Ainu Bear Ceremony (1931) – Neil G. Munro

27 mins., b&w, silent

Source : Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI)

Extract from the RAI catalogue:

“The RAI has reedited the original film of this ceremony among the Ainu people of Japan. In the bear ceremony, now no longer performed, a specially reared bear was reverently killed and its flesh and blood eaten by the participants. The film shows a series of ritual acts with some commentary on their meaning.”

Neil Gordon Munro (1863-1942) was a Scottish doctor who lived in Japan for almost 50 years. From 1930 until his death, he lived in the Ainu village of Nibutani in Hokkaido. His book, Ainu Creed and Cult, first published posthumously in 1962, has since been republished in 46 editions in three languages!