Eeper’ay (Ceremonial Spear)
Hunting, whether with bows and arrows, knives, axes, or spears, is an important part of traditional Ainu culture. However, the eeper’ay spear was never used for hunting, but was instead reserved for religious rituals and ceremonies such as cise nomi (new-house celebrations) and the iomante, a ceremony to send important spiritual beings like bears and Blakiston’s fish owls back to the realm of the gods.