Exploring the Indigenous Ainu Culture
Evolution of Contemporary Artists
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The Ainu culture views human beings as a part of the natural world, allowed to live within it as part of an extremely enlightened philosophy of “coexistence.” This culture is being actively passed on today too.
This program features artists who are active today, including a vocalist group taking on new challenges with the songs of the singing circles passed down from their ancestors, the people involved in the production of a cutting edge stage show, “Lost Kamuy.” We’ll focus on these contemporary artists’ efforts to incorporate contemporary culture into further developing Ainu culture.
What kind of work is necessary to be a successor of Ainu culture? We follow these artists as they adapt their ancestral heritage into contemporary forms through trial and error in order to preserve Ainu culture for generations to come, acting as a bridge between their past and future.
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