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The Ainu And The Wajin Japanese

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When it comes to the Ainu and the Wajin Japanese, the similarities and the differences are bound to be plentiful. The native peoples of Japan, the Ainu, at first sound like they would resemble the common thought of a Japanese. However, the same might have been thought of the Indians in North America to Americans. Even though they share the same geological location, their cultural beliefs and way of life are different in so many ways, and yet, so similar in others. To further accentuate this, this paper will delve deeper into one specific topic of the Ainu and the Wajin Japanese’s lives; marriage. While both the Ainu and the Wajin Japanese are both similar and different to each other, they both have marriage present in their societies. To …show more content…

A rather interesting situation is the presence of two men wanting to court with the same woman. The decision was primarily placed in the woman’s hands, but circumstances may sway one of the two men to seek courtship elsewhere. Nonetheless, marriage is extremely sought after in Ainu society. Women are frowned upon having sexual relations before marriage (Honda 144). Taking this into account, woman cannot have a child until they are married. This strains the importance of getting married in Ainu society. While this holds to be true, Ainu tend to seek out marriage through love. Some indigenous societies rely heavily on arranged marriages. Love comes first with marriage in Ainu society, and they make this known. Some women may want to court the same man. This is called a rival of love (Honda 227). The Western culture of love and marriage resembles this as well. Love is sought after first and then can be translated into marriage later if the couple wishes to do so. On top of love, the Ainu also look for qualities that can help improve their lives. For example, a woman may look for a skilled hunter so her family can be well fed and protected. On the other hand, a master carver could help gain material wealth from successful business. Men seek women with qualities such as great embroidering, cooking, and the potential to bear many children.

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