Movements and Attitudes.
The Ainu people may be called physically strong, but yet they are not to
be compared to the Caucasian races. They are fairly good walkers,
capable mountaineers, and deft marksmen, but they do not excel in any of
these exercises, either by speed and endurance in the former two, or by
special accuracy and long-range in the latter.
In the Ainu country most of the hard work is done by the women, who thus
surpass the men in both endurance and muscular strength. Ainu men are
indolent, save under excitement. They will cover a long distance--say
forty miles--in one day, bear-hunting, and not suffer from great
fatigue, while they will not be able to walk half that distance under
less exciting conditions. The average distance which an Ainu can walk in
one day on a fairly level track does not exceed twenty-five miles at the
rate of two and a half miles an hour. The distance he can run would not
go beyond ten English miles, and this is partly from want of training,
as he never runs if he can help it. If, however, the walk of twenty-five
miles, or the run of ten miles, had to be kept up for several days in
succession at the same pace, few Ainu could manage to hold out for more
than three days at most; while a walking average of fifteen miles and a
running average of six miles each day could be kept up for a week. In
walking and running women are as good as men in one day's distances;
but, contrary to what they are in manual labour, they lack endurance in
locomotion, and break down after the second or third day. Men regard
running as unbecoming after childhood. "If we must go quick, why not go
on horseback?" says the practical Ainu, who is as perfect a horseman as
the Indian.
When riding, he is able to cover a distance of fifty-five miles easily
in one day on a good pony, and about seventy miles if he changes his
quadruped four times. Both men and women ride in the same fashion,
astride, and nearly always on bareback, or with simply a bear-skin
thrown over the horse. Pack-saddles are only used when carrying wood,
fish, sea-weed, or other heavy articles; and though the Japanese of Yezo
designate these by the name of _Ainu kurah_ (Ainu saddles), they are
only in reality rough imitations of their own pack-saddles. Though women
do ride on occasions, it is the men who are the true equestrians. From
their infancy they spend a great deal of their time on horseback, while
women ride only when obliged. Being, therefore, accustomed from their
earliest days to ride pretty nearly from morning to night, men can stand
many days of hard riding, and are not so easily exhausted as by walking
or running. The Ainu are good at horse-racing, as we have seen at the
Piratori festival, but foot-racing, even when the distance was short,
gave but poor results.
Weights and burdens are carried entirely by women, and they carry them
either on the head, if the load be not too heavy, or on the back by
means of a _Thiaske Tarra_, or simply _Tarra_, a long ribbon-like band
tied round the bundle, leaving a loop which goes over the forehead, thus
dividing the weight between the shoulders and the forehead. When
carrying a weight with the _Tarra_ the woman stoops, and the greater the
weight the lower the head has to be. The strain on the forehead and
muscles of the neck is greatly modified by bending the body more or
less; the weight increasing on the shoulders in proportion as the pull
decreases from the forehead. The advantage of this contrivance is that
it leaves both hands free. Very heavy loads can be carried by average
women with this simple contrivance, and its common use may account for
the strong and well-developed necks noticeable among them, but not among
the men. Children are carried on the back of other children by means of
a modified _Tarra_ that has a stick about twenty inches long, the two
ends of which are fastened to the two ends of the band. The child
carried sits comfortably on this stick while the centre part of the
_Tarra_ rests on the head of the child-carrier. This centre part is
generally lined with a piece of skin or cloth, and ornamented with a few
simple Ainu designs. A weight which cannot be lifted with both hands is
easily borne for a long distance by the aid of the _Tarra_; and I should
think that with it a strong woman could carry on her back a load, say,
of from eighty to ninety pounds. It is difficult to institute
comparative tests of strength, as constant practice, without counting
"knack," often enables a person to perform feats which baffle a much
stronger man. Taken altogether, the Ainu strength is relative to their
height; but they are somewhat below the average Caucasian races both in
endurance, and yet more in speed and muscular power.
[Illustration: THE THIASKE-TARRA, FOR CARRYING CHILDREN.]
When actively employed, the Ainu can abstain from food for fourteen or
sixteen hours; when quiescent for about twenty. They can go without
drink (when it is not alcoholic) for ten or twelve hours without feeling
inconvenience. A pebble is often sucked, or a straw is chewed when fluid
is not obtainable, thus causing a flow of saliva, which to a certain
extent quenches their thirst. However, the reason given by the Ainu is
not this. According to them, certain stones and some kinds of grass
contain a great amount of water.
More interesting to me than their physical characteristics were their
movements and attitudes, which I was able to study and note correctly
without their observation. For instance when Ainu try to move some heavy
object they pull it towards them. Thus, when they drag their "dug-outs"
and canoes on shore, and again when they launch them, they never push
from them, but always pull towards them. If an Ainu has to break a stick
planted in the ground he does it by pulling it; whereas a Japanese will
push it. Again, in pulling a rope the Ainu pull; the Japanese push by
placing the rope over one shoulder and walking in the direction wanted.
In a crowd where a Japanese would push his way through by extending his
arms and thus separating people, the Ainu seizes a man on each side,
pulling one to the right and the other to the left till space for him to
pass is made.
As muscles are only strengthened by exercise, it is not astonishing that
we never find well-developed arms among the hairy people, who so seldom
make vigorous use of them. Children are as fond of climbing trees as the
average English boy; and sometimes this is done in our way, by putting
the legs and arms round the trunk and gradually "swarming" up; but with
trees of a small diameter the ways of monkeys are adopted. The arms are
stretched, and one hand is placed on each side of the tree. Both feet
are then pushed against the trunk, keeping the leg slightly bent, but
stiff. One hand goes rapidly over the other, one foot above the other,
and so on; and the more rapid the movement the easier the climb, if care
be taken to plant the feet firmly so as not to slip. Ainu boys are
dexterous at this; but I have never seen full-grown men attempt it,
though I am sure they could if they chose. Elderly people are very
sedate in Ainuland, and violent movements are generally avoided.
Where the Ainu are indeed great is at making grimaces. The Ainu resemble
monkeys in many ways, but in this special accomplishment they beat
monkeys hollow. It would take volumes to describe all the different
grimaces which I saw them make, especially at myself while I was
sketching them; but one or two of their "favourites" may prove worth
describing.
One Ainu at Shari, on the north-east coast, excelled in moving his
scalp, and by raising his eyebrows at the same time creased the skin of
his forehead to such an extent as to make his eyebrows almost meet his
hair. The nostrils were expanded and the upper lip was raised so as to
show the teeth firmly closed. The same man was also good at moving his
ears. Others preferred to put out their tongue, emitting at the same
time a harsh sound from the throat.
Although many Ainu could not voluntarily move their scalp they often did
so unaware. When eating, especially if a piece of food required some
effort to swallow, the neck was outstretched, the mouth closed tight,
the eyebrows raised high, and the scalp brought far forward over the
forehead. In masticating, the ears would sometimes move involuntarily,
as with dogs or monkeys.
The Ainu are also good at rapid "winking," first with one eye, then the
other, each eye playing at an inexpressibly funny kind of bo-peep. _En
revanche_, they make no great use of their hands, and it is not uncommon
for them to use their feet to assist their hands. Indeed, their toes are
supplementary fingers, and they often hold things between the big toe
and the next, as when making nets or _Inaos_ (wooden wands with
overhanging shavings). When making nets, the string is firmly held by
the big toe bent over; when shaping _Inaos_ the lower point of the wand
is passed between the two toes, which keep it fast while the long
shavings are cut.
When women wind the thread made of the _Ulmus campestris_ fibre, they
often let it run between the two larger toes while they wind it on a
spool or a reed. Then, again, the toes are often used to pick up small
objects out of the reach of the hands, and also to scratch the lower
extremities. The two middle fingers of the hand and the three smaller
toes of the foot are seldom used by the Ainu, and are somewhat inert.
The little finger is slightly more active. Whenever Ainu point at
anything they habitually do so with the open hand, for they have a
certain difficulty in using any finger separately. This difficulty is
not so great with the first finger; but where a European would use only
his thumb and first finger, an Ainu uses all four fingers and his thumb
as well, as in carrying food to his mouth, picking up small objects,
lifting a cup, pulling his own hair, scratching his ears, &c. That the
Ainu have more muscular power in the head than either in the hands or
feet when violent exertion is required is certain, as I had frequent
proof when requiring natives to make my baggage fast with ropes to my
pack-saddle. Where a European would have done this by passing the ropes
round the baggage and pulling them fast to the saddle, the Ainu set his
foot (generally the right) against the baggage and pulled the ropes with
his teeth. By this method he used one-third more force than he would had
he done his work with his hands. Though the Ainu are very supple about
the body, they are nevertheless stiffer than we are about the knees and
hands, which last peculiarity prevents them from learning any kind of
sleight-of-hand. They are supple because of the singular flexibility of
their spine and the "looseness" of their arms about their shoulders.
When resting or tired, the shoulders droop so far forward as to prove
that the muscular tension which we constantly exert to have "square
shoulders" is foreign to the hairy people. The Ainu are deficient in
biceps, and such an arm as a blacksmith's or athlete's, which is not
uncommon among ourselves, is in Ainuland a thing unknown. Their muscles
have not the firmness of those of civilised men. Want of use entails
loss of power in the muscular system, and that, unfortunately, produces
further results in paralysis, _kaki_, and rheumatism. In the legs the
_tendo Achillis_, which often assumes such enormous proportions with us,
is only moderately developed with them, though it is generally larger
than the biceps, owing to the habit of walking and riding.
Notwithstanding this, the centre of muscular power, as we have seen, is
undoubtedly in the head, as with inferior animals; and the Ainu are
fully aware of this, for if not why should they carry all weights on the
head or by the help of the head? Why should they use their teeth instead
of their hands when an extra powerful pull is required? And why should
they _push_ with their heads when pulling with their teeth is not
practicable?
Having examined the different movements of the Ainu, let us now take
some account of their attitudes. What struck me most was the
unconscious ease with which they stood, sat, and slept, no matter in
what circumstances.
It may be well to repeat here that the Ainu are not burdened, as we are,
with articles of furniture and a code of manners which so greatly modify
our attitudes and make us conscious of all we do. Moreover, we wear
crippling boots and nonsensical garments, which, besides not being
ornamental, more or less alter and deform different parts of our body,
considerably restrict certain attitudes, and greatly stiffen some of our
limbs; as, for example, the exaggerated smallness of waist in women.
It is remarkable what a close resemblance the hairy people bear to the
prehistoric man as constructed by _savants_ out of skulls and
skeletons--a resemblance found, I believe, in no other race of savages.
Take an Ainu standing at ease; he carries his head straight, but without
stretching his neck, so that if a horizontal line were passed through
the _meatus auditorius_ it would cut the face directly under the eyes.
If another line were drawn perpendicular to the horizontal, we should
find that the front of the face is not on the same plane with the
forehead, but projects considerably beyond in its lower part. In
thoroughbred Ainu the head is well posed on the cervical vertebræ, and
seldom shows an inclination from back to front, from right to left, or
_vice versâ_; but in half-castes an inclination forward, and also
slightly from the left to the right, is a marked characteristic.
The body when standing still is a trifle inclined forward, but when
walking the inclination is greatly increased.
The body is well balanced, and this inclination is partly due to the
head being abnormally large for the body; also to the habit of keeping
the knees slightly bent either when standing still or when in motion.
The women, through carrying heavy weights on the head, are straighter
than men when standing as well as when walking without a burden. Their
spinal column describes a gentle curve inwards, while with men it has a
slight tendency outwards. When an Ainu is standing at rest his arms hang
by his side, the palms of the hands are turned inwards with a small
inclination towards the front. But a pose which is even more
characteristic than this is when both hands are placed in front, the
fingers of the right hand overlapping those of the left. When sitting
this is their invariable attitude, but in walking the arms hang by the
side, and no swing is given to them to help the motion. In running, the
arms are bent, and sometimes the hands are kept half opened about the
level of the shoulders.
The Ainu legs, notwithstanding their greater muscular power than that of
the arms, are neither stout nor well-developed--but they are wiry. The
hips are narrow, and the legs are slightly curved.
The gait is energetic but not fast, each step being flat, with the foot
firmly planted on the ground. When in motion the feet are perfectly
straight, and move parallel to each other, and at each step the heel and
toes touch the ground at the same time--an undeniable proof that the
body is well balanced when they walk.
The Ainu walk mostly unshod, and the average length of the step in men
is twenty-six inches (from heel of left to tip of right foot), and in
women about twenty inches. The average number of steps to the minute is
ninety-two in men and ninety-eight in women. Where the Ainu is seen at
his best is when he is riding bareback. He sits so firmly that animal
and rider seem to be only one body. The knees are slightly bent, and the
legs and feet hang so that the toes are a great deal lower than the
heels, and are also turned in. No voluntary muscular contraction is
affected on the muscles of the legs; for if the knees are bent this is
because of the shape of the horse's body, and if the rider "sticks" on
his steed it is merely by the counterbalance of the dead weight of his
two legs. The body of the rider is quite erect when riding gently, but
on increasing speed the body is thrown backwards, the legs remaining in
the same position. The single rein is held in the right hand resting on
the horse's mane, and the left arm habitually hangs or rests on the
rider's leg. When feeding in his hut, the Ainu sits cross-legged, but in
places where he can lean against something, or out in the open, he
squats, bearing his weight on both feet, but with the legs bent to such
an extent that his head is on a level with his knees. Often his arms are
rested on the knees themselves, and food is passed with the hands to
the mouth, to be then torn by the teeth. No forks, spoons, or chopsticks
are used by the thoroughbred Ainu; but Japanese influence has induced
some of the more civilised specimens of Volcano Bay and Piratori to give
up partly the use of mother Nature's forks and take to the _Hashi_
(chopsticks), also to adopt some ugly tin spoons as the sign of their
adherence to civilisation. Lastly, when asleep the Ainu generally lie
flat on the back. Sleeping on the right side and resting the head on the
bent elbow is also a common posture; and when sleeping for a short
period of time during the day I have often seen men still sitting, bring
up their legs, cross their arms on their knees, and then rest the head
on the arms; thus placidly having a "nap" without waking up with a stiff
neck, stiff legs, and "pins and needles" in their arms, which would be
the sure result if the average European tried that mode of repose.
Most Ainu have no bedding of any kind, and most of them sleep on hard
rough planks or on the ground itself. Some of the people, however, sleep
on bear-skins in winter, as it keeps them warm, and the colder the night
the closer all the members of the family pack together to warm each
other with their natural heat. A strange peculiarity, when Ainu are
asleep, lying flat on their back, is, that instead of keeping both legs
fully stretched out, one, or sometimes both, are raised and bent, with
the sole of the foot planted on the ground. This peculiarity is chiefly
noticeable in men, and I have observed it many times, especially in old
people. The reason of it is this. The Ainu having no pillow, the head
has to be turned so far back to rest on the ground itself that action at
the other end of the body is necessary to counterbalance the strain on
the spine. I came to this conclusion by being often placed in the same
circumstances as the hairy people themselves, when I found that lying
flat on my back on the hard unpillowed ground, if the legs were
straightened only a small portion of the spine between the shoulders was
supported, but by raising the legs the whole spinal column rested on the
level surface.
As we have now seen the Ainu asleep in a "comfortable attitude," we
shall leave them for the present, and I shall take my readers to examine
their clothes, their ornaments, and their tattoos.
[Illustration: THE ATZIS.]
[Illustration: ATZIS, AFTER JAPANESE PATTERN.]