著者

瀬川 清子

出版者

日本文化人類学会

雑誌

季刊民族學研究 (ISSN:00215023)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.16, no.3, pp.246-254, 1952-03

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Upon coming of age, Ainu women used to tatoo their mouths, cut their hair short, wear a cylindrical undershirt (called mour), and wear a sash-the upshor (s. figure on p.69) around the waist under their clothes. Women who do not wear this sash were believed to be unqualified not only to make fire and cook, but also to make their husband and children happy. The form of the upshor was transmitted from mother to daughter. Women who had the same form of upshor in common were called shine-upshor (same upshor) and helped one another on ceremonial occasions throughout their lives. Even after death they were believed to depend on each other, and therefore the wearing of the upshor, even in the grave, was considered indispensable for women. Even to-day, the Ainu male may not marry a woman who wears (or should properly wear) the same upshor as his mother. If he wants to marry her in spite of this restriction, the girl must be given a different upshor and a different fictitious lineage. The showing of one's upshor to other people is strictly tabooed, so the authoress has not yet been able to trace the varieties of upshor-types in detail. It has been ascertained, however, that in spite of the patrilineal kinship structure of the Ainu, a woman is considered to retain some affiliation with her mother's matrilineal female group and that this group still has a latent function in social life.