Changes

*''Japanese'': 旧土人保護法 ''(kyuudojin hogo hou)''

*''Japanese'': 旧土人保護法 ''(kyuudojin hogo hou)''

The "Former Natives Protection Law" was a piece of legislation put into place by the [[Meiji government]] in [[1899]] and aimed at the assimilation of the [[Ainu]] prople (i.e. transforming them into Japanese citizens) and at ensuring their welfare. Though including many provisions for providing welfare services to the Ainu people, the law (combined with other development/colonization policies) created devastating economic difficulties for the Ainu, endangering their livelihoods. It is also heavily criticized today as a fundamental piece of colonialist/imperialist/racist policies in [[Hokkaido|Hokkaidô]], which by identifying Ainu as "former aborigines" implied that Ainu identity was a thing of the past, and denied them aboriginal status. As late as the 1980s, Prime Minister Nakasone Yasuhiro was famously quoted as saying that Japan had no native ethnic minorities, and that all Japanese people were indigenous to Japan.

The "Former Natives Protection Law" was a piece of legislation put into place by the [[Meiji government]] in [[1899]] and aimed at the assimilation of the [[Ainu]] prople (i.e. transforming them into Japanese citizens) and at ensuring their welfare. Though including many provisions for providing welfare services to the Ainu people, the law was based on colonialist notions of "welfare," emphasizing cultural assimilation, education, and "modernization," with no concern given to protecting Ainu folkways, language, or traditional culture otherwise. Combined with other development/colonization policies, the Former Natives Protection Law created devastating economic difficulties for the Ainu, endangering their livelihoods. It is also heavily criticized today as a fundamental piece of colonialist/imperialist/racist policies in [[Hokkaido|Hokkaidô]], which by identifying Ainu as "former aborigines" implied that Ainu identity was a thing of the past, and denied them aboriginal status. As late as 1986, Prime Minister Nakasone Yasuhiro was famously quoted as saying that Japan had no native ethnic minorities, and that all Japanese people were indigenous to Japan.

Under the provisions of the Former Natives Protection Law, the Meiji state eliminated traditional systems of Ainu land rights or land claims, seizing all of their land and redistributing it. Ainu were given up to five ''chô'' of land per household to farm, along with tools, seed, and other materials or equipment, and were mandated to farm that land. Land left uncultivated for fifteen years was confiscated. Special hardy strains of rice were introduced to be cultivated in Hokkaidô, and a rice-based Japanese mode of agriculture culture and society was strongly encouraged; this, despite the fact that Ainu never traditionally grew rice, and were more accustomed to (and skilled at) hunting, fishing, skinning, and growing certain kinds of vegetables and other crops (other than rice).

Under the provisions of the Former Natives Protection Law, the Meiji state eliminated traditional systems of Ainu land rights or land claims, seizing all of their land and redistributing it. As in Hawaii and in countless other places around the world, the modern/Western notion was that if one owned one's own land, one would be more inspired to work hard to develop that land, and better situated to receive the direct benefits of the land, rather than its produce being given into some communal tribal ownership, or given away to the chief. However, the conversion of communal land into individually owned parcels also meant the land was now alienable - it could be bought and sold, and so before long, much land fell out of Ainu hands.<ref>Andrew Gray, "The Indigenous Movement in Asia," in R.H. Barnes, A. Gray, and B. Kingsbury (eds.), ''Indigenous Peoples of Asia'', Association for Asian Studies (1995), 52.</ref> Ainu were given up to five ''chô'' of land per household to farm, along with tools, seed, and other materials or equipment, and were mandated to farm that land. Land left uncultivated for fifteen years was confiscated. Special hardy strains of rice were introduced to be cultivated in Hokkaidô, and a rice-based Japanese mode of agriculture culture and society was strongly encouraged; this, despite the fact that Ainu never traditionally grew rice, and were more accustomed to (and skilled at) hunting, fishing, skinning, and growing certain kinds of vegetables and other crops (other than rice).

Ainu monetary savings were also seized by the government, and put into a fund to be redistributed or otherwise used to benefit the "former natives." The [[Meiji education|national education system]] was implemented in Hokkaidô as throughout Japan, teaching Ainu children, along with Japanese children, to be good, patriotic, Japanese citizens.

Ainu monetary savings were also seized by the government, and put into a fund to be redistributed or otherwise used to benefit the "former natives." The [[Meiji education|national education system]] was implemented in Hokkaidô as throughout Japan, teaching Ainu children, along with Japanese children, to be good, patriotic, Japanese citizens.