Page "Ainu people" Paragraph 48

Unlike the other Ainu clans currently living in Russia, there is considerable doubt whether the Nakamura clan of Kamchatka should be identified as Northern Kurils Ainu, Southern Kurils Ainu or as Kamchatka Ainu.

This is due to the fact that the clan originally immigrated to Kamchatka from Kunashir in 1789.

The Ainu of Kunashir are South Kurils Ainu.

They settled down near Kurile Lake, which was inhabited by the Kamchatka Ainu and North Kuril Ainu.

In 1929, the Ainu of Kurile Lake fled to the island of Paramushir after an armed conflict with the Soviet authorities.

At that time, Paramushir was under Japanese rule.

During the Invasion of the Kuril Islands, Akira Nakamura ( b. 1897 ) was captured by the Soviet army and his elder son Takeshi Nakamura ( 1925 – 1945 ) was killed in the battle.

Akira's only surviving son, Keizo ( b. 1927 ) was taken prisoner and joined the Soviet Army after his capture.

After the war, Keizo went to Korsakov to work in the local harbor.

In 1963, he married Tamara Pikhtivoi, a member of the Sakhalin Ainu tribe.

Their only child, Alexei was born in 1964.

The descendants of Tamara and Alexei are found in Kamchatka and Sakhalin.