Plural of 'ainu,' referring to the indigenous people of Japan, particularly Hokkaido, or their language.
From Ainu 'aynu' meaning 'person' or 'human being.' The Ainu people have lived in the Japanese islands for thousands of years, and their name simply means 'the people' in their own language.
The Ainu are one of Japan's original populations, predating the arrival of Japanese people from the continent, yet they faced centuries of discrimination and cultural suppression—only in 2008 did Japan officially recognize them as an indigenous people.
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