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→Indigenous Peoples
The Ainu of Hokkaidô generally used words such as ''kur'' and ''utar'' to refer to indigenous groups from the Kurils or [[Sakhalin]], in contrast to the word ''shisam'' ("the great and nearby") used to refer to Japan or Russia.
The Ainu of Hokkaidô generally used words such as ''kur'' and ''utar'' to refer to indigenous groups from the Kurils or [[Sakhalin]], in contrast to the word ''shisam'' ("the great and nearby") used to refer to Japan or Russia.
Though geographically quite distant from any major Japanese settlements, the Ainu of the Kurils engaged in some trade with Japanese merchants, including serving as a major source of sea otter pelts for Japan.<ref>Hellyer, 112.</ref>
==Japan & Russia==
==Japan & Russia==