Ainu Creed and Cult

by Neil Gordon Munro

The first detailed account of the Ainu, the little-known aboriginal people of Japan, Neil Gordon Munro's classic work was based on decades of research in the first half of this century. Munro, a medical doctor who lived and worked in Japan for almost fifty years, studied the Ainu for years before finally going to live among them for the last twelve years of his life.
Munro's object in writing Ainu Creed and Cult was not only to give an account of his close observation of this mysterious people and their customs, but also to demonstrate to the world at large and to the Japanese in particular that the Ainu had an independent culture worthy of respect and preservation.
The author's unique insider's position among the Ainu enabled him to accurately describe their religious beliefs, homes, ceremonies, social organizations, arts, festivities, and funerary practices. Ainu Creed and Culture establishes the intricacy of the group's spiritual beliefs and ritual practices, a dominant force in their daily lives.
Munro's work stands today as a fine example of the anthropological method, as a historical record of those decades at the beginning of the century when the old Ainu ways were still followed, and as an eloquent and timeless plea for the dignity and survival of a minority cultural group.

182 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1979

Reviews

[Knell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely excellent overview of Ainu culture. While I do think this book is best read with another that goes into the depth of the history of the Ainu, those books often fail to describe the culture and practices of the Ainu in depth. Ainu Creed and Cult, however, delves into such things, even discussing potential differences in Ainu culture depending on location. Even though this book takes the bulk of its info, seemingly, from the 1930s, I never felt like the author was insensitive in any way, and it has a purely academic viewpoint that, only occasionally, makes comparative culture points to Western culture (and typically only to help the reader understand certain concepts better).