“The Ainu (アイヌ?), also called Aynu, Aino (アイノ), and in historical texts Ezo (蝦夷), are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin. Most of those who identify themselves as Ainu still live in this same region, though the exact number of living Ainu is unknown. This is due to ethnic issues in Japan resulting in those with Ainu backgrounds hiding their identities and confusion over mixed heritages. In Japan, because of intermarriage over many years with Japanese, the concept of a 'pure Ainu' ethnic group is no longer feasible. Official estimates of the population are of around 25,000, while the unofficial number is upwards of 200,000 people”. – Wkipedia

Photo: A captive bear drinking from a large bottle held by an Ainu tribeswoman. (Photo by Evans/Three Lions/Getty Images). Circa 1955

People walk under Australia's iconic landmark Harbour Bridge in Sydney on April 3, 2019, as heavy fog blankets the city. Low visibility due to heavy fog affected traffic in the city and caused flight delays at the Sydney airport. (Photo by Saeed Khan/AFP Photo)

A rainbow appears as people enjoy a warm afternoon on a tour boat at Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada on October 21, 2024. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A girl rides a broomstick in front of a green screen at the new Harry Potter Studio Tour at Warner Brothers Leavesden Studios on March 23, 2012 in London, England. The studio, which includes the actual sets and special effects departments where the films were created and shot, goes on public display on March 31, 2012. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Festival-goers enjoy on Shipyard Island, the venue of the 24th Sziget (Island) Festival in Northern Budapest, Hungary, 12 August 2016. The festival is one of the biggest cultural events of Europe presenting art exhibitions, theatrical and circus performances and music concerts. (Photo by Polyák Attila/Origo.hu)

Singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist Miley Cyrus, L, takes a selfie while doing her signature tongue-out pose with GMU students Samaria Moss, 18, C, of Spottsylvania, VA, Jaide Tarwid, 18, from Wisconsin, and Zimuzo Okala, 19, of Chesapeake, VA, (blocked) as Cyrus makes a campaign visit for Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine in Northern Virginia at George Mason University on Saturday, October 22, 2016 in Fairfax, VA. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

An employee walks near a rotary dredge which works on the coal face of the Borodinsky opencast colliery, near the Siberian town of Borodino, east of Krasnoyarsk, December 9, 2014. The Borodinsky colliery, 9 km (5.6 miles) long and more than 100 meters (328 feet) deep, annually produces more than 20 million tons of coal and is considered to be the biggest opencast coal mine in Russia, according to official representatives. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)

Castle rising in the mist on April 14, 2022. Castle Rising is a ruined medieval fortification in the village of Castle Rising, Norfolk, England. It was built soon after 1138 by William d'Aubigny II, who had risen through the ranks of the Anglo-Norman nobility to become the Earl of Arundel. (Photo by Terry Harris/The Times)