It appears to me that this
chieftainship is but an expansion of the paternal relation, and
that all the village families are ruled as a unit. Benri, in whose
house I am, is the chief of Biratori, and is treated by all with
very great deference of manner. The office is nominally for life;
but if a chief becomes blind, or too infirm to go about, he
appoints a successor. If he has a "smart" son, who he thinks will
command the respect of the people, he appoints him; but if not, he
chooses the most suitable man in the village. The people are
called upon to approve the choice, but their ratification is never
refused. The office is not hereditary anywhere.
Benri appears to exercise the authority of a very strict father.
His manner to all the men is like that of a master to slaves, and
they bow when they speak to him. No one can marry without his
approval. If any one builds a house he chooses the site. He has
absolute jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases, unless (which is
very rare) the latter should be of sufficient magnitude to be
reported to the Imperial officials. He compels restitution of
stolen property, and in all cases fixes the fines which are to be
paid by delinquents. He also fixes the hunting arrangements and
the festivals. The younger men were obviously much afraid of
incurring his anger in his absence.
An eldest son does not appear to be, as among the Japanese, a
privileged person. He does not necessarily inherit the house and
curios. The latter are not divided, but go with the house to the
son whom the father regards as being the "smartest." Formal
adoption is practised. Pipichari is an adopted son, and is likely
to succeed to Benri's property to the exclusion of his own
children. I cannot get at the word which is translated
"smartness," but I understand it as meaning general capacity. The
chief, as I have mentioned before, is allowed three wives among the
mountain Ainos, otherwise authority seems to be his only privilege.
The Ainos have a singular dread of snakes. Even their bravest fly
from them. One man says that it is because they know of no cure
for their bite; but there is something more than this, for they
flee from snakes which they know to be harmless.
They have an equal dread of their dead. Death seems to them very
specially "the shadow fear'd of man." When it comes, which it
usually does from bronchitis in old age, the corpse is dressed in
its best clothing, and laid upon a shelf for from one to three
days.
