Songs of the Gods of the Ainu People

The collection "Songs of the Gods of the Ainu People" ("Ainu Sin'yoshu") was compiled and recorded by a young woman, Tiri Yukie (1903—1922)—the daughter of Ainu from the Tikafumi community living on Hokkaido. She lived barely twenty years, but she accomplished a true feat—she saved from oblivion the unique epic of the Ainu, one of the most mysterious peoples on the planet. They never had a written language, and if it weren't for their young tribeswoman, the world would never know the strange and beautiful songs of the Ainu gods...

The foundation of this book is the first translation into Russian of all thirteen "divine" songs of the Ainu included in the "Ainu Sin'yoshu." The book is preceded by an extensive introductory article that details all aspects of the life and beliefs of this remarkable people.