When Marcus Mose, a Native American from the Navajo Nation and an assistant language teacher in Gonohe, Aomori Prefecture, visited the popular Ainu musician Kano Oki in Hokkaido this November, it was like a journey home.
Walking with Oki through the sacred Ainu land along the Ishikari River on the outskirts of the city of Asahikawa, Mose felt like he was among family. "Some people need scientific evidence of some connection between our two cultures," Mose says. "But for me, I feel it in my heart. It is there in the way Oki moves when he walks. I felt it as soon as I stepped into his house. It was like meeting a distant uncle I haven't seen in a long time."
Kano Oki, whose innovative blend of Ainu and world music has brought him international recognition, invited the 26-year-old ALT to visit him in Hokkaido upon hearing of Mose's interest in Ainu culture.