The Ainu are an Indigenous People, living mainly in Hokkaido, the northernmost prefecture of Japan. Historically they have suffered discrimination and marginalization, to the point that their language and traditions almost disappeared. In recent years, celebrating cultural revival, Ainu culture has become increasingly visible and urgent.

Bronisław Piłsudski (1866-1918) was born in Zułów/Zalavas to a Lithuanian Polish family. He used to introduce himself as Samogitian and Lithuanian, besides Polish. He was a dedicated museologist, the key ethnographer and anthropologist in the history of the Sakhalin Ainu. He became one during the 15 years long exile in Sakhalin. His name is well known among the Ainu in Japan, and among anthropologists studying the languages and the people of the Northern and Eastern Asia.

Commemorating the 160th anniversary of the birth of Bronislaw Piłsudski, this exhibition aims to present his works, Ainu history and culture and gives a glimpse into what it means to be Ainu today.

Increasing numbers of people are reviving old traditions, recreating and adapting them to contemporary times, and creating new ones within the movement for Ainu culture and rights as Indigenous Peoples.