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DisasterMan
(l) Cross right foot over left foot pointing toe; making
sowing motion with right hand crossing in front of body, hand
up at beginning, ending pointing down, forefi nger slightly
extended; left hand on hip, thumb back, forefi nger pointing
down, little fi nger slightly extended.
(2) Bring right foot back to place, and right hand back to
place, facing up, partly clenched, elbow bent naturally.
Repeat (l) & (2). After sowing, chant tells when to start
harvesting.
(3) feet together; knee dip; clap hands together low.
(4) feet together; raise up; bend backwards, look upwards,
raising hands and touching shoulders. Repeat (3) & (4).
Naka said this dance was done only by women in a line.
This seems reasonable in view of the fact that the women did
all the gardening while the men did the hunting and fi shing.
DANCE OF THE CRANES
I don't know the Ainu name of this dance. Four girls in a
circle dancing, two others singing.
(l) Squat on right foot, left foot forward, hop forward clock-
wise and clap hands. After considerable hopping around as
baby cranes,
(2) Gradually increase height, hold end of coat sleeves by
clenching fi sts, arms handing down.
(3) Spread wings with right hand low towards center of
circle, left hand high. Alternate with right high, left low.
16mm movies with audio recordings of the chanting would
have been the way to preserve these dances for posterity
but I didn't have that type of equipment. Naka then put on
her Ainu clothes and her son put on his grandfather's coat,
ceremonial hat, and sword and I took some pictures while it
was snowing.
They told me that their year-old bear was too dangerous to
let out of its cage when I suggested a group picture. Just last
year, a bear got out of control and nearly scalped a little girl
with one swipe of its paw. The poor child lived but doesn't
have any hair on the back of her head, I was told.