International exhibition "Ainu: People of the North. The Ainu people in Northern Japan and ethnographer Bronislovas Pilsudskis"

The Ainu are an ancient people living in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido. Due to historical circumstances, this nation experienced such discrimination and exclusion that the Ainu language and traditions almost disappeared. In recent years, with the promotion of cultural revival, Ainu culture has become increasingly visible and relevant.

Bronislovas Pilsudskis (1866–1918), born in the Zalavas manor to a Polish-Lithuanian family, who identified not only as Polish but also as Samogitian and Lithuanian, was a dedicated museum professional and researcher who left behind stunning results of his work. During his 15-year exile on Sakhalin, he became the most prominent ethnographer and anthropologist of the Ainu people. His name is well known to the Ainu of Japan and to anthropologists studying the languages and peoples of North and East Asia.

This exhibition, dedicated to commemorating the 160th anniversary of the birth of Bronislovas Petras Pilsudskis, presents his work, introduces the history and culture of the Ainu, and helps to understand what it means to be Ainu today.

More and more people are reviving and restoring ancient traditions, adapting them to their own times, and creating new ones by participating in the movement for Ainu culture and their rights as indigenous people.