In 2019, Japan officially recognised the Ainu as the indigenous people of Hokkaido. A year later, Upopoy — the National Ainu Museum — opened in Shiraoi.
For many, this was a moment of validation. For others, it was complicated.
"The museum is beautiful," one Ainu community member told us. "But it sometimes feels like they built it for Japan, not for us."
This tension — between institutional recognition and lived experience — runs through every conversation about Ainu identity today. The 1997 Act protected Ainu culture. The 2019 Act gave them legal status. But laws don't heal centuries of assimilation. They don't bring back lost languages. They don't tell you who you are when you grew up in Sapporo, speaking Japanese, with a grandmother who never talked about being Ainu because it used to mean danger.
Some are learning the Ainu language from YouTube videos. Others are collaborating with contemporary artists to bring Ainu motifs into fashion, music, and digital art. A few are navigating identity across multiple countries as the Ainu diaspora connects with indigenous peoples worldwide.
None of them fit neatly into the museum exhibit. That's exactly why KnowRoots is here.