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Haruzo Urakawa
Honourary President of Tokyo Ainu Association. Learned the Ainu way of
lifestyle including hunting from his father in childhood. Moved to Tokyo
at the age of 42 and started a demolition company, while promoting the
Ainu culture. Runs “Kamuy-Mintara” (“the Garden where Gods Play” in Ainu
language),an Ainu cultural facilities he built by himself. Received Ainu
Cultural Incentive Award. The oldest Elder in Greater Tokyo. |
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Takumi Hoshino
President of Tokyo Ainu Association. Traditional Ainu wood carver. Actively engaged in cross-cultural exchanges with indigenous people abroad. First visited Tasmania in 1998, followed by many visits, cultivating friendship with Tasmanian Aboriginals. Visited Harvard University as a member of a presentation team in 2001. Last visited Tasmania and Melbourne in 2009, which served as a scoping visit for the 2011 visit. |
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Keiko Kyuno
The eldest daughter of a noted inheritor of the Ainu Tradition, Saki Toyama, from whom she learned many aspects of the Ainu culture including the language, cuisine, embroidery, songs and dances, story telling, Ainu mouth harp (“Mukkuri”). Due to her deep knowledge and versatile skills on the Ainu culture, she is in much demand throughout Japan as a promoter of the Ainu culture. Awarded First Prize in Ainu Speech Contest (story telling category). |
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Akemi Shimada
Secretary General of the Greater Tokyo Ainu-Utari Liaison Committee, being a driving force in the efforts to have Ainu voices heard and their demands recognized by the government. Participated in leadership training programmes in New Zealand and the US in 2009 and 2010, she now realizes the importance of learning from indigenous brothers and sisters abroad and capacity restoration/building programmes for the Ainu. |
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Sayo Ogasawara
Performed as a member of the AINU REBELS, an acclaimed but short-lived performance group made up of young Ainu in Greater Tokyo, from 2006 to 2009. Currently a member of a performance group “Team Nikaop, which aims to revive tranditional Ainu songs and dances. She is also a designer/illustrator featuring Ainu designs, having created illustrations for a digital Ainu picture book and Ainu playing cards.
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Keisuke Kudo
First-year student at Hosei University in Tokyo. Grandosn of a noted Ainu activist and embroidery artist in Greater Tokyo, Shizue Ukaji. His mother is an active Ainu Cultural Advisor. Though his interest in the Ainu culture has been recent, he is expected to play an important role in bridging the Ainu and the indigenous people around the world as a young generation Ainu who has a competence in English. |
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