Can you imagine what it might be like if it was claimed your ancestors did not exist, and therefore you do not either? At least not officially.

That is exactly what happened to the Ainu people of Japan. Here is a snippet from a BBc article detailing their struggle for recognition.

In the 19th Century, Japanese people called the northern island of Hokkaido "Ezochi".

It meant "Land of the Ainu", a reference to the fair-skinned, long-haired people who had lived there for hundreds of years.

The Ainu were hunters and fishermen with animist beliefs.

But their communities and traditions were eroded by waves of Japanese settlement and subsequent assimilation policies.

Today only small numbers of Ainu remain, and they constitute one of Japan's most marginalised groups.

(This past) Friday they will have something to celebrate.

Japan's parliament is to adopt a resolution that, for the first time, formally recognises the Ainu as "an indigenous people with a distinct language, religion and culture".

Full BBC Article Here

I am almost ashamed to admit that as a Westerner I had never even heard of the Ainu before that in some ways remind me of the Inuit people here in Canada. I am very happy for them, and all I can add is that it by far about time.

Image: Ainu Museum - BBC