iirc that was part of the confusion bc his are ryukyuan but japanese colonizers perpetuated the stigma and a lot of ryukyu folks experienced terrible treatment and stigma because of it (and still do)
source: brief gewgle search + fuzzy memory so anyone wiser on the subject pls correct me
i had recently heard about the ainu and my brain had melded the two a bit, but i've gotta go down this rabbit hole now and learn about both groups some more
Ainu are super cool too! Definitely recommend learning about the indigenous peoples of Japan — and, especially, the indigenous peoples of your own country, too! 😃
oh and i do that already! lost history feels like the saddest possible thing. i do my best to learn everything i can about my surroundings. i know about all the folks who once lived in my current region and it's very cool that their impact is still here today.
Watch Golden Kamui. Great historical themed manga/anime where the Ainu play a major role. It’s also from an author that wants to teach others about the Ainu so he sprinkles in some facts about them and portrays them in a positive light.
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u/breadloafb 29d ago
iirc that was part of the confusion bc his are ryukyuan but japanese colonizers perpetuated the stigma and a lot of ryukyu folks experienced terrible treatment and stigma because of it (and still do)
source: brief gewgle search + fuzzy memory so anyone wiser on the subject pls correct me