This film focuses on I-OMANTE ritual that is to liberate the souls of the Gods from the furs and meat and send them back to the Land of the Gods. The Ainu believed that bears were Gods. The Gods come to the Land of the Ainu, which means “human beings”, with meat, furs and medicine (the gall bladders of the bears) as their gifts.
This film centers on the construction of a traditional style house, their houses being not only very distinctive but also figuring prominently in religious ritual. The houses were rectangular and pole-framed, thatched with Miscanthus or bamboo-leaf; the doorway was protected by a skin or woven hanging and various parts of the house, such as the hearth and a window on the eastern side, would serve ceremonial purposes.
The documentary is a record of a marriage ceremony that took place in April 1971 and was performed in accordance with Ainu traditions at the request of the young bride. There were two hurdles to overcome in the realization of the ceremony: first, a group of Ainu had to be convinced, who were against a revival of the tradition. Secondly, there were only a few members of the community who knew the details of the ceremony at all, since most of them had already been celebrating a wedding in their own style for over 80 years.
