What sort of Dances do the Ainu do?
In addition, there are various other dances : a group dance in
which participants demonstrate their individuality and continue to
dance until their stamina is exhausted, with the last dancer
winning the competition, a narrative dance, a work dance, and many
more representing plants and animals indispensable to a hunting and
gathering people. "Sarorunchikap rimse "/ "Sarorunrimse"With a
crane motion theme "Hanchikap rimse" With a water bird theme "
Chak peeyak" With a rain swallow theme " Chikapne"/"Hararki"
With a bird theme " Chironnup rimse"With a fox theme
"Isepoupopo" With a hare theme "Erum upopo"With a mouse theme
"Fumpe rimse/Fumpenere"With a whale theme "Ponkenetay"A dance
symbolizing a black alder grove "Sir kor kamuy"An
acorn-collecting dance "Hanchikap rimse""Sarorunchikap rimse"Of
these, "Fumperimse" begins with a scene in which an old woman finds
a "visiting whale," a weak whale which has been beached. Hearing
the news, villagers gather at the scene and begin to butcher the
"godsend," and a flock of crows then hovers about in the hope of a
morsel from the feast. It is said that to realize people's wishes,
the villagers in the story dramatized a desirable result, and thus
that this is a form of magical dance to pray for a plentiful hunt.
"Fumperimse" Just as do songs, the aforementioned dances constitute
forms unique to individual districts and are numerous in variety.
They are even today being transmitted and preserved throughout
Hokkaido, some now designated as important intangible cultural
properties.
