Nibutani ( Japanese : 二風谷 ), or Niptani ( Ainu : ニㇷ゚タニ ), is a district in the town of Biratori in Hokkaidō , Japan . It was once known as Pipaushi, which means "a place rich in shells." The population as of 2010 was 395 people. A particularly large proportion of the population of the district is of the indigenous Ainu ethnicity. As of 2000, over 80% of the residents were Ainu, making it the settlement with the largest percentage of its residents being Ainu in the country.
7-646: It is also the site of the Nibutani Dam , and the hometown of Shigeru Kayano . Nibutani is also the site of two Ainu museums "Kayano Shigeru Nibutani Ainu museum" and the " Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum ", as well as the Nibutani Family Land. In the Edo period, Hokkaidō was assigned to the provincial government of the Matsumae clan . Ainu were forced into laboring for one-seventh to one-fifth pay by Matsumae retainers, which
14-674: Is a dam on the Saru River in Hokkaidō , Japan , which stands at Nibutani in Biratori town, Saru District . Work on the dam began in 1973. It was completed in 1997, despite formal objections from the local Ainu people dating as early as 1987. The building of the dam pitted the Japanese government against the indigenous Ainu , in a legal case filed by two Ainu landowners, Tadashi Kaizawa and Shigeru Kayano . These two farmers of Ainu descent claimed
21-523: The 'location' contractors, made repeated proposals that eventually led to the abolition of forced labor." 42°38′10″N 142°09′35″E / 42.63611°N 142.15972°E / 42.63611; 142.15972 This Hokkaidō location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about the Ainu people is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Nibutani Dam Nibutani Dam ( 二風谷ダム , Nibutani-damu )
28-562: The Ainu people, as they were not recognised as being indigenous to Japan. In a landmark decision by the Sapporo District Court, Chief Judge Kazuo Ichimiya stated that the Ainu people had established a unique culture in Hokkaido before the arrival of the Japanese and therefore had rights that should have given consideration under Article 13 of Japan's Constitution, which protects the rights of
35-447: The Ainu regarded as slavery. Nibutani Ainu were taken as slaves to Atsukeshi , over 350 kilometers away on the other side of the island. Work-related deaths had reduced the eastern population of Ainu, leading to labor relocation from the Saru and Yufutsu areas. In 1858, according to Matsuura Takeshirō 's "Saru Journal" quoted by Shigeru Kayano , the combined populations of Niputani (as it
42-462: The government had illegally seized their land in February 1989. They believed that the expropriation of their land to build dam violated their rights as Ainu for the protection of their cultural heritage because the dam construction would destroy sacred sites and ritual grounds had not been adequately considered in the forced taking of their lands. At this time, there were no indigenous rights afforded to
49-521: Was called then), Pipaus and Kankan villages were 116 villagers among twenty-six households. Of that number, 43 were drafted for forced labor, including Kayano's grandfather Totkaram at the age of 11. Detailed information about the names, ages and households of each village were provided by the Saru Journal. Kayano relates that it was Matsuura Takeshirō "who, angered by the cruelty of the Matsumae province and
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