Aino Ethnology

Abstract

LET me hasten to assure Herr Rein that nothing could have been further from my intention than to question the “love of truth,” which is conspicuous in his work on Japan. I trust he will consider as absolutely withdrawn any expression of mine which he fancies might at all bear such a construction. His authorities I did not quote, because I attached much more importance to the weight of his name than to theirs. The almost unanimous opinion of original observers is opposed to their conclusions, which I was certainly somewhat surprised to find adopted by Herr Rein. But as he has not himself visited the Aino people, the question of their affinities need not be further argued here. I may state, however, that to Steube and von Siebold must now be added Herr Kreitner, of the Szechenyi expedition, who emphatically removes them from the Mongolic, and “assimilates them to the Caucasic type” (“Im Fernen Osten,” Vienna, 1881, p. 318).