Inau
Ainu ritual wood-shaving stick
In Ainu culture, inau or inaw (Ainu: イナウ or イナゥ) is a ritual wood-shaving stick used in prayers to the spiritual world. They were used in most Ainu religious rituals and were also frequently made to request assistance for hunting and childbirth. Some can be used multiple times, while others are destroyed immediately after one use. Their size and the direction in which they are shaved depends on which kamuy (spiritual being) it is offered to and what is being requested.
Etymology
The word inau appears to be a loanword from other languages in the region, probably the Tungusic Orok language of Sakhalin (Orok: illau from earlier *ilawun). It is most likely ultimately related to the Manchu terms ᡳᠯᠠᠮᠪᡳ(ila-mbi, 'to blossom') and ᡳᠯᡥᠠ (ilha, 'flower'). The Nivkh word inau or nau is most likely a loanword from the same Tungusic source via Ainu; both Tungusic languages and Nivkh have an /l/ sound, which the Ainu language lacks, so the replacement of /l/ with /n/ is probably an artifact of Ainu phonology.
Description
To make inau, the bark of a branch is first peeled and then a knife called an inawke-makiri is repeatedly used to shave the wood into thin curled strips that form a tuft. Inau are usually anywhere from five inches (13 cm) to one foot (30 cm) in length. There are several different types of inau, all with different variations in length and thickness depending on purpose.
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