i donât wanna be a killjoy but if youâre playing pokemon arceus please take the time to learn about the ainu people, their ongoing struggle to keep their culture alive, and the colonisation of hokkaido (the area the sinnoh region is based on)
the game itself has a good bit of colonialist themes and indigenous erasure, which means itâs up to fans to educate themselves and be mindful of what things they internalise. this isnât a call out or guilt trip, iâm just asking people to be aware of the context behind the media they consume.
additionally, consider boosting ainu voices (especially about the game itself), donating to ainu individuals, and spreading awareness on the subject as allies.
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The Foundation for Ainu Culture, itâs in English as well
Official website of Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park in Hokkaido, Japan. Includes visitor information and details about programs and eve
Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park, itâs in Japan but the website has information and links
https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/ainu-beyond-politics-cultural-coexistence
This was written in 1999 but has a lot of info about laws regarding the Ainu people in the 20th century
The Ainu people of Japan continue to call for recognition and change in Japanese government's policies through peaceful activism, education
This was written more recently and has lots of links as well as a list of Ainu associations at the bottom
Used these sites for a school project a while ago, but Iâm not Ainu nor do I know anyone who is so if there are better resources or donation links please use those instead!
Hey wouldnât you know, Iâm Ainu :) Originally I didnât want to write anything on this post because reading it the first time made me very upset, but I think Iâm fine sharing my thoughts now
About that museum in Upopoy⊠Many of us Ainu donât feel as though itâs fully reflective of Japanâs colonial past, and that the laws that have âgiven Ainu their rights backâ are very toothless. You can read more about it in an article Iâll copypaste and link below the readmore, to not derail this post.
Onto the pokemon. I fully agree with this post, and after doing some research myself I canât really say that any character is designed to look Ainu aside from the main characters, who look like theyâre from a childrenâs book. I think that GameFreak couldâve included a plotline around Meiji era Japan and Ainu colonization without being so weird about everything. Some people on other sites have tried to claim that the starters are meant to be based on the 3 âmain kamuyâ but I donât see it, really. Just feels like a grasp for straws.
And to be honest.. This isnât the worst way that a plotline revolving around colonization have ever been depicted in media, but itâs still bad. Donât just brush it to the side just because itâs badly written. Let your indigenous friends know about how the plotlines can be upsetting. Thank you for reading, under the readmore is the article I talked about earlier.
Lees verder
Hey again. Got a lot of messages about this, and I wanted to clarify a few more things that Iâve talked over, primarily the bandit sisters, but also some other things.
The bandit sisters arenât a mockery of Ainu womenâs sinuye (tattoos). Theyâre just face-paint, something that has appeared in Pokemon games before. I personally do not care if you like them or not, and while at a first glance you could come to the conclusion that theyâre mean to be a mockery, they really donât look/come across as that tbh. Just feels like a reach for anyone who isnât taking the time to look into anything outside of reblogging a post.
Another thing that Iâd like to point out is that the main connection that this game even has to Ainu people is that itâs set in Hokkaido. Other than that, you could fill in the clans for any indigenous groups and it would still fit. Which is the reason why I said âwarn your indigenous friends about the gameâ, and not just Ainu friends. Because this game hits very close to home for other indigenous groups as well.
As a final statement to all this, no I donât care if you play the game/donât play it/whatever. Just be critical about it and donât act like this is an iredeemable game. Thanks.
