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The Song The Owl God Sang: The collected Ainu legends of Chiri Yukie
Among the vanishing cultures of the world, the Ainu of north-east Asia stand out for the startling richness of their oral literature.
These thirteen beautiful Ainu chants were collected by Chiri Yukie in 1922 -- the first Ainu literature to be written down by an Ainu. This book presents new English translations of Chiri's remarkable work.
Originally written in yukar form, a type of chant used by female storytellers among the Ainu villages of Hokkaido, these stories tell of the relationship between mankind and the world of spirits. Each yukar is narrated by a spirit -- fox, whale, frog, or even shellfish. Most important is the owl god, Kotankor Kamui, whose two long songs describe the covenant between humans and the spirits who provide them with food. Other tales focus on the balance of nature, on the respect due between animal spirits and people, and on the strength of Okikirmui, the human hero.
The Ainu oral tradition was in danger of dying in the early 20th century, when the teenaged Chiri Yukie resolved to begin writing down these chants. Descended from a line of female storytellers, she devised a way of representing Ainu language in the Roman alphabet, and made Japanese translations of the most important tales.
Although she died at 19, the thirteen tales she had written down went on to become a sensation. Her clear and beautiful yet intricate and emotive Japanese translations brought Ainu culture to a wide audience in Japan and created a movement to record and preserve Ainu belief in a living state. In many ways, the idea of trying to learn from and preserve tribal wisdom goes back to Chiri's book.
Chiri's work includes the best-known passages of Ainu literature: Chiri's original introduction, an elegy to the vanishing Ainu way of life, and the tale 'Silver drops fall around, golden drops fall around'.
This translation tries to preserve the rich texture of Chiri's versions in English, while remaining absolutely true to the details of the original. A clear introduction to Chiri, her book, and its language is provided, giving the reader a vivid insight into this startlingly sophisticated spiritual tradition.
These thirteen beautiful Ainu chants were collected by Chiri Yukie in 1922 -- the first Ainu literature to be written down by an Ainu. This book presents new English translations of Chiri's remarkable work.
Originally written in yukar form, a type of chant used by female storytellers among the Ainu villages of Hokkaido, these stories tell of the relationship between mankind and the world of spirits. Each yukar is narrated by a spirit -- fox, whale, frog, or even shellfish. Most important is the owl god, Kotankor Kamui, whose two long songs describe the covenant between humans and the spirits who provide them with food. Other tales focus on the balance of nature, on the respect due between animal spirits and people, and on the strength of Okikirmui, the human hero.
The Ainu oral tradition was in danger of dying in the early 20th century, when the teenaged Chiri Yukie resolved to begin writing down these chants. Descended from a line of female storytellers, she devised a way of representing Ainu language in the Roman alphabet, and made Japanese translations of the most important tales.
Although she died at 19, the thirteen tales she had written down went on to become a sensation. Her clear and beautiful yet intricate and emotive Japanese translations brought Ainu culture to a wide audience in Japan and created a movement to record and preserve Ainu belief in a living state. In many ways, the idea of trying to learn from and preserve tribal wisdom goes back to Chiri's book.
Chiri's work includes the best-known passages of Ainu literature: Chiri's original introduction, an elegy to the vanishing Ainu way of life, and the tale 'Silver drops fall around, golden drops fall around'.
This translation tries to preserve the rich texture of Chiri's versions in English, while remaining absolutely true to the details of the original. A clear introduction to Chiri, her book, and its language is provided, giving the reader a vivid insight into this startlingly sophisticated spiritual tradition.
62 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2013
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About the author
Chiri Yukie
6 books3 followersYukie Chiri (知里 幸恵) was an Ainu transcriber and translator of Ainu epic tales.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 29, 2020
“And thus, ever since,
Because I couldn’t resist meddling,
Whereas rabbits were as big as deer before
We’ve become as small as a single slice of meat.
All of my kind from now on
Are going to have to be as small as this.
Therefore, rabbits of the future, take heed not to make mischief!
So said the Chief of Rabbits as he died.”
*
“And the humans now lived their lives
Without danger, without hunger,
And seeing this I was content.
For I am already old, already weak,
And I am already thinking of going to heaven
And though I could not leave while the world I protect,
The world of humans, is menaced by famine
While the people are dying of hunger,
Yet now my worries have abated,
And leaving the strongest, the young heroes
To look after the world of humans,
Now at last I am about to go to Heaven.
So said the Owl God, the protector of the land
As he ascended to Heaven.”
*
4.5. this was a really interesting read, although I wish the book itself had been better produced (typos, formatting errors, non-justified text in the prefatory material). the fact that all of the kamui yukar included here are first-person narratives whose speakers are only identified in the third person in their final lines (if at all) would be striking in and of itself, but on top of that it’s absolutely fascinating that the majority of these yukar are not addressed to humans at all: they are, as in the example from the Chief of Rabbits above, predominantly directed towards other kamui/gods/animals of the speaker’s/singer’s kind, often as warnings against disturbing what the introduction describes as “the vital balance and commerce between the two worlds” (ainu/human and kamui/spirit/god). that these songs have come to be passed to and through humans at all seems to be, in fact, incidental to most of them: humans are neither their composers nor their intended audience.
going to be thinking about these for a while.
Because I couldn’t resist meddling,
Whereas rabbits were as big as deer before
We’ve become as small as a single slice of meat.
All of my kind from now on
Are going to have to be as small as this.
Therefore, rabbits of the future, take heed not to make mischief!
So said the Chief of Rabbits as he died.”
*
“And the humans now lived their lives
Without danger, without hunger,
And seeing this I was content.
For I am already old, already weak,
And I am already thinking of going to heaven
And though I could not leave while the world I protect,
The world of humans, is menaced by famine
While the people are dying of hunger,
Yet now my worries have abated,
And leaving the strongest, the young heroes
To look after the world of humans,
Now at last I am about to go to Heaven.
So said the Owl God, the protector of the land
As he ascended to Heaven.”
*
4.5. this was a really interesting read, although I wish the book itself had been better produced (typos, formatting errors, non-justified text in the prefatory material). the fact that all of the kamui yukar included here are first-person narratives whose speakers are only identified in the third person in their final lines (if at all) would be striking in and of itself, but on top of that it’s absolutely fascinating that the majority of these yukar are not addressed to humans at all: they are, as in the example from the Chief of Rabbits above, predominantly directed towards other kamui/gods/animals of the speaker’s/singer’s kind, often as warnings against disturbing what the introduction describes as “the vital balance and commerce between the two worlds” (ainu/human and kamui/spirit/god). that these songs have come to be passed to and through humans at all seems to be, in fact, incidental to most of them: humans are neither their composers nor their intended audience.
going to be thinking about these for a while.
March 21, 2022
A fun taste of Ainu mythology, and a touching biography of Chiri Yukie in the introduction. However, with a volume like this it would have been more fun to see the English translation next to the Ainu the way Chiri's Japanese translation was written, just to give a sense of the metre and rhythm of the original work.
February 7, 2023
4.25/5
This was so interesting!! I find it very cool to read other cultures and mythologies. Parts of this definitely made me feel physically unsettled, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But it was overall very interesting. It’s neat to see how different cultures explain different aspects of the world and science
This was so interesting!! I find it very cool to read other cultures and mythologies. Parts of this definitely made me feel physically unsettled, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But it was overall very interesting. It’s neat to see how different cultures explain different aspects of the world and science
June 26, 2018
The Ainu are the indigenous inhabitants of Japan: bearded, shamanistic, animist, resembling northern Native Americans in appearance and culture, at least from my limited knowledge of both. The remaining Ainu tribes live mainly in Hokkaido, the northernmost major island of Japan, which gets many feet of snow a year.
In the early 1900s, a teenage Ainu girl invented a phonetic writing system and wrote down some of the stories passed down from her ancestors, and later translated them into Japanese.
The story-poems are from the point of view of various animals who are hunted by the Ainu. They are well-formed stories with characterization, the good fighting for what's right and getting what they deserve, sometimes funny (The Song the Fox Sang), sometimes exciting (the stories about the great hunter Okikirmui especially). Overall there's a tone of sadness in the telling at the loss of a way of life, the end of a community, the end of all the stories. In the title story, the rich have become poor and the poor have become rich, and it is the noble poor who can hunt the sacred owl and are rewarded by its blessing. I feel like it is the story the Ainu told about themselves.
I was thinking about the Ainu because a northern tribe shows up in a video game I've been playing lately called Horizon: Zero Dawn. I think these stories underlie a lot of what we find beautiful and sad about movies like Princess Mononoke.
Also: according to the Ainu, what the fox says is TowaTowaTo.
You can read the book here:
http://www.okikirmui.com/project-okik...
In the early 1900s, a teenage Ainu girl invented a phonetic writing system and wrote down some of the stories passed down from her ancestors, and later translated them into Japanese.
The story-poems are from the point of view of various animals who are hunted by the Ainu. They are well-formed stories with characterization, the good fighting for what's right and getting what they deserve, sometimes funny (The Song the Fox Sang), sometimes exciting (the stories about the great hunter Okikirmui especially). Overall there's a tone of sadness in the telling at the loss of a way of life, the end of a community, the end of all the stories. In the title story, the rich have become poor and the poor have become rich, and it is the noble poor who can hunt the sacred owl and are rewarded by its blessing. I feel like it is the story the Ainu told about themselves.
I was thinking about the Ainu because a northern tribe shows up in a video game I've been playing lately called Horizon: Zero Dawn. I think these stories underlie a lot of what we find beautiful and sad about movies like Princess Mononoke.
Also: according to the Ainu, what the fox says is TowaTowaTo.
You can read the book here:
http://www.okikirmui.com/project-okik...
April 12, 2022
the author, Yukie Chiri, born in 1903, was Ainu. the Ainu are an indigenous people of the area that includes what is now known as the Russian Far East, and nearby island chains that include Japan. their language is several thousand years old, old enough that it no longer shows any relation to any other language in the world. it is also, along with the culture that speaks it, on the verge of extinction.
between endless years of forced assimilation by the Japanese government, and outright persecution by the Russian government--which, true to form, still refuses to officially acknowledge the existence of the Ainu--, there are reportedly anywhere from a hundred and fifty to three hundred people left in the world, mostly in Hokkaidō, who speak the Ainu language or know anything of substance about their ancestry or culture.
Yukie Chiri decided to document the fables in this book at the request of a Japanese linguist, who later helped her publish them. the book was remarkably successful, and could easily have been the first of several anthologies of Ainu legends, stories, history, and traditions. except for the fact that Yukie died from heart failure the very night she finished the work. she was nineteen.
the stories she documented are delightful, often funny, and definitely worth reading. but even if they weren't, the historical significance of this poetic glimpse into a very old shamanistic culture, which is now largely lost and forgotten, would be enough to warrant the highest rating. it's like reading a handful of letters written by two lovers long dead, and knowing the rest of the letters were burned. the senses of discovery and loss are equal and inseparable.
between endless years of forced assimilation by the Japanese government, and outright persecution by the Russian government--which, true to form, still refuses to officially acknowledge the existence of the Ainu--, there are reportedly anywhere from a hundred and fifty to three hundred people left in the world, mostly in Hokkaidō, who speak the Ainu language or know anything of substance about their ancestry or culture.
Yukie Chiri decided to document the fables in this book at the request of a Japanese linguist, who later helped her publish them. the book was remarkably successful, and could easily have been the first of several anthologies of Ainu legends, stories, history, and traditions. except for the fact that Yukie died from heart failure the very night she finished the work. she was nineteen.
the stories she documented are delightful, often funny, and definitely worth reading. but even if they weren't, the historical significance of this poetic glimpse into a very old shamanistic culture, which is now largely lost and forgotten, would be enough to warrant the highest rating. it's like reading a handful of letters written by two lovers long dead, and knowing the rest of the letters were burned. the senses of discovery and loss are equal and inseparable.
April 27, 2024
I loved everything that this book represents but there is one element that cannot be escaped: this is a translation of a translation, the second degree of which annihilates the weight of the original even more than the first degree does. Compounding this, these are originally stories of oral tradition that were spoken or even sang to specific rhythms as part of wider cultural events. There is simply no way that a written testament like this can ever hope to accurately represent the magntitude of meaning the original would have contained. At the very least I read the entire book aloud and attempted to do so at whatever natural cadence the words drew me into, but this is peacemeal. As such, the stories are not great or amazing. Visually the book is also very poor to look at. It appears effectively unedited.
All this being said, as a cultural relic, this book is actually wonderful. It is truly a great perspective into how native cultures were able to understand and perceive the relationships between all things in the world, as well as the values and traits they characterised as good or bad. It also provides fascinating examples of ritual culture. The book itself is very cheap and very short. If you're interested in cultural stories and have a few quid to spare, give it a go.
All this being said, as a cultural relic, this book is actually wonderful. It is truly a great perspective into how native cultures were able to understand and perceive the relationships between all things in the world, as well as the values and traits they characterised as good or bad. It also provides fascinating examples of ritual culture. The book itself is very cheap and very short. If you're interested in cultural stories and have a few quid to spare, give it a go.
February 17, 2026
The ladies always ask me why I’m too busy to pay them attention. I tell them it’s because I’m too busy reading Ainu mythology to care about such frivolous things. They could stand to learn a lesson or two from the songs sung by the many kamui of Hokkaido. I’m particularly fond of the song the Frog sang. With its boisterous drunken refrain. Then ending up dead upon the dais of Okikirmui. Pretty sick. Beautifully written, and quite humorous. For as good of a guy as he his Okikirmui sure kills a lot of people and or kamui.
Read
June 10, 2020This is a wonderful and valuable collection of Ainu folktales from an Ainu voice (admittedly through translation).
December 11, 2020
Lovely treasure.
September 23, 2024
I'm a bitter and hateful person, but I adore this collection of Ainu yukar.
March 30, 2023
Delighted by these kamui yukar, tales of the gods collected by Chiri Yukie. The introduction of the book explains the formal elements of the kamui yukar, which is written in formal and archaic Ainu language, chanted to short, repetitive tunes with a repeated refrain (sakehe). Delighted by the fact that while the stories come with titles indicating which kamui god was speaking, when these yukar, were recited orally there would be no indication of who the speaker was, and you had to guess from the sakehe.
These tales range from sentimental, scatalogical, humorous to bloodthirsty. Lovely. Really reminds me of my experience with reading Greek oral epics about the gods, so glad to see that there are similarities across cultures and time.
These tales range from sentimental, scatalogical, humorous to bloodthirsty. Lovely. Really reminds me of my experience with reading Greek oral epics about the gods, so glad to see that there are similarities across cultures and time.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews