Quote:
Originally Posted by Terrestrial Dream
Well they are the native people in Hokkaido. Hokkaido was not originally Japanese and was annexed during the Meiji era. The Ainu does have their own language and culture, but from what I understand it is dying. Genetic wise I believe the closet to the Ainu is the Tibetan.
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Correction, native to Hokkaido and historically northern Honshu. They also lived in parts of Siberia, including the Sakhalin peninsula and Kuril Islands. They were gradually pushed back by more technologically advanced Japanese invading from the south.
@Shinji01: I wouldn't say the Ainu have any relation to the Russians. Russians were only present in Siberia in the last ~300 years. Most Russians do not look that much like Leo Tolstoy.
Genetic studies indicate the Ainu are most related to other siberian peoples (including the Tibetans).