arrow quiver (quiver (weapons: accessories))

Wooden arrow quiver bound with cherry bark strips, with a rope attached so that it can be carried. The wooden side supports are bound on with fibre cords. The lid of the quiver is made from the bark of the Japanese white birch and is sewn together at one end by the fibre cord, which attaches it to the quiver. An attached rectangular bearskin pouch is covered in long brown and black fur and is also attached to the quiver by fibre cord.

The Ainu consider the quiver to be the guardian of the poison arrows it holds and to embody much spirit or soul. The bearskin pouch is very important as bears are the most sacred beings in the Ainu universe. Using or keeping bearskins used to be strictly taboo but the tourism boom has changed this.

fighting

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database sometimes uses language taken from historical documents to help research, which may now appear outdated and even offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

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