In a forest in Japan's northern Hokkaido, Atsushi Monbetsu kneels on the moss in the thick morning fog and begins to pray in a language that has nearly disappeared. Monbetsu belongs to the Ainu indigenous group that traditionally lived in what is now northern Japan, as well as territory now in Russia. Growing up, the stigma of his ethnic origins was so great that his mother banned him from using the word "Ainu." But now, like a growing number of younger people from indigenous communities in Japan, he has reclaimed his identity and some of the traditional practices he considers his birthright. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES