Ikupasuy

The Asian Ainu tribe have Prayer sticks known to many western men as Mustache lifters. The prayer sticks (ikupasuy) are used in the ceremony in which the Ainu release the Kamuy, of an animal that they used for food and cloths, back into the spirit world. The quality of the ikupasuy crafted is also a way that a Ainu Man can court a woman, The quality of this religious relic shows how close the relationship the man has with the spirit world. It is actually considered a religious journey for a man to craft a ikupasuy. During the ceremony when a man releases the spirit of the Hunted he sprinkles water using the ikupasuy on the item of which the ceremony is for to release the spirit.(http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/features/ainu/index.html)

[http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/features/ainu/index.html]

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