This was discovered on the top of a hearth in an old house. When playing a yukara (epic tale) Ainu used this to hit the edge of the hearth to keep beat.
It was used like a conductor’s baton.
These captions were translated by students from Hokusei Gakuen University Junior College English Department. Special thanks to Associate Professors Matthew Cotter and Naoko Tanaka and of course the students who spent their time and effort making these translations.