There are a few myths of Kamuy-huci's origins. In the most common, she descends from the heavens, accompanied by
Kanna Kamuy, the
kamuy of thunder and lightning. In another version, she was born from the fire-producing drill and is the sister of
Hasinaw-uk-kamuy, the goddess of the hunt. A third holds that she is the daughter of an elm tree by the prime originator
Kanda-koro-kamuy. Kamuy-huci also instructed Ainu women in the making of
kut (
sacred girdles). For this gift, she earned the name
Iresu Kamuy (''People's Teacher''). She is one of the most powerful
kamuy in Ainu mythology. In one myth, her husband is seduced by
Wakka-us-kamuy, the deity of fresh water. Kamuy-huci, insulted, challenges her rival to a duel of sorcery, from which she emerges victorious with relative ease. Her chastened husband returns home. Kamuy-huci is a guardian of the home, and also the judge of domestic affairs. Those who pollute a hearth or fail to maintain proper domestic relationships are said to incur her punishment. To aid her in these duties, since she does not leave the hearth, she employs a number of other
kamuy, including Mintakoro-kamuy, the guardian of a home's premises, and Rukoro-kamuy, the
kamuy of the privy. In addition to being the center of the Ainu household, the hearth was considered a gateway by means of which humans and
kamuy could communicate. It is also the abode of the dead; the Ainu word for
ancestor translates as
those who dwell in the hearth.
Transmigration is a tenet of Ainu mythology, so it was doubly important for the hearth to be kept pure, because the souls of the departed who lived there would be assigned to new bodies in time. == In popular culture ==