring. I sat on my empty body Between my ears. But, as the night advanced, I got up: "Fall, silver tricklings, fall . . . Fall, golden tricklings, fall . . ." I sang softly and went round and round To the left and to the right Dancing in this small house; And, the sound I made as I danced Was so beautiful as a rustle of gold. When I flapped my wings, There was about me A mount of precious jewelry, The God’s treasures falling from heaven, Making sound so beautiful as rustles of gold. In a quick moment I filled this tiny house With those shining jewelries, The God’s treasures. "Fall, silver tricklings, fall . . . Fall, golden tricklings, fall . . ." While I sang, I made this tiny house Into a large house, A golden house, In a quick moment. In the house, I built a magnificent altar and Quickly wove a magnificent silk robe And decorated the house entirely. I decorated the now great house, Far grander than any house of other rich people. As I finished this job, I sat between the ears of my body, Just as I had been placed. Then, to the family of this house I sent dream to their sleep And let them know that I saw And took sympathy of them, For the farnily-once-rich-but-now-poor, By an ill fortune, Have been despised and ill-treated By those-once-poor-but-now-rich; And that I therefore came down

And that I therefore came down To stay at their house, Although I was not a small god, And thus to make them wealthy again. In a short while The night’s black news began to thin away; And the people of the family awoke and got up. Rubbing their eyes still, They looked about and instantly They fell down on their buttocks. The old woman Cried in a loud voice, The old man Dropped big drops of tears. But, quickly He got up and came Where I was, and bowed Scores of times, Hundreds of times; And spoke in the meantime: "I thought it was But a dream I saw in sleep! How could we imagine To see all this in our real life! In spite of our poverty, In spite of our wretched life by the ill-fortune, You have come to our humble cot. That only gave us honour Beyond our words of gratitude. But, above this all, Our God, Our Heavy God, You took sympathy upon us For being misfortuned, And bestowed a favour of us With the heaviest of all The heavy gifts from Heaven!" Saying thus in tears, The old man bowed deeply and worshipped me. Then-- This old man cut trees, Began to shave them to make into a bunch Of beautiful sacred wooden decorations With which he decorated about me. The old lady tightened her sash And, with a help of the little kids, Gathered some kindlewood, Drew water And prepared to make Sake. In a short while, Six casks of Sake Were placed at the seat of honour. Then-- I had a pleasure Of speaking with the "old granny of fire"

Of speaking with the "old granny of fire" About things in Heaven. In two days since The aroma of Sake, Which the Gods favour, Began to fill the house. Then-- The little boy who had brought me to this house Was clothed in a ragged kimono in purpose, And was sent to the village on an errand Carrying invitation to the feast Given to all those-once-poor-but-now-rich. As I watched after him, The little boy Went to each house And delivered the message; Then, those-once-poor-but-now-rich Laughed hard and said: "How strange! How dare would those poor folks invite us! With what sort of Sake and food They are going to entertain us! Let’s go and see, Then, have a good laugh Over their doings!" So, they came In a big crowd. But, when they saw the house From a good distance, They were amazed: Some went back As they were so embarrassed; But others still came to the house Where they were taken aback. Then-- As the lady of the house Came out And led them in the house By taking their hands, one by one, They all Came in Creeping On knees and hands, Not a single person being able to raise his face! Then-- The master of the house Got up And spoke With the voice so rich and resonant Like a cuckoo singing, And he told them all about Such-and-such that had happened. "Having been so poor, We could not visit you folks; But, the Heavy God Took sympathy on us And had mercy on us, Since we had never had vicious thoughts in the past.

Since we had never had vicious thoughts in the past. Therefore, from this time on, I beg you, illustrious ones, Do be friends with us And visit with us, As we are in one And belong to one same family." As the master of the house spoke, All those-once-poor-but-now-rich Apologized again and again for their wrongs By rubbing their hands. And, they swore among themselves To become good friends with each other From this time on. I was, then, worshipped by them all. And, then, They became casual And open-hearted And held a grand feast with Sake. I, myself, enjoyed a good talk With the holy goddess "granny" of fire And the god of the household And the old goddess protecting the yard Of the sacred woods standing; And watched the men and women Singing and dancing, To my heart’s content. The feast went on For two days, For three days. Looking at everybody Happy and friendly, I was relieved And thus I bade farewell To the old goddess "granny" of fire, To the god of the household, And to the old goddess of the sacred wood yard. Then-- I returned to my own home. Before I reached, My house had been decorated With full of beautiful sacred wooden symbols And with good Sake. Then-- I sent my messenger for to invite all The lower gods And the higher gods, And held a magnificent feast. And, I told the gods My experiences, Giving detailed accounts Of the circumstances, Of the people in the village

Of the people in the village Where I visited, And of the happenings in consequence. So, the gods Praised me. When they were leaving, I gave them each Beautifully decorated sacred wooden symbol In twos and in threes. As I look now and then towards the village, I can see things are now in peace; People are keeping good friendship; And the man I made rich is now the village chief. That little boy Is now A grown-up man And has a wife And children, And is taking care of his father And his mother. Each time he makes Sake, He worships me With it And with the sacred wooden symbols, Before having the feast of Sake. I, too, Sit forever Behind These good men and women To protect them and Their village. --So told the Owl God of his experiences. II. In old days, I used to speak in the voice so sonorous As it rebounded at the middle of the bow . . . But, alas! how aged and weak did I become! "At any rate, if there is anyone Who is fluent in speech and confident In diplomatic negotiations, him I wish to send To Heaven with five-and-a-half messages!" This I said, tapping on the top of the pile of food boxes. As I heard someone at the door, saying: "Who else but I, do you know, Would speak fluently and confidently At such negotiations?" So I looked up, and there was a man-crow. I let him in my house, And . . . Tapping on the top of the food boxes in a rhythm, I spoke, and three days went on while giving him the messages

I spoke, and three days went on while giving him the messages For to send with him on the mission. When I finished just three of the messages, I looked up and there I saw the man-crow Dozing by the fireplace. At this sight I was enraged And beat the man-crow to death. So, again, tapping on the top of the pile Of food boxes, I said: "If there is any one who is confident In diplomacy, him I wish to send to Heaven with five-and-a-half messages!" As I heard again some one at the door, saying: "Who else but I, do you know, Would speak fluently and would be so suited A messenger to Heaven with your messages!" So I looked up, and there was a mountain-jay. I let him in my house, And, again, . . . Tapping on the top of the food boxes in a rhythm, I went on with the five-and-a-half messages. On the fourth day while I was giving him The fourth message, I looked up and there I saw The mountain-jay dozing by the fireplace. I was so enraged, I beat the mountain-jay to death. So, again, tapping on the top of the pile of food boxes, I said: "If there is my one who is fluent in speech And confident in diplomatic negotiations, Him I wish to send to Heaven With five-and-a-half messages!" As I thought I heard some one approaching quietly, I looked up, and there I saw a water-ousel Who sat by my left so graciously like a god. And, then... Tapping on the top of the food boxes in a rhythm, I went on days and nights

I went on days and nights Delivering the five-and-a-half messages. I looked and there I saw the water-ousel listening to me, Who didn’t appear tired in the least; When, after days and nights, I finished my messages on the sixth day, Off he went through the skylight And was gone to Heaven. The messages in brief went as such: In the world of man There is a famine, And the people are about to die of starvation. I wondered what could be the cause and found That there were two Gods in Heaven-- One authorizing over deer and the other, over fish-- Who between themselves conferred And agreed not to send their deer and fish down, And therefore they went on nonchalantly Even when other gods entreated in any way. Hence, the people could find no deer as they went Up the mountain to hunt; or could they find no fish As they went down to stream to fish. At this I was infuriated and thus I have sent A messenger to the deer God and to the fish God. Many days have passed since; And, one day, there was heard from afar in the sky Flapping of wings; soon Entered somebody in my house. I looked and there was the water-ousel, Looking even more beautiful With the gallantry air. He soon started delivering the return message. The reason why the deer God and the fish God stopped Sending their deer and fish down was such: When men caught deer, They beat deer’s heads with stick; After they skinned, They threw away deer’s heads.

They threw away deer’s heads. When men caught fish, They beat fish heads with rotten wood. So, deer returned to their God, Crying and naked; Fish retumed to their God, Carrying with them the rotten wood. Such enraged their Gods Who between themselves conferred And agreed not to send deer and fish down. Howsoever, if men would take good care Of their deer and fish in future, They would send their deer and fish down again. Thus the water-ousel repeated what the deer God And fish God told. After I listened to this, I gave the water-ousel my thanks. Then, as I observed again with much care, To be sure, Men had been ill-treating deer and fish. Therefore, I showed them in their dream in sleep What had become of deer and fish; And, they too realized their wrong doings. Ever since, they would have made the stick So lovely as the sacred wooden symbols, With which they would have gone to fishing; When they caught deer, They would have decorated deer’s head for to worship. Fish would have been pleased and return to their God, carrying with them lovely decorated wooden stick; Deer would have been pleased and returned To their God with their heads newly shaven. So pleased were the fish God and the deer God, That they sent even more fish and more deer. Men are now living With no more famine to suffer. I was eased to see it; As I had grown aged And physically weakened, I had wished to resign and go back to Heaven;

I had wished to resign and go back to Heaven; But, how could I have gone leaving the people Who had suffered with famine and almost died of hunger! Thus I remained ‘til now When there is nothing to worry of. Now that I have the truly brave, young one To take my place To protect the world of man, I am leaving for Heaven. --So saying, the old Owl God, the Divine Protector of the village, went to Heaven, as the story ended. Three Little Songs I. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Red Cuckoo For many a day that returned And for still many that went away, I did nothing but wept. I cried and cried so as to take up All the waters Of rivers, Of swamps And of marshes. One day, I looked, and-- There was a small man Dressed in a golden silk garment, With a little golden helmet fastened tight on his head; His face shining like the rising sun. This divinely beautiful man yelled Looking up at me upon a tree, And threw at me all kinds of curses. "Shut up! You, good-for-nothing cuckoo! Just as you want to know of your birth, You have been crying from dawn to dark, And from dark to dawn, until rivers, Swamps And marshes Get all dried up. And, all the gods, great or no, Settled upon this land, The land of man, Are now falling dead in drought. If you are so anxious to know of your birth, I’ll let you hear: once upon a time, When a white man from the land beyond the sea Envied us and came to this Ainu land,

Envied us and came to this Ainu land, He dropped a red leathered cigarette case While passing through this mountain deep. A god took mercy upon this cigarette case Which might otherwise have gone rotten and earthened, Thus making a red cuckoo out of it. Now, let me finish you off. Before you become a god, Remember what I just told you!" Saying thus, The small man posed with a little silver arrow Upon a silver bow, and let off the arrow; Then, I did not know what happened afterwards. When I came to myself, There was a dead body of red cuckoo, And I was sitting between its ears. It was this time When I did find about my birth. The man who had told me of it was the "God of Civilization". Now that I know of my birth, I can go to Heaven, to Gods. --Thus told Red Cuckoo of his own story. II. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Viper Leaves above Leaves below, Wavy And long-- Thrust a wooden pestle-- In full length, Put up a wooden pestle-- In full length . . . So singing, I bent my body up and down In pounding rice. Then, God Sammayunkur appeared Coming down from mountain With loads of venison on his back. "Give me some," I said, And he threw out a piece. As I ate, It tasted divine. Leaves above Leaves below, Wavy And long-- Thrust a wooden pestle-- In full length-- Put up a wooden pestle-- In full length . . . So singing, I bent my body up and down In pounding rice; And, this time, God Okikirimuy appeared

God Okikirimuy appeared Coming down from mountain, With loads of venison on his back. As I said, "give me some," He first threw a sharp glance at me, instead, and In an instant showed his anger all over his face, And cried out: "Idiot! How dare you ask for man’s food! Wherever do you say you have eaten it?" So saying, He picked up and threw a big wooden stick at me. Then, I did not know what happened afterwards. When I came to myself, There was the corpse of a viper, as big as a pestle, And I was sitting between its ears. I died such a foolish and ignoble death; So, you, the vipers, Do not ever fool man. --Told the viper his story. III. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Otter I had set in a stream a fishweir. I went and saw in the fishweir A salmon caught in. I took it out and was about to return When a young man came from the upper stream; And he said to me: Qui-oo-oo-oo A younger sister Qui-oo-oo-oo I have: Qui-oo-oo-oo I shall give her to you Qui-oo-oo-oo In exchange with Qui-oo-oo-oo Your salmon. I was pleased to hear About the girl And gave my salmon away. Then, the young man turned back As he went up the stream And said to me: Qui-oo-oo-oo That serves you right, Qui-oo-oo-oo A blockhead! Qui-oo-oo-oo Ugly blockhead! Qui-oo-oo-oo How do you know I have a sister? Qui-oo-oo-oo I only fooled you Qui-oo-oo-oo And you took it simply. Qui-oo-oo-oo Bah! This the young man said and ran away.

This the young man said and ran away. I was all in anger and ran after him, Ran until I came to a hole; Then, I jumped into the hole. There I saw a fox Who was grinding eggs of my salmon In a wooden bowl. In a fit of rage, I snatched the bowl away from him And threw all the ground salmon eggs Over his head. That is why The fox is ever red like that. --So the Otter’s story ended. Three Saghalien Songs I. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Dolphine As my little babies Cried and fretted Craving for food, I went to the shore Of the village Of Pahlyonna. But, . . . At the villagers This Pahlyonna Yelled and said: The God of the Sea Has been washed up here. Ugly women, Cover him with dust. So, I left the village And went to the shore Of the village Of Yeiresp. With much respect Yeiresp bowed low And said thus: The God of the Sea Has made a visit with us. Villagers, Bring to the God Sake, Sacred wooden symbols, Dried fish, to present. Thus, I returned With loads of good gifts And good foods To my babies, Those gifts pleased My kinsmen also. Thus, One day, I caught and sent An ill whale having diarrhoea To the shore Of the Pahlyonna’s village; And also sent A fat whale To the shore Of the Yeiresp’s village. Pahlyonna ate with his villagers The ill whale that gave them diarrhoea, And they all died; Yeiresp ate with his villagers The fat whale, And they are living A happy life. II. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Yeiresp

II. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Yeiresp Hol-liphna Dream brought him this to see . . . Hol-liphna Sleep brought him this to see . . . Hol-liphna The river stretching up Hol-liphna In my native village; Hol-liphna And, going up along the river Hol-liphna A little swamp there was Hol-liphna Between hills Hol-liphna Visible and invisible. Hol-liphna By the swamp Hol-liphna There was a young goddess Hol-liphna Mowing the grass, Hol-liphna Singing a love song Hol-liphna That went: Hol-liphna "How would be the looks Hol-liphna Of Yeiresp? Hol-liphna Even aroong gods were Hol-liphna Passed the whispering words Hol-liphna About him! Hol-liphna How do I wish Hol-liphna To meet him Hol-liphna Within this very day!" . . . Just as in the dream I had seen, There was a swamp Between hills Visible and invisible, As I walked up along the river In my native village. By the swamp, There was a young goddess Mowing the grass. Her face was radiating. Stealthily I neared her And covered her eyes with my hands from behind. "Who’s this playing on me?" "It’s Yeiresp." "Now, listen! I have six treasure houses on hillside And six treasure houses down the beach. I cook rice in a little bronze pot And eat it from a golden bowl And eat from a silver bowl." "I too have Six treasure houses on hillside And six treasure houses down the beach. I cook rice in a little bronze pot And eat it from a golden and a silver bowls."

And eat it from a golden and a silver bowls." . . . We were evenly matched in wealth, And so we were married. Two boys and two girls we had. A couple of them, boy and girl, We let them live in our house. The other couple We let them establish a home In the neighbouring village. III. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Guide-Dog Listen, my wife! I am going to travel On business. So keep the house And take care of The sleigh dogs for me. Leaving these words to his wife, Our master went to travel On business; nevertheless, His wife gave us no food And left us with no care. I, though poor as I am, Was the chief Of all the guide-dogs. Because we had nothing to eat, We sometimes became swollen Like little whales; And, sometimes, we became so thin and wizened As cow-parsnips, stripped and dried. In the meanwhile, One day, A nice breeze blew hitherto. This might be the day That our master should return! I opened my eyes with great effort. Then, I saw The master’s wife Having taken out the treasures Of the house, one after another, Stamping over them and crushing with And she ran away! Before long A big ship arrived. Our master landed With the boat’s oar on his shoulder. The minute I saw him, I passed out and didn’t know what after. Suddenly, I felt somebody over me And opened my eyes with effort; There, I saw my Master Yeiresp Pouring into my mouth Some medicinal drink he made. There were a pillow and little things to dance with,

There were a pillow and little things to dance with, Of shaven wooden symbol That he made for me. So, now, I recovered the vigor of my youth. Thereafter, My master Lived the life of an even wealthier man; And the vicious wife Has now fallen Completely. Two Songs That Were Sung and Danced by Goddess Ermine I. While governing the lower heaven, I on the other hand devoted myself to embroidery Day in, day out. And, one day, There appeared a shadow upon a window Above the higher seat; As I looked up, there was A great golden cup filled with Sake up to the brim, And a pair of sticks upon the cup Decorated with sacred shaven-wood symbols, That sticks delivered a message Again and again: "Goddess of the lower heaven! Please listen carefully to what I am going to say. Truly speaking, Gods and men have enjoyed big catches for long; But, this year a severe famine hit the village Where not a hare is found in mountains And not even a small fish is caught in streams. Even nuts And berries disappeared. Men are being thrown to starvation, With the weaker ones to die first. Though I entreated various gods for help, None of them would even see to it. Goddess! Pray take pity on men and their land And help them get settled with foods. Then, We’ll make you the highest God And worship you forever. Since, now, there’s scarcity of food, We could have made but this little of Sake To offer to you. But, when there’ll be plenty of food brought

But, when there’ll be plenty of food brought In the village, we’ll have more and in abundance To offer to you. Please do save us, . . . So, the chief of the village Urashbitts sent me to you." Such was told by the pair of sticks; And, as I looked round, Alas! The village was under famine, indeedl All men and women were suffering black as peat! So I arose, Taking up the golden cup; And raising it high and low; I poured Sake therefrom into six containers, Each container being placed upon the window pane; Then, I went fluttering down to the earth. Two or three days later The aroma of good Sake filled up the whole house. There All the gods, heavy or otherwise, Were invited to the feast, And, I, all dressed up, busied myself among them Entertaining them with Sake. Gods were very high-spirited And chattered over reverend hearsays. Meanwhile, The chief wren, in the excess of mirth, Ran out of the house and brought back A salmon roe in his mouth; Dancing around the Sake containers, He dropped the salmon roe he had held in his mouth Into a container. Gods were amused with his doings, And their claps and laughters Were nearly to shake the sphere. And next Ran out the chief wild-jay Who also brought back acorn And, while dancing around the Sake containers, Dropped the acorn into one. Gods’ laughter and claps Arose even more than before As if almost cracking the house. Then, Uncle Crow With his mischievous eyes

With his mischievous eyes Ran out of the house. Brought back a large turd And started dancing with it around the containers. Gods looked rather displeased with it and became speechless. So astounded I was struggling with myself to say a word When the turd was dropped into a container. Gods arose all at once, Beat that Uncle Crow to death, Took him out to the rubbish heap And poured off the Sake with turd Thus emptying the container. Since there was scarcity of Sake In the Heaven, Gods were much disappointed to lose any of it: Some were furious and still some, railing against Wren and wild-jay for their doings, said That unless they had started such a thing At the first place, Crow wouldn’t have brought turd. Having many quick-tempered gods among them, They finally all got up And fell into a great tumult Stamping and kicking and beating! Astounded I ran up and down Trying hard to quiet them down, But no one would have listened to me. As the tumult went on even worse, I pleaded Captain Shrew, saying, "We can do nothing at all now to calm them down. Please go and call God Snipe. Quickly, quickly!" So Captain Shrew dashed out of the house. (Monologue by the Shrew) As the errand of Goddess Ermine, I ran and ran through in the grass Sometimes bumping my nose right into the grass roots, Jumping and turning a somersault, Lying faint as long as a potful of food might have been cooked . . .

Lying faint as long as a potful of food might have been cooked . . . Or sometimes even longer, And passing away twice and thrice; Thus, after taking so long a time, I finally arrived at the house of God Snipe. As I looked into the house, I saw God Snipe sitting Upon the higher seat busying himself to carve Upon the sheath of a holy sword. Although I cleared my throat as I entered, He didn’t turn around. I sat at his left And spoke out the message I carried; Then he finally looked up And opened his mouth with a smile upon his lips: "Huntchpijak. When in this village, wha-ha-ha, Good things come, They forget me, Huntchpijak. When in this village, wha-ha-ha, Things nuisance come, They remember me! Great as they are, They feast and have fun among themselves And their conducts thereafter Are indeed extravagant! Such is no business of mine!" After saying such words over his shoulder, He went right back to his carving. However hard I might have cried and asked, He feigned ignorance. So I gave up and started back the same way, Bumping my nose right into the grass roots, And passing away twice and thrice; When, after a long time, I finally returned, I heard abruptly on my way The gods dancing, Laughing And clapping Just as before, long, long ago. Thinking it strange I ran into the house, And, lo and behold, God Snipe had long ago come here Disguised as a party guest; And it was after he had already pacified the gods’ wrath,

And it was after he had already pacified the gods’ wrath, With his eloquent speech. So very cordially the Goddess thanked me. "The gods’ argument was all quieted down Because of you!" While she said so, Other gods also thanked for my deed And served me plentiful of good Sake. So, I too became very cheerful. (Back to the Goddess’ story) Thus, the gods in great argument Were brought down to a peaceful resolution; And, I to my relief, got up with a smile upon my lips And began to dance moving up and down across the room. My white silk garment bore the golden butterfly embroidered And little bells tied here and there tinkled Leaving lovely sound behind as I moved about. My beautiful singing voice was like a thunder Echoing towards the Heaven, so I flutterd myself. The gods were utterly marvelled And threw yells in unison: hay! hay! I sang in my song: "The god of deer! Please send your deer. The god of fish! Please send your fish. Famine attacked the man’s land, And the chief of the village Urashbitts Came to me for help. Sake you are having were brought for this purpose." The god of deer and the god of fish were listening Intensively with their eyes closed; But in the meantime the god of deer began to talk: "The truth is this: Now, Goddess, please listen to me! Once man had reverential heart And worshipped whatever animals he killed. At that time, our fellow animals returned To Heaven happily with ornated arrows

To Heaven happily with ornated arrows And sacred tree decorations. However, Man’s mind grew degraded and began to use Rotten wood to kill animals; So they now return to me weeping and crying Over rotten woods. This is no joke to me, And I cut off the supply of deer To punish man for such deeds." As soon as the god of deer finished, The god of fish opened his eyes widely and began: "Indeed, the god of deer spoke the truth! Once man used a special stick to kill our fellow fish, And therefore all the fish returned To me in high spirits with brand new sticks . . . But, now, he kills with rotten woods or stones So, they return to me with these woods and stones, Weeping and crying over those woods and stones. That’s no joke to me, either, And therefore I cut off the supply of fish!" The god of fish told this. Now, I knew the very cause of the famine. The god of deer and the god of fish Had good reasons to be angry. But, I thought that men folks perhaps wouldn’t Have known of this when they treated deer and fish Badly, and, that if we could let them know Of these circumstances, They would certainly correct their wrong deeds; So, dancing ever beautifully, I said: "The god of deer! The god of fish! I know you are angry at man’s deeds, But, if you keep going on like this To make man suffer And finally to bring all the men to death, Then, none of us, gods, will have the Sake And sacred tree-decorations

And sacred tree-decorations Which they make and present to us. What a sad thing would it be! If you rather warn them and thereafter forgive them, All of us, gods, will be thanked By them and given sacred tree-decorations And Sake in plenty! Pray, send deer down! Send fish down, pray!" As I asked smiling gently, Other gods too said in unison: "Goddess says it right! If the whole village is suffering of famine And every one of the villagers dies Of starvation, the gods who were sent down To the man’s land will resent us, Up in their Heaven. So, prithee, think it again And send deer down, Send fish down. Wouldn’t you?" So, the god of deer and the god of fish seemed Convinced; and, as if saying to themselves, "True!", they got up. The god of deer opened the doors of six deer-houses From which dashed out in great flocks-- Male deer Female deer And young ones; They passed through the gate of the Heaven, Stood upon woods and fields of the man’s land, And raced away happily. The god of fish also opened the doors of six fish-halls, From that dashed out in great schools-- Salmons, trouts Amemasu and so on; They passed through the gate of the Heaven, Arrived down in the river and sea of the man’s land! And swam around, laughing and merry. Looking them down, with the gods, At the gate of the Heaven, I felt relieved now And thanked the god of deer and the god of fish deeply. Thereafter I again devoted myself to embroidery day after day,

I again devoted myself to embroidery day after day, And, one day, there appeared a shadow upon a window Above the higher seat; As I looked up, again there was A great golden cup filled with Sake up to the brim And a pair of sticks over the cup Decorted with sacred shaven-wood symbols, That sticks delivered a message Again and again: "Goddess of the lower heaven! The village was saved by your favour! Though but in a small amount, I would send to you here Sake And sacred wood decorations. . . . So, the chief of the village Urashbitts says." Such words were delivered by the pair of sticks; So I arose, Took up the golden cup, And, raising it high and low, Poured the Sake therefrom into six containers. And, lo and behold, from the upper window Came sacred wood decoration, one after another That stood in lines on the treasure dais; After this came grains And dried fish glittering like gold In large amount so that they made big piles. I rejoiced And with all the gods and goddesses invited Held even grander feast. At the end and when the gods were to leave, I gave them, gods, sacred wood decorations, Twos or threes to each, and gave them, goddesses, The grains and Sake-cakes; They bowed and thanked me many times and went home. Thereafter, I communicated with the Urashbitts people Through dreams and taught them Not to kill fish and animals in rough manners; Then, the Urashbitts men conveyed my message-via-dreams

Then, the Urashbitts men conveyed my message-via-dreams On to their fellows and people of other villages; And, thus, they treated deer with decorated sacred wood And killed fish with the beautifully made sticks All the time from then on. Therefore, deer retumed to their god happily With the decorated sacred arrows and wood symbols; And fish returned to their god happily With beautiful sticks. The god of deer and the god of fish were so pleased To see this and sent away many more deer and fish; Therefore, there was now no short of food At the village. The chief of the village Urashbitts Thanked me very deeply and, as having promised, Made me the highest god and worshipped me so With Sake, Sacred wood decoration, Grains, And whatever the gods and goddesses wish to have; Thus, he would worship me, And then I am living also very happily. --So told Goddess of Ermine, as governing the lower heaven. II. Day in Day out I spent devoting myself to embroidery. As tired, I turned round and looked down the land of mankind, Where, In the spring time, Many young girls go to the mountains To dig out the roots of lilies and garlic, Calling after one another And laughing at one another; Their voices mingle Into merriment: In the autumn Again young lasses and lads Go to the mountains To pick grapes and pears, Singing and laughing; And their voices echo through the fields and hills With happiness.

With happiness. One day, I left home as I wished so, Came down and stood at the heart Of the mountains behind the man’s land, By the water source There was a golden spruce Whose upper branches swung high towards the sky; Whose lower branches spread wide covering the earth. I then sat on an upper branch And took my silk garment off. My naked skin beamed like the sun. I remained thus upon the tree all day long, Viewing with a little smile upon my lips The lasses and lads along the stream Or in the fields and hills, Talking to each other And picking berries and nuts. How refreshing And delightful it was! But, soon, As the twilight approached, They went back to the village. Then, but all of sudden, Somebody’s hands reached my breast from behind And grabbed the two lumps of my flesh Like two bowls swelling upon my breast, As if hooked with an anchor; That I had never expected to happen. So frightened, I suddenly produced the thunder And flew up in the sky and ran into the house. As I turned round, There was a mound in the thick mist Thunder-struck, Stretching long and stiff, Under the spruce. Way up from the Heaven I looked many times trying to see through The thing in the mist; But, after twice or thrice, I nearly caught a man-like form--yet, I finally could not see through the true form. After spending as long as an age, I finally caught his true sight; And at that moment my eyes were electrified.

And at that moment my eyes were electrified. Where had he been hiding his true form from people So as not to be talked of by them? But, now, he lay unconscious-- The green youth with beard not yet fully grown-- Dressed in the embroidered golden silk garments, With the golden obi-sash tied around his waist, His face seen beneath the golden helmet, As beautiful and brilliant as God Himself; He was holding a quiver fastened with rope On his back and the bow of cherry-tree skin, In his hand firmly. Then I tried to seek for his ancestry But I couldn’t get hold of it at all. Feeling strange, I but stared at him. In the meantime, He came to himself And as soon as getting up, he walked away in fury. As my eyes followed him all the way, He went passing the man’s land, Heading towards a summit, behind the man’s land, And running into a golden house on the very top Of the summit. As soon as running into the golden house, He untied his sash, Threw his body upon the bed In front of the altar, And stayed in bed sulked, With his mouth buried in the neckband of his garment And his legs tangling with the garment. Yet, in his mind he seemed to wonder Where did the woman he met today come from; And he seemed to be seeking for my birth. But, I hung mist before his eyes using divine power And hid my true birth as much as possible. "Never shall I get up until I meet that woman again." Thus, he stayed in bed eating nothing.

Thus, he stayed in bed eating nothing. On my side, too, I sought for his birth Thinking who he may be, a man or a god, Fully using my power that went Through to the ancestry, seeking upon Its second ancestor, third ancestor: But never it was known. Since I had grown into a mature woman, I sought for my husband Among various gods But found not a single one I liked. Even among the gods Was found none so beautiful As the young man who was now lying on bed here Deeply in love with me. Up ‘til this time I had never let any, even the same female, Touch the lumps of the flesh on my breast, Even in the darkest of dark nights; But, then, in the middle of a day, Why had I undressed like that Upon the tree! So he, man or god, approached stealthily From behind by divine power surpassing mine, And, grabbed suddenly the lumps of my flesh on breast. To think of such made me feel ashamed; But, on the other hand, it made me pine for him. So I too stayed on bed eating nothing But kept watching the young man below on the earth. As days went by, The young man grew thin-- Now looking as though the empty night-cloth was spread on bed. As I saw him like this, I grew more and more worried. God or man, He loved me and grew withered; So should he die like this, I could not be excused-- I as a goddess to protect the lower heaven. Thus, one day, I thought of some trick And got my weak body up; I got two bamboo leaves and crumpled them in my hand;

I got two bamboo leaves and crumpled them in my hand; Then, they became two big golden butterflies. These golden butterflies went out-- Flying together and going separately-- Down to the man’s land, to the summit behind And finally to the golden house on the summit; Going into the house. They kept flying together and apart, Over the altar and over the young man, shiningly, The young man must have felt them; He put his head up abruptly And watched the butterflies flying, With a smile upon his lips, His eyes following the butterflies as they moved about. But after a while, There fell two bamboo leaves upon his bed. Then he lost colour And covered himself up completely with his garments, In spite of the pain he had held for me, This time determining to die. To watch him thus was painful for me now, So I packed all the finest, embroidered clothes In the golden suitcase; Fastened silver pot and golden pot Over the suitcase; Put many packs of medicine in the breast of kimono; And after locking all the windows and doors, I then left with the packed suitcase for the earth. Down on the earth I went and entered That his golden house from the window Going through quietly as wind; And sat on his right without noise. The divinely beautiful young man Who, though lying as if dead, Had such a sharp ear That he sensed a faintest sound of my existense; He must have peeped at me through the sleeve of his garment.

He must have peeped at me through the sleeve of his garment. I raked the fire And with the silver pot in hand Went out this time from the door. Outside the house, There were silver well and golden well: At the silver well was A silver dipper; And at the golden well was A golden dipper. I dipped out the water from the silver well Into the silver pot, with the silver dipper; Then I put the pot over the fire And cooked miraculous medicine. Then, as I put my face up and looked about the room, At a cloth rack on the righthand comer I caught A sight: there was flaring flame from the skirt Of a thick outer garment woven with elm-tree skin, Whose neckband was covered with wide gold Flashing like lightning. Also, there was a celebrated sword, so brilliant As coming out of crystal ice, Encased in the sheath whose end was flaring, And hung with a golden helmet. Then, for the first time, It became clear to me, That this beautiful young man Was really the hero, God Ainurackle With such a shock as to know his true birth, I all of sudden became enervated And sank like a drooped leaf of grass. Being such a great one as to be called Ainurackle, How marvelously divine he was! Although I had thought that I only could have veiled my birth in mist To hide away from his eyes; He had done the same. For the first time now I knew of his true birth. He too seemed to know of mine now, As he got up on his bed

As he got up on his bed That looked nearly empty with a thin undergarment on. Then he advanced towards the fireplace--and, Quite unexpectedly held me across the fireplace And let me sit by him. Imagining him to be weak, I was amazed at his strongness. The divinely beautiful young man laughed a good laugh And said this: "Now, Goddess. Your divine power even won over mine! Although I am an off-spring of a brave hero, I had held affection towards you Whose birth I could not find; And thus worn out Almost to death, But, fortunately You have come and saved me. I thank you, indeed! After all, we were destined To meet soon or later! Even if you say no word, I know now so well What’s in your mind. Therefore, Let’s be a man and wife from now on And together protect the man’s land As to make gods and men happy!" So speaking, he embraced me, And calling me, "My dear! my heart!", He held my head with his hands and shook. Thus, My heart was suddenly softened And so weeping I apologized And at the same time confessed how painfully I had fallen for affection towards him; Thus I returned my greetings By shaking with hands his knees and arms. Then I served a cupful of miraculous medicine; That he drank as many cups As could regain his strength. So I made soup with dried fish crumpled And torn into pieces and that we drank. From then on-- Looking up to him, the God, as my husband, I have been living safe and sound.