Originally Posted by
Jimbo
The Ainu of Japan, who are the last remnants of the Jomon people, were given every bit as terrible treatment by the later-arriving Yayoi, as the Native Americans received from the Europeans. Now there are very few "pure" Ainu left, mostly on Hokkaido. Most with Ainu blood have been intermixed into the general population in varying degrees. And discrimination against those with Ainu blood is still very bad in Japan today.
Though it was never brought up, my father's side of the family has very clear Ainu/Jomon physical characteristics, except my paternal grandfather was quite tall for his time (around 6' 1" tall; he lived 80 years and died in 1951). That's almost 4 inches taller than I am. Ainu were generally characterized as shorter as well as shorter-limbed than the majority Yayoi Japanese...neither of which describes our family. But I am proud of the Ainu/Jomon characteristics that I've inherited.
Ironically, many of the popular actors, athletes, and many well-known people in Japan have varying degrees of Ainu or Jomon characteristics, such as Tatsuya Nakadai, Sonny Chiba, Toshiro Mifune, etc. I say it's ironic, because they are/were very visible to the Japanese public, and those characteristics contributed to their unique looks. Yet among many Japanese, Ainu characteristics are often considered something to be ashamed of or kept hidden.