Page 259 - Небесные спутники айнов. Осипова М. В., Мамчева Н. А.

Summary. The heavenly companions of the Ainu
All listed functions and qualities of birds led to the fact that the birds began to be regarded in the
human world, according V.V. Ivanov and V.N. Toporov, as an element “of the religious-
mythological system and ritual”.

Section II. Birds in the Ainu oral literature
The beginning of the appearance of birds in Ainu folklore was due the relationships between people
and animals that inhabited the same territory. The long-term contacts with the birds expanded the
knowledge of the Ainu about their habits, characteristics, which served as the basis for animistic and
totemistic ideas. The birds were endowed with anthropomorphic features, they could think, speak,
sing and dance, suffer and cry. They lived a busy life like people, keeping a household, fishing and
hunting, bringing up children, they helped or caused harm to other creatures with their behavior.
The origin of birds, according the Ainu religious and mythological system, reflected in kamuy
yukar, pon yukar (hokk.d.)/oina, pon oina (sakh.d), kamuy uwepekere, uwepekere (hokk.d), tuita
(sakh.d), upaskoma (hokk.d.)/uzaskoma (sakh.d.), was different. The sky was the residence of the
Creator, and the most of birds were made by him on the Heavens. Some birds were created on earth.
There were birds made by the Creator on the Heavens, but due for their disobedience and violation
of the accepted norms of behavior they were expelled to the earth. There were birds born or reborn
under the influence of the evil spirit. Some bird species were of mythical origin, so-called mythozoys.
The birds performed a lot of functions in the human world. Those who were created on Heavens
took roles of a demiurge, savior of people, protector of the people, helper, healer, cultural hero,
human soul. They were birds of good omen. Also there were birds punished by Creator and they
didn’t bring goodness or harm. The birds created on earth by the evil spirit served as a harbingers
of an evil omen. The mythozoys could be good and evil creatures, some of them helped people and
deities while others performed evil deeds.
The social connections between birds, performing the function assigned to them by the Creator or
the evil spirit, and people, ensured their activity in the human world as competent members of nature
and society. Many human heroes of the folklore are endowed with the ornithomorphic features.
It can be seen in the similarities and parallels in the plots of Ainu fairy tales and legends about
birds in the samples of the oral literature of their neighbors — the Tungus-Manchus, the Nivkhi, as
well as in the legends of the Northeastern peoples of Kamchatka and Chukotka which confirmed
the similarity in points of views on the functions performed by birds.

Section III. The Musical Folklore of the Ainu

related to the Birds images.
The bird images are present in various genres of Ainu music. These are onomatopoeia songs,
melodious incantations, children’s play folklore, lullabies and lyric songs, epic genres. The images
of birds are present in instrumental music and shamanic rituals.
The Ainu were in the constant contact with nature. They subtly perceived its sounds and could
imitate them. Such sounds were reflected in the onomatopoeia “sitting” songs and songs, accompanying
dances. There was a chanting prayers genre — inonno itak(h). The words of these prayers were
addressed to the gods (kamuys). The Ainu children’s folklore includes different genre groups of
songs: songs sung by children and songs intended for children, play songs, tongue twisters, lullabies.
257