Section 3
- L :
-
We have some endangered languages/in Japan.
One of them/is the Ainu
language.
There are at least 13,000 Ainu people/in Japan,/but only a few of them/are fluent Ainu speakers.
- S3 :
-
Yes.
I have heard of the Ainu word “iyomante ”,/but I don’t know the
meaning.
- L :
-
“Iyomante ” is a
ceremony/to send the soul of a bear/to heaven.
Ainu people catch a young bear/and raise it/as a god.
After two years,/they share the meat/as a gift for humans/and pray to nature.
- S3 :
-
So/the word includes a lot of things.
- L :
-
That’s right.
Even a single word/can express complex cultural traditions.
In their own language,/Ainu people can fully express/what they value/in their culture.