Ainu Puri as a Compass: From Yukar Musical Epics to a Contemporary Context of Transnational Indigeneity of the Ainu

The objective of this paper is to analyse the approaches utilized by contemporary Ainu people when enacting Indigenous self-craft or becoming Ainu through musical expression. To achieve this, I connect music preservation and engagement with transnational Indigeneity to the music revival movement that has been active from the 1970s to the present. For the Ainu living in Japan, traditions have been heavily impacted by pressure to assimilate into mainstream society fuelled by a stigmatized identity. Considering the circumstances of this history, the preservation of Ainu musical traditions has been fraught with many challenges. In an effort to gain a holistic understanding of the role of Ainu music in the reclamation of identity, I have reviewed early documentation of musical epics, performances of contemporary musicians, community engagement through music, and conducted interviews. The role of maintaining ancestral traditions through honouring Ainu Puri, which encompasses the extent of customs, is highlighted in this process as an essential cultural grounding. I conclude that traditional Ainu music in this case has a profoundly positive impact on identity construction and reclamation when approached through self-craft. This effect is reinforced through sustained contact with transnational Indigenous networks.