Marin Interfaith Climate Action

             “The original inhabitants of Japan, the Ainu, had a way of speaking of the sacredness and specialness of a whole ecosystem.  Their term inoru means “field” with the implications of watershed region, plant and animal communities, and spirit force – the powers behind the masks or armor, hayakpe, of the various beings.  The inoru of the Great Brown Bear would be the mountain habitat – and connected lowland valley system – in which the bear is dominant, and it would mean the myth and spirit world of the bear as well.  The inoru of salmon would be the lower watersheds with all their tributaries (an the associated plant communities), and on out to sea, extending into oceanic realms only guessed at, where the salmon do their weaving.  The bear field, the deer field, the salmon field, the Orca field.

            “In the Ainu world a few human houses are in a valley by a little river.  The doorways all face east.  In the center of each house is the firepit.  The sunshine streams through the eastern door each morning to touch the fire, and they say the sun goddess is visiting her sister the fire goddess in the firepit.  One should not walk through sunbeams that shine on the fire – that would be breaking their contact.  Food is often foraged in the local area, but some of the creatures come down from the inner mountains and up from the deeps of the sea.  The animal or fish (or plant) that allows itself to be killed or gathered, and then enters the house to be consumed, is called a “visitor,” marapto.

            “The master of the sea is Orca, the Killer Whale; the master of the inner mountains is Bear.  Bear sends his friends the deer down to visit humans.  Orca sends his friends the salmon up the streams.  When they arrive their “armor is broken” – they are killed – enabling them to shake off their fur or scale coats and step out as invisible spirit beings.  They are then delighted by witnessing the human entertainments – saké and music.  (They love music.)  The people sing songs to them and eat their flesh.  Having enjoyed their visit they return to the deep sea or to the inner mountains and report: “We had a wonderful time with the human beings.”  The others are then prompted themselves to go on visits.  Thus if the humans do not neglect proper hospitality – music and manners – when entertaining their deer or salmon or wild plant marapto, the beings will be reborn and return over and over.  This is a sort of spiritual game management.”

​

Gary Snyder, The Practice of the Wild, 1990

​