Dressed in traditional clothing and marked with an Ainu mouth tattoo, Sute Orita carries the symbolic first fish to begin the salmon ceremony in Sapporo, Japan. Banned from fishing almost a century ago by the Japanese, the Ainu are working to regain rights to the salmon.
Heroes of the natural world and stars of an ages-old drama: the saga of salmon is one of wonder and mystery. From ancient times to today, storytellers as well as shamans have sought to explain why salmon stir our souls and confound our imaginations.