WASHINGTON -- An unprecedented, in-depth look at the culture of the Ainu is being offered in the U.S. capital.
The exhibition is the first in terms of how the indigenous northern Japan minority is portrayed, said William Fitzhugh, director of the Arctic Studies Center at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, noting the display is a celebration of the contemporary expression of Ainu ethnicity and a presentation of their experiences in the past.
Fitzhugh, who initiated the "Ainu: Spirit of a Northern People" exhibition, said the museum succeeded in presenting a balanced perspective only after obtaining cooperation from Chisato Dubreuil, an Ainu descendant who serves as cocurator of the show.