Don't you know that 'big' hair is a genetic trait of redneck Southern women, especially those who host programs on Christian broadcasting networks! Sheesh!! (LOL in case anyone thinks I'm serious).
The so-called "hairy" Ainu were given the name because they have abundant body hair like some Europeans and often have long, flowing beards in contrast to the Japanese people. If they're the "hairiest people on earth" I haven't been able to find a citation to that effect. Here's a comment from a site I just located:
"The Ainu are somewhat taller than the Japanese, stoutly built, well proportioned, with dark-brown eyes, high cheek-bones, short broad noses and faces lacking length. The hairiness of the Ainu has been much exaggerated. They are not more hairy than many Europeans. Never shaving after a certain age, the men have full beards and moustaches, but the stories of Ainu covered with hair like a bear are quite unjustified by facts. Men and women alike cut their hair level with the shoulders at the sides of the head, but trim it semicircularly behind."
Their origin is indeed mysterious but there's abundant evidence that shows they've been in the Japanese islands much longer than the Japanese themselves. Hokkaido and Honshu have many Ainu place names. Even the sacred volcano Fujiyama, is named for their fire goddess Fuji.
Ainu definitely have skins as light as Europeans and lack the Mongoloid epicanthic eyefold which gives Asians the appearance of slanted eyes. Yet to date no one knows where they came from originally. Their language is unlike any other and contains no clues so far as I can tell. DNA tests will probably tell the story some day. Some experts say they definitely have Mongoloid origins but it's unknown whether they may have Caucasoid genes.
I've only read once and recently that they were the 'hariest humans' on earth. Maybe not, huh?
"An interesting bundle of traits occurs among the Ainu of northern Japan, who have light skin and thick brow ddges [sic], and are the hairiest people in the world."However, the source you cite sounds reasonable in its assertions.
http://www.msu.edu/course/iss/215/demers/howold.html
On the other hand, I also found this:
"On Murray River in South Australia, they were described as extremely hairy of chest and body, which puts them in a class with western white Europeans, who are probably the world's hairiest people."http://www.creationism.org/symposium/symp5no1.htm
I also found this:
"Blonde people have the most hair per inch, with an average of 140,000 hairs a head. Brunettes are next in line with an average of 110,000 hairs a head, then come people with black hair with an average of 105,000 hairs a head, and finally redheads, with the least hair averaging 90,000 hairs a head."My redheaded daughter would certainly dispute that allegation. She has the thickest head of hair I've ever seen. When she was little, I used to thin it out and would get a large grocery bag FULL of hair!http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/