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Their Land is Still a Forest: Ainu in Contemporary Japan
October 4, 2025 @ 2:30 pm - 3:20 pm
GEB 233 • Craig Auditorium • 2:30 PM
Their Land is Still a Forest: Ainu in Contemporary Japan
Talk by Dr. Stacia Bensyl, Missouri Western State University
This presentation is a reflection of the famous works of “Our Land Was a Forest: An Ainu Memoir” by Kayano Shigeru, a noted Ainu folklore expert, activist and politician as a lens to explore the persisting myths and lifestyles of the indigenous Ainu of northern Japan in contemporary times.
About Dr. Stacia Bensyl
Dr. Bensyl is a Professor of English at Missouri Western State University, who also teaches postcolonial and world literatures, she is a guest lecturer with the Japan Studies Association.
Image: Hokkaido, Japan – Shiraoi Ainu Museum is one of the country’s best museums about the Ainu, the indigenous people of northern Japan.