In present-day Japan, Ainu women create spaces of cultural vitalization in which they can move between being Ainu through their natal and affinal relationships and actively becoming Ainu through their craftwork. They craft these spaces despite the specter of loss that haunts the efforts of former colonial subjects, like Ainu, to reconnect with their pasts. The author synthesizes ethnographic field research, museum and archival research, and participation in cultural-revival and rights-based organizing to show how women craft Ainu and indigenous identities through clothwork and how they...
In present-day Japan, Ainu women create spaces of cultural vitalization in which they can move between being Ainu through their natal and affinal r...