Very well explained. We always identify ourselves as Okinawan whenever people ask. We are proud of our ethnicity. When I was born (I'm from Chatan-son), Okinawa was not part of Japan. It was a U.S. territory since after WW2. My mom (she's from Ginowan) was very involved in the Uchinanchu club here in the U.S. and we love going to the festivals. Anyway, mom being a WW2 survivor always drilled it in our heads that we are Okinawan and not Japanese.
You are inspired me to proud of my ethnicty and culture... I will use my native language on everyday life than the national language and the culture too..
Your mother has born and raised during the US occupation period and that's not the real history of Okinawa it's the suffering, humiliating period of Okinawa. Your mother is educated in the US criteria trying to separate Okinawa from Japan. Okinawans get angry is you say they are not the Japanese.
My wife was born in the castle town of Shuri. She is ethnically Okinawan. She is often confused to be Philipino. However she speaks Japanese and some Okinawan. She seems content to be a Japanese national but embraces both Okinawan and Japanese cultures, much the way Ghandi embraced so many religions. To me the cultures are quite different but there is overlap with regard to morals. There is little crime in Okinawa except for that which is imported.
My wife of 30 years was born in Yonabaru. I was stationed in Okinawa for 5 years and I met her during that time. Your description of the way your wife is both Japanese and Okinawan is exactly the same as my wife. Her embrace is a little less vigorous after 28 years in the states, but the description is still valid.
Okinawans are Okinawans the only reason that they're "japanese" is because they're govern by Japan. The culture, language, religion and Race are different and Okinawa was historically its own kingdom
Yes. Thank you..not many westerners know we are different. I'm one of less than a million left. We aren't going to be around for maybe 100 more years if we're lucky.
@James Furey well obviously Ireland should be one nation but considering that the Ulster Scots- Irish would definitely rise up and start with Civil War if Ireland was unified right now I don't see Irish unification anytime soon or in my lifetime hopefully one day. but as for Palestine I don't have an opinion on it of considering it will start a debate I don't want to get into.
More like the relationship between Italy and Sardinia. Why? 1) linguistic reasons: if we compare Sardinian and Sicilian languages, Sicilian is a lot closer to standard Italian than Sardinian is. 2) Geography: useless to say, but Sicily is a lot closer to Italic peninsula in comparison with Sardinia 3) culture: I don’t know too much about Sardinian culture, but I know enough to say that Sardinian culture share a bit less with Italy if we compare to Sicilian culture. That’s probably because of the vicinity to the peninsula.
During the early discussions about the reversion of Okinawa to Japan about 1970, I asked my coworker who was Okinawan-American what the Okinawan people thought about the Japanese eventual takeover. She pointed out that most of the ones she knew did not want any part of Japan at all. She added that as far as she could tell the Japanese people (from the mainland) thought of the Okinawan people "as those short dark people from the south with spicy food". I'll never forget her words.
@@MutekiMatt My experience in the late 60's was about 50/50. A lot of Okinawans owned land that before the end of the war was Japanese owned and they were afraid that they were going to lose their land when the revision came. Almost all of the bar girls were looking for a ticket to the US and wanted no part of the revision. I had one girl who was honest with me. She said that she wanted me to marry her so she could leave Okinawa. She said she would be loyal to me and not run away. lol Good luck with that one. It was basically a business arrangement that I wanted no part of. I know a few GI's who brought Korean girls back and when they came home from work one day they were gone, never to be seen again. Then again I also know many who have stayed married all these years.
@@Oxmix66 It was still this way in the mid 90s. I will say unlike most of Japan they have separate Japanese language dialect. Though most mainlanders learn it. The big difference is the range of Kanji they use is reduced vs mainland they use approximately 3000 characters vs 4000 to 6000 characters,
The Japanese “takeover” didn’t occur with the 1972 Reversion. Japan imposed itself upon the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1609 and controlled the Ryukyuan economy, polity and society thereafter. Japan then took possession of the entire Ryukyu Kingdom in 1872 but then formalized it by making it a prefecture in 1879. The U.S. held “Ryukyu Islands” following the war but Japan retained residual sovereignty throughout the 27 years of American occupation.
Appreciate your sensitivity here. I think answers are also given differently in different situations. I will always claim to be Okinawan American to those who care enough to want to know me. Then the history lesson starts. Nationality can change who rules us but it doesn’t change who we are, if we choose to be true to our culture.
Thank you. I completely agree. Regarding the different situations, some else in the Facebook comments, who was Okinawan, was saying he which ever one benefits him at that time. If Japan is doing something dumb he's Okinawan, but if he needs something from Japan he's Japanese. I realize that's not what you meant, but I just wanted to bring it up because I thought it was kind of funny. 😂
Okinawans are glad the Meiji Tokyo regime liberated Okinawa from the arrogant feudal lord of the Ryukyu Kingdom that HAD BEEN EXPLOITING Okinawans. Also, the nasty humiliated days occupied by the US. Who wants to return to those nasty days? NO ONE. Stop spreading terrorist propaganda to destroy Okinawa and Japan. Okinawans brag about Ryukyu just like those from Kanazawa are bragging about its one million Goku country, or those from the rest of the 300 clans brag about their countries when they get drunk at parties, that's all. Okinawans are angry BECAUSE the Japanese government is just a dog of the US, they don't remove the US bases from Okinawa. Stop spreading wrong information about Okinawa. Face the reality and the truth of Okinawa today.
Hi Matt! I've never seen your videos before, but this one was recommended to me. I'm ethnically half Okinawan, half Japanese, born and raised in Hawaii. I think you explained the differences very well. :) This video would have been very useful for me back when I first started wondering about the differences. There's a huge Okinawan diaspora, so there's a lot of Okinawans in Hawaii and Brazil. But, with my family, I wasn't exposed to Okinawan culture growing up. (I'm 4th generation, so it was my great-grand parents from my mother's side that came to Hawaii from Okinawa.) So now I'm exploring what it means, at least to me, to be Okinawan. I've never been to Okinawa, so I hope to visit my ancestors' homeland someday. There's a lot of great resources in English if you would like to learn more about Okinawan history, such as "Okinawa: The History of an Island People" by George Kerr and Mitsugu Sakihara. There's even a Okinawan-English Wordbook if you're interested in the language. ^-^
Thanks, Bree! Glad you liked the video. The culture has been interesting, especially since living here. It's an amazing place. Hope you can come check it out soon. 😆
@chiburu625 That's interesting to hear, and also a little sad if he did drink himself to death. I haven't gotten the chance to thoroughly read through both Sakihara and Smits' work yet. But thank you for sharing your comment. I'll keep that in mind when I read their works. Also, kind of an update to my original comment... I recently did a 23andme DNA test, and while they don't distinguish Okinawan ethnically from Japanese (It said I'm 100% Japanese), when broken down by prefectures, it showed that my ancestors mostly came from Okinawa. There was only a little evidence that my ancestors came from prefectures like Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Kagoshima, Tokyo, and Kumamoto. So, there's a possibility that I am more than half ethnically Okinawan. This made me theorize that perhaps my paternal ancestors migrated from Okinawa, and settled in mainland Japan. And perhaps that is why they identified as Japanese. Also, if anyone's interested, there's an article called "Okinawa Migrants to Hawaii" written by Y. Scott Matsumoto. He talks about some of the discriminations early Okinawan immigrants faced from Japanese immigrants in Hawaii.
Bree N - Since you've never been to Okinawa, I suggest you contact N&K Travel, on Kapahulu , about going to Okinawa during for the Taikai. The Takiai takes place every five years and this year should be a Taikai year. Because of the pandemic, I don't know if it's happening or not. If you want more info about Okinawa and its history, look up Rob Kajiwara. He has a TH-cam channel that is very educational.
You need to come to the Uchinanchu Taikai. I went in 2016 and it was AWESOME! I am half Okinawan and half Japanese, too. I was born & raised in CA, but my parents were born/raised in HI. I also danced the hula. Where in HI are you from?
My dad is Okinawan but was adopted by white Americans, so as I am trying to learn more about my Okinawan heritage I get very confused! And BTW my dad very strongly believes he is NOT Japanese lol. He says he is Okinawan when people ask.
mine too, his mother was born and raised in okinawa. but i dont know them very well because i was raised by my grandma on my moms side, and ive only seen a parents a couple of times, and only met my grandma 1 time. ive always grown up confused about myself and my heritage because i dont really look japanese at all, no epicanthic fold. people have asked me my ethnicity before and accused me of lying about my dad being japanese which highly offended me, and i avoid at all costs talking about this subject because its highly sensitive for me and i do not think people realize. i knew nothing about okinawa but everything makes so much more sense now. and it makes me sad it is so hard to find information on the ryukyuan people. so you are not alone, and it is very reassuring to know that i am not alone either.
I'm half Okinawan. My mom was native Okinawan. Yet, I was born and raised American and have never been to Okinawa. I consider Okinawa my ancestry and heart of my origin. My relatives still live there. I will be speaking from my westerner experience of this topic on how it seems to me, as an Okinawan American. By the way, I think you presented this video very well. As an Okinawan American, I have had to deal with this a number of times here in the states. When I introduce myself to people here that are either Okinawan or Japanese. In my heart and blood, I am Okinawan and that's my claim. (Arakaki). Yet, here in the states most people know of Japan and sometimes unaware of Okinawa? (being it's a very small island). I found it easier to just tell people that generally, I was Japanese which avoided the confusion with the said, American people. I found the individuals who did not know of Okinawa were more so of the younger generation vs. the older folks many of them know of the island of Okinawa. So when it became an issue was when I was dealing with Okinawan's or Japanese people here in the states. It feels and seems pretty like how you explain it. I feel a discriminating type of feeling from the particular Japanese individuals here in America, when I claimed that my mother was from Japan? Okinawa, Japan? But I had a few Japanese react a bit harsh telling me "your not Japanese!" "Okinawan's are not Japanese!" It feels discriminating, defensive, and just plain unkind with a superior-like vibe to it? At the moment, it is very hurtful. I start off with trying to connect with these Japanese individuals based on our a sense of similarity, only to walk away feeling shot down to nothing and rejected??? It really is a shame when this occurs. Because I feel a sense of both Okinawan and Japanese in me and try to embrace both. But mainly Okinawan and am aware of its own dialect, which seems to me Japanese language mainly, but with added specific of Okinawan dialect. Okinawan's here, understand both dialects. Yet most Japanese here, often do not understand Okinawan words? When I get a sense of offensiveness from the Okinawan's here? It's more like in an "honor your people, and your ancestry" type of way? With an added tinge of "lest we not forget our past history" type of way? Anyways, I can understand the reasoning behind this and like you say it would be nice if this didn't feel so belittling as an Okinawan's vs. Japanese. Because Okinawan's do not have a history of disrespecting the Japanese in any way. Yet, given the history, Okinawan's I feel, have more legit reasoning as towards the animosity. But, that's history, and we must move forward. People are people. All are equal and unique. Different races and cultures add to the spice of life!!! That's a positive thing and for that I am grateful. I have some of the nicest relations with some Japanese people here in American. I have always appreciated certain things about their culture. Because it seems to be very respectful in general and overall. It seems to avoid a haughty type of pride. I guess that's why it seems so harsh, when I am confronted with these certain individuals. OMG! This is so long, sorry. I'm beat. I hope it makes sense.
Love it! Thank you for sharing. I understand what you're saying. In a way, I do feel like Japanese are sort of living in the past when it comes to discrimination against certain races. Like you said, the majority of the time they are very respectful and curious more than anything, but some still act like how America treated people who were from the south like 50 to 100 years ago. They were looked down upon. Like you said though, the younger generations don't care too much, and don't even really know about Okinawa, plus I guess it's to be expected since Japan's population is 99% actual Japanese. I would probably say the same thing you do though if I was Okinawan. I'd just say I was Japanese, just to save me from explaining myself. 🤣
I knew a Nancy Arakaki! 😁 Living on the island twice I think brought a better appreciation of the culture and people to my mom. Like stated before, she came from a prestigious lineage and just accepted and parroted what she was told. Her attitude and heart softened after living there and establishing friendships. She always wanted to go back to visit. Sadly the attitude and treatment from Japanese to Okinawans have not changed entirely, but is better.
Great! Thanks a lot for this video focusing on a very exciting question. My father was born in Okinawa and emigrated to Brazil (I was born in Brazil and emigrated to Germany). My perception is that the Okinawan community in Brazil does not see itself as part of the big Japanese community, due to its own different language and tradition.
That’s neat to know! I have Okinawan family in Brazil that I know of, but that I don’t know. Long story, but my Okinawan great grandmother had a husband that moved to Brazil for work. He took the children with him, but my great grandmother had to stay behind until she could get a ticket to go as well, or until he could return. I don’t know which one. Anyhow, she was informed that her husband had married a Brazilian woman. As far as I understand, my great grandmother had no laws on her side regarding her children. She never saw them again until she was quite old. She did remarry (which was rare) another Okinawan (my great grandfather). When her children that were living in Brazil (all grown up) came back to see her, they no longer spoke the language well. They spoke the Brazillian language. But as my mother told me, my great grandmother went a little crazy feeling their faces like she was dreaming or something. Someone had to smack her face to snap her out of it. She couldn’t believe she would ever see them again I guess. So, that’s how we have family living in Brazil today. My mother married an American soldier (my dad). So I am an American. My dad did what he could to make sure they stayed near my moms family. So he tried to get stationed there a lot. All in all we got stationed in mainland Japan for about 3 years where he would always volunteer to take jobs in Oki, so my mom got to see family often. Then he got stationed in Oki for 6 years, so I got to be raised around my Okinawan family (great grandparents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, cousins, etc).
Lots of Okinawans immigrated to South America for some reason. I'm Okinawan and sometimes get mistaken as Hispanic, so maybe we were just able to blend in easier.
Wikipedia writes: QUOTE """Recent genetic and anthropological studies indicate that the Ryukyuans are significantly related to the Yamato people (mainland Japanese) but have also a relatively closer relation to the Ainu people, compared with the Yamato people. This is possibly explained with partially shared ancestry of the population during the Jōmon period (pre 10,000 BCE - 1,000 BCE) and with the population of the Yayoi period (1,000 BCE - 300 CE) - these peoples migrated from other parts of East Asia (specifically China and the Korean peninsula).[11]"""UNQUOTE So, while Okinawan culture appear to be quite distinct - the language also beign a factor -, the race/ethnicity thing appear to be more open to interpretation. One thing most people omit, when talking about Japan and the Japanese in general, is that, yes, they are very homogenous, but they only began to actually be homogenous after the fourth century A.D. which is quite a long time for culture but very short a time for biology. Therefore the actual question appears to be "does a Japanes ethnicity/race even exist? And to make things even more sensitive, one could also add "are the Japanese closer to Koreans, seeing as they share an ancestry or were the austronesian and Jomon influences enough to give their ethnicity big enough a twist?" One could conclude by saying that yes, the mainland Japanese appear to be very homogenous. BUT, during their history, the various areas of Japan were quite isolated from each other. This contributed significantly not only to the staggering number of very distinctive spoken varieties that may be unintelligible to speakers of the standard language, but also to the growth of different customs and mores. These differences are still visible to this day, especially if you travel outside Tokyo.
ethnicity isnt defined by genetics. ALl people in asia are going to share genetics and the closer they are geographically, they more related they will be. Koreans and Japanese share wquite a lot genetically as well, but are different ethnicities. WHat determines ethnicity is not only genetics, but also geography, and most importantly, language, religion and history. The Ruuchuu have a different and distinct history, language, religion, geographical region and yes, still, genetics (however related, still distinct) to the yamato japanese. Most importantly, they can identify themselves as okinawan. SO they are a distinct ethnicity so long as they choose to recognise that they are. The moment they chose to erase it, then Meiji era Japan wins, and the policy of cultural genocide/assimilation against the Ruuchuuan people would have been successful. It isnt my place to say, but I do hope that the people of Okinawa NEVER give up their unique identity and work hard to continue restoring it.
Love the video. My great 'nmee was from Hamahiga island, Higa village in Okinawa. She spoke Japanese and Okinawan. When telling people, I now say exclusively that I'm Okinawan-American, because that is my ethnicity. When my family came to America, they were "Japanese" citizens. But I feel what I learned of Japan and what I learned about Okinawa.. I feel preserving the unique identity of Okinawans and their heritage is far more important and thus, Okinawan or Uchinaanchu in the Uchinaaguchi(Okinawan language) is the way to go.
My family on my fathers side is also from that island. We are related to the Higas....My Grandmothers maiden name was Toyama. My mom was born and raised in Okinawa her last name before the war was Sedikaku (sp)...after the war it was changed to Machida. I was born in Okinawa also but as an American military brat....dad was stationed there ....
@@darrellgribbin1401 There is a joke I heard, that if you aren't related to a Higa, you're not Okinawan 😅 Not sure how true that is...but man, I think it is more common than the name Miyagi, which my great tanmee was.
I was on Okinawa 50 years ago. The Okinawans then hated the Japanese. They blamed them for bringing the war to them. There were at least 3 times when Okinawans tore down Japanese flags at different schools. Most of those that lived through the war are gone now and 2-3 generations later I guess that feeling is fading. I loved Okinawa and the people. They were very friendly and I had several friends that I wrote to for many years. Sadly, some have died and I lost touch with the others. But that's what happens when you live a long time.
That must have been really interesting to see. Maybe people have told me that Okinawa was a completely different place then. Of course, everything changes over time, but Okinawa specifically has probably seen more change then most places because of the war and change of ownership. Really interesting...
Anyone would be pissed if they went through genocide, war, forced to give up its language and culture and then ended up as a colony with military bases…
I learned Japanese and traveled to Okinawa during the mid 90s. I learned Japanese in Okinawa Dialect as my Sensei was from Okinawa. It to her was to her family an insult to be called Japanese. It is more a culture and traditional stance.
Nicely done! You truly gave honor to those who choose to remain Okinawans but also honored those who choose to be called Japanese. The information you provided regarding nationality, ethnicity and stateless was very clear. Loved it.
Thank you Cat! I know it can be a sensitive topic, so I really tried to keep everything factually rather than opinion. The reason I made the video is that I saw someone that was Okinawan make one but it was completely bias because he didn't want to be Japanese and everyone in the comments was arguing with him, even other Okinawan's. I do have a feeling some people wouldn't like me talking about it since I'm neither Japanese nor Okinawan, but in a way I think that's better because I have no bias of wanting to be one over the other. Anyway, thank you. I was a bit worried about releasing this one. 😊
@@MutekiMatt yeah I guess Okinawa s is japenese, but they have elderly people still old ways of talking Okinawa too they don't speak japenese,my mom is from older days, but she can speak japenese too...but I was born in Japan.
@@MutekiMatt , I argued with another Okinawan about this subject. I told her we were different. She said that we were the same as Japanese. 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
My great grandpa born okinawan-japanese but it's a very sad story. His grandpa offered them with his siblings to move here in the mainland just to abandon their parents but because he loves his parents so much he stayed with them and used his mothers Okinawan name instead of his father.
Okinawan/Ryukyu Peoples are culturally differ from Mainland Japan. Ironic that you mentioned Hawai'i and Okinawa, as both have grassroots movements to become their own sovereign states/countries! Nice video, thanks for posting!
Hawaii is a very good parallel for Okinawa. In fact, one Japanese spin-off of Lilo and Stitch took place on a fictional Ryukyu Island off of Okinawa. In other words, they basically localized Hawaii by turning it into Okinawa.
Either way, I'm Okinawan, and Japanese . Proud to be both , this is who I am as a good person wants to live my life best as I can . Thank you so much.
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What do you think about the Japan capture Okinawa and colonial policy since Japan had never admitted the crime they committed in WW2. As far as I know, they even eradicate this history from their education system.
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Basing on the Cairo Declaration, Okinawan has never been a part of Japan legally. So Okinawa should be an independent country.
I observed in this comment section that people who feel they are Okinawans and not Japanese are the half-Okinawans who most likely grew up somewhere else outside Okinawa and might not even set foot in Okinawa. Why not try to ask Okinawans who live in Okinawa? I know Okinawan people that already embraced being Japanese and Okinawan at the same time.
Seems to be a more generational items. As most kids these days still respect the parents and the parents culture in Japan/Okinawa. This makes new things very slow to change.
Noob, you maybe right. This generation of Okinawans in Okinawa may want to be a part of Japan. Hell, when your native language is mostly erased and your educational institutions are mostly taught in Japanese, under thr influence of the Japanese way of things, that is bound to happen. Yes, it is also natural that many of us in other countries see it differently. We come from families that left Okinawa, due to poverty made worse by the Japanese government policies enforced on the islands. We have the memories passed down from our elders, of how Yomitan treated Okinawans, not just in Japan/Okinawa, but here in the countries we grew up in. Some of us heard the stories from nisei uchinaanchu in the M.I.S., about Japanese soldiers killing Okinawans in the battle of Okinawa and how they convinced Okinawans to commit suicide. We've heard the very worst of it.
I mean, yeah, probably, I'm half Okinawan that doesn't live in Japan, but due to mainland influence and the Japanese community around me, I do like to think of my identity as partially japanese/okinawan, even my grandmother has this mix of traditional mainland japanese and okinawan culture since she grew in a japanese community, and people from all prefectures would live together.
First: Organizing a Ryukyu Independent Organization. Second: Save Ryukyu culture action. Save Ryukyu characters, languages, costumes, songs and dances, etc. Third: Supervisors should meet regularly to discuss how to achieve Ryukyu independence.
An autosomal DNA analysis from Okinawan samples concluded that they are most closely related to other Japanese and East Asian contemporary populations, sharing on average 80% admixture with mainland Japanese and 19% admixture with Chinese population, and that have isolate characteristics. Okinawans have Chinese blood in them...
I am of Okinawan descent. Not only politically, or geographically, but Okinawans are different from Japanese ethnically. They have their own history, their language is different, they have Chinese, Southeast Asian, a small percentage of japanese, and white DNA. They are physically different from the Japanese (type of hair, skin, face).
It is true that people from Fujian Province lived in Okinawa. However, according to an article in the Okinawa Times, it is clearly stated that the ancestry of Okinawans is of Japanese origin in DNA, different from that of China and Taiwan. As for physical characteristics, the Japanese Kyushu people are said to have the same characteristics.
TRUE ! On my visit to Kyushu I noticed a lot Japanese who had bigger 👀 eyes then your average they also had non shovel teeth which is the norm in most of Asia !!
Thank you for sharing your view on the Japanese/Okinawan issue. I am an Okinawan American. Both my mother, now 96, and father were born and raised in Hawaii and later sent to Okinawa for schooling. On the point of ethnicity, I will never say that I'm Japanese and have corrected/educated people when the topic comes up. My mother drilled into me that I'm Okinawan, not Japanese. She also told me about the prejudice she encountered from the Japanese. And that happened even in Hawaii. The Okinawans were looked down upon by the Japanese in Japan and Hawaii. My mother was stuck in Okinawa when WWII started while raising her younger siblings. The stories she told me about the Japanese soldiers never really sunk in until I visited the Himeyuri Peace Museum in 2006. Those soldiers were evil. They forced the female students to be their nurses and other things. They also forced the students to 'commit suicide' when the Americans started to encroach further and further inland. My mom was lucky because she was allowed to go home everyday and take care of her siblings. If you get the chance, please visit the Himeyuri Peace Museum, it will give you much more info about what happened to the female students.
Oh, wow! I haven't been to that museum yet, but there is one a peace prayer park which was really nice that we went to with my wife's grandpa. It was interesting because as we were walking around he was telling us about his experiences during that war.
@@MutekiMatt I went to the Peace Memorial Park twice, once in 2006 and again in 2016. Both times were on tours during the Taikai. I hope you were able to see the butterflies at the building just across the road from the main park building. My daughter, 12 y.o. at the time really loved that part with the butterflies landing on her.
My ex wife’s grandmother, Kyoko Oba-Chan, told me stories about some of her experiences during the war. Her stories matched what you said. The Japanese soldiers were not nice at all! They weren’t allowed to speak Hogan, the Okinawan native language, because the Japanese soldiers labeled them as spies if they did. They were told that the approaching American soldiers were cannibals and were coming to eat them and perform other atrocious acts that were just not true. They were forced to fight and support the Japanese soldiers and were also pushed to commit suicide prior to the Americans arrival. Sometimes entire families would follow through with the forced suicide. Hence the numerous areas on the coast line that have the nickname of “suicide cliffs”. So very sad! Thank the Lord Kyoko Oba-Chan and so many others made it through. She was a beautiful, happy, loving and caring person with an amazing spirit. I consider myself lucky to have known her and have her in my life. I miss her very much. During the 10 years I lived in Okinawa I found that most Okinawan people fit that same description. They are a respectful, caring, happy, family oriented culture of peoples. I will forever cherish the memories of the time that I was privileged to live on Okinawa. I hope to return to live there again someday.
I am a Brazilian Okinawan with German citizenship. I had the opportunity to visit the Himeyuri Peace Museum when I went to Okinawa for the first time in 1988.
Okinawa has a different history, culture and language from Japan. Okinawa was an independent country with its own king. It was influenced heavily by China and is reflected in its food. It was also a tributary state to China. UNESCO recognizes 6 languages in Okinawa prefecture that are endangered. Linguist recognize that the languages spoken in the Ryukyu islands are not a dialect of Japanese. Genetically the Okinawans have a different haplogroup mix than mainland Japan. The music and dance is also different. There are so many differences. The US military base issue also adds feelings that there is a distinction between Japan and Okinawa. The Japanese government has not supported Okinawans in the reduction of US military bases in Okinawa even though Okinawa is just 0.6% of the area of all of Japan but has 75% of the US military bases in Japan. US military bases occupy 20% of the land area of Okinawa. Japan has always sided with the US and not with Okinawa on this issue. But yes, Okinawans are Japanese citizens.
@T R Okinawan people did not decide to belong to Japan in the postwar era. This decision was made between the US and Japan. US allowed reversion back to Japan because Japan was agreeable to US demands that its military presence on the island continue. An independent Okinawa would not have agreed to such an agreement. There have been many movements by the Okinawan people for an independent state since 1945. There has been renewed energy in independence as Japan has continued to ignore Okinawa's views regarding the US military base situation.
@T R Unfortunately, Ryukyu culture is dying, especially it's own distinct languages because the government keeps classifying them as "dialects" of Japanese. That's like classifying German as an English dialect. The government should give and encourage cultural autonomy because the youth has been colonized like mainland Japanese. It's a problem throughout the world during globalization and the nationalism of new countries, destroying and assimilating minority cultures just because they bear the slightest resemblance of being related.
@arai nn You are drunk, China transgressions into Senkaku is actually real. My Ex-GF was Okinawan native and I've been to Okinawa many times, there are these "Free Okinawa" tents and inside them there are no Okinawan nor Japanese, only mainland Chinese posing as Okinawan.
Okinawa, in the past, had been annexed to China until it was left on its own, invaded and made part of Japan. But to me, either it wants independence or not, the Okinawan culture should be maintained and respected. It is beautiful and special.
My favorite part of Okinawan history is when we were trading with China until the Japanese came down and said "you only trade with us now." Okinawa said "sure whatever" and just traded with both. It took like a century or so before Japan realized we played them.
Just want to add, in our Malaysian history books (that is a another contentious southern centric issue), we have been told that we had a long trading history with Japan. Of late, when I know how to read between the lines, I just realised we weren't trading with the Japanese but Okinawans. This was highlighted recently in a recent book that analysed our historical figure (some have contended that this figure was fictional/myth) via Ryukyu historical records, if I am not mistaken the Rekidai Hoan. There were some interesting findings, principally that there was a historical figure from here that did go to Ryukyu and established diplomatic relationship. All I cay say, if Okinawans contend that they are not Japanese, they may very well have grounds to do so.
My grandma is Okinawan and Yamato/Japanese. Her dad was born in Hawaii from Okinawan parents in 1890 and his wife was an immigrant from Tokyo. Her and my mom considered themselves Japanese with Okinawan roots.
The Ryukyuans and Ainu are Japonic Peoples too but were obviously annexed by what would become Japan much later than other Kingdoms on the Japanese Mainland.
Thanks for sharing! I am a Singaporean and ethically a Southern Chinese. I was surprised by the similarities in culture that Okinawa has with Southern China when I visit this beautiful island 2 years ago. I personally felt they r like a hybrid of Chinese and Japanese.
yes, the ancient Ryukyu kingdoms on Okinawa did lots of trade with the chinese and other asian nations. Their language was related to japanese, but their culture was more chinese
Formerly a vassal state of China,It is an independent kingdom，Later, because of the weak national strength of the Qing Dynasty in China, it was impossible to protect the vassal States.It was annexed by Japan.It should be about 1880！During World War II, the battle of Okinawa was very miserable, Japan let the Okinawans kill the Okinawans, and the rest jumped off the cliff.The mass slaughter of indigenous people,And then emigrated from the Japanese mainland, From the perspective of international law, Japan only has the right to govern Okinawa and has no sovereignty.
Okinawan speak a different dialect. The US administration was turned over to Japan 1972, when clearly after the WW2, Korea and Taiwan was released. So why were they release? Ryukyuan Kingdom was annexed by Imperial Japan in roughly 1879, around the same time Korea and Taiwan was annexed. Obviously, the US wanted to keep the island for military strategy but decided to keep it as Japan.
No, your ethnicity is American because your language is American English and you're culturally American. The fact that you have Italian and Portuguese ancestry doesn't mean anything.
Also, the Meiji Tokyo regime is not Yamato, it's an anti-Yamato clans of Choshu and Satsuma, they even assassinated the Yamato emperor and then replaced him with a Choshu person. Yamato people in Osaka, Kyoto, Nara today are the largest minority group in Japan today.
For me I'm mixed and raised in Hawaii. Hard when your father is white and Hawaiian and mother is white / Okinawan so that being said, I'm good within my skin. I feel I really don't have to elaborate my race, it just boils down the kind of person you are really. Everyone be safe and stay positive..
My Okinawan grandmother had 4 children. Two died rather young which left my aunt and my mother. Then she was widowed at 29 years old. The Okinawans have connections with their oki friends and family that migrated to both Brazil and Hawaii during hard times (as you know). So, someone tried to arrange a marriage between my grandmother and an Okinawan widower in Hawaii. She declined and remained a widow. I’ve often wondered what if.
"Okinawans" are Japanese Citizens but Ryukyuan in Ethnicity, language and customs. Being a small nation, spread out over a large expanse of the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea, Ryukyu has had to rely on diplomacy and maintain good relations with neighboring countries (being too small to raise a standing Military to withstand invasion). In ancient times, Ryukyuans had strong relations with China (especially southern China coast, such as Fujian Province). For decades, Ryukyu Kingdom paid a yearly tribute to China. The Ryukyu Kingdom even hosted visits by the US (Commodore Perry), Portuguese and Dutch traders/merchants while accommodating the Chinese (the castle complex in Shuri had a special building on the castle's left side which had 2 large separate halls/rooms where the Ryukyu kingdom could accommodate the entreaties of 2 different countries at the same time). And by the way, 'Ryukyu' is synonymous (these days) with 'Okinawa', as the island was the largest in the Ryukyu archipelago and held the seat of government (Shuri). Then, the Satsuma clan of Kyushu invaded Okinawa and treated the Ryukyu people as subordinate and lesser than their own. Some say that the development of Karate (with heavy influence of Chinese martial arts) was spurred in response to the brutal oppression by the Satsuma/Yamatu/Japan. This continued into the mid-1940s where the Japanese military dug in to form a defense line against the Americans invading Japan. The Okinawans were caught between the hammer and anvil of WW2; between the Japanese forces and American forces. It was horrific. Some historians say that more than 50,000 Okinawan civilians perished during that battle. Though they are passing away quickly, the generation that survived WW2 held deep resentment and anger toward the Japanese. America, realizing the strategic location of Okinawa (close to the China coast, Korean Peninsula, Kyushu and the Philippines) proceeded to build a huge military installment there. Okinawa hence, was referred to as the keystone of the Pacific, and those bases remain today (Kadena, Futenma/Henoko, Foster, Kinser, etc). Many (proud) Okinawans are resigned to being Japanese and are well aware of the '2nd class' citizenship/status given to them by the Japanese mainlanders. Despite being a prefecture of Japan (since 1972), Okinawans have the highest poverty and unemployment numbers in Japan. Meanwhile many Okinawans are weary of the constant, never-ending presence of the American military - both personnel and equipment. The current military bases are on Okinawan ancestral lands, and there seems to be no way to get America to move some of the bases to the Japanese mainland. The US needs to maintain a strong presence in "the Keystone of the Pacific". I was born and raised in (Naha and Ginowan) Okinawa, became a citizen of Canada and live and work in the US. I love Okinawa and proudly identify as Okinawan. I long for my people to have their island back and pursue a life of peace and kindness, which are some of the defining characteristics of Ryukyu people. Okinawans are not Japanese; nor are they Chinese, or anything else. They are a distinct people with distinct cultural practices. I'd like to think that if you love Okinawa and are willing to defend it, then you are 'Okinawan'.
As someone who is half Okinawan and also of Scottish ancestry, I can say that calling an Okinawan person Japanese can be a bit like referring to a Scottish person as English. I get that British would be more accurate as that would apply to all countries / cultures within the United Kingdom. And this does make English a bit less appropriate a term for a Scottsman / Scottswoman than Japanese for Okinawans. However that said, many Okinawans don't have a problem these days with being called Japanese, as Okinawans were granted Japanese citizenship recently. Yes, I did say recently. Something that a lot of people don't realize is that Okinawans didn't have Japanese citizenship until the 1970s, when the USA handed off administration to Japan with the understanding that Japan would grant citizenship and not attempt genocide against Okinawans again. And to Japan's credit, they have been working to help preserve Okinawan history and culture rather than trying to erase it as it attempted in the early 20th century.
@arai nn True I've lived in Okinawa and never in Japan, however while there I did see programs where the government was trying to preserve traditional Okinawan culture, for example bamboo fabric kimino craft. If they are claiming that this is Japanese and not Okinawan culture, than that is very disappointing.
Yup! I’m Japanese, Okinawan, Chinese, Portuguese. But, when people ask me, what is your ethnicity, do mention that I’m Japanese and Okinawa. I would tell them, I’m Uchinanchu and Nihonjin.
(I'm using a translator...) Thank you for the Okinawa video! I am a native Okinawan. I am proud to have been born and raised in Okinawa. We also learned a lot about the history of the island. I have to think about what choices to make in the future. However, the people of Okinawa are proud to have been associated with countries such as the United States, Japan, and China.
To throw more into the mix, recently the Chinese have actually claimed that Okinawa belongs to them, and historically, Okinawa in the past has paid "tribute" to China. Even more recently, the Chinese are actually promoting Okinawan independence but that is probably more of an attempt to drive a wedge between Okinawa and mainland Japan.
China has never occupied Okinawa.Ryukyu was an independent country before and occupied by Japan later.Some disgusting ones from some country shamelessly stealing the history of other countries and interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.
Ryukyu used to be the Ryukyu Kingdom, an independent country, but a vassal state of China.Its culture is close to the coast of China.It is far from the mainland of Japan. Okinawa did not belong to Japan, and Japan massacred many Okinawa aborigines in World War II.According to post-war international law, Japan only has the right to govern Ryukyu and has no sovereignty. In fact, after World War II, China can want the sovereignty of Ryukyu, but China's Chiang Kai-shek is too weak.
The main island has always had problems with okinawans, I believe the werent allowed to speak their language for years, ask the say their okinawan when asked, red the story of the 3 tears, also Chinese have had much influence in okinawan culture, more likely to separate them from Japan, many great memories from there , many friends.
Was a Navy Hospital Corpsman with a Marine unit on Okinawa 1970-1971, when it was still controlled by the US. Went to Camp Fuji Japan at the Base of the mountain for Live Fire Training, bunch of us were heading back to the Base on a partially full Subway Car, after a weekend of Liberty (Free Time). Also on the car was a Middle Aged Male originally from Okinawa, who obviously had a FEW drinks. Gentleman was pacing around our area of the Car, and was quite vocal about his disdain of the Japanese people and how much he admired Americans. Almost all the Japanese that were passengers in the car, were quiet and looked embarrassed. Marines I was with as well as myself were embarrassed by his actions and kept quiet, and as soon as we got to our stop, we were off and gone. Strange experiences
Your comparison of Hawaii to the US is probably the best way to explain the Okinawa to Japan relationship to Western folk. I grew up in a home in the US where my parents had lived in Japan in the 1950s as part of the occupation forces so I grew up with an awareness of Japanese culture. Neither of my parents were Japanese. When I went to Okinawa in 1982 with the Marines I had an expectation of a certain culture and quickly came to recognize Okinawa was not exactly "Japanese" as I had been raised to expect Japanese culture. I actually enjoyed Okinawa a lot, but only spent one year there, was not uncommon back in 1982 to see signs saying "No Americans Allowed" in many places and Americans would be refused service. I am proud to say while living there I was invited places while in Okinawa many Americans never were and experienced some things many Americans typically did not.
I have a friend whose wife is Okinawan and she considers herself to be Okinawan with a Japanese passport. when she went to school in the 50's and 60's Okinawan students were punished if they spoke Okinawan in any of their classes. . .she said, if she didn't know the Japanese word for something, the only way she could explain it was to apologize to the teacher and say that she did not know the word in Japanese, but in Okinawan it was "whatever the word was". . .I did learn a few Okinawan phrases from her like: in Japanese "ouch" is "itai", in Okinawan if is "aga". . .and asking for tea in Japanese is "Ocha kudesai" and in Okinawan it is "Cha gwa kimi sorei" . . .
To a "Japanese" listener, the Okinawan elders were speaking hogen (that's with an 'e', not an 'a', BTW ;-) ) but to an Okinawan, they were speaking uchinaaguchi (or shimakutuba). :-) I used to speak and understand some uchinaaguchi when I was a kid growing up in Okinawa because many of my relatives on my mom's side spoke it entirely instead of Japanese. But when I moved away from Okinawa to attend college "abroad", I forgot most of it. :-( I'm glad to see that there are people and organizations making an effort to revive the Okinawan language to keep it from disappearing entirely.
May be because DNA tests can't exactly pinpoint the exact origins of people. They just compare your DNA with the sample populations they have. They might not have a lot of Okinawan samples and most of the Okinawan samples they have might have been simply considered Japanese. And if you go far back the Yamato Japanese and Ryukyuan peoples share a common origin, with both Japanese and Ryukyuan languages sharing a common descent and belonging to the same language family. That may also be a factor.
I wonder if it’s because the companies that set up the dna tests, set the system simply to assign the dna as ‘Japanese’. I believe, since they make the tests, they can simply assign what ever dna to whatever location they want to if that makes sense. 🤷🏻♀️
It’s the same situation and relationship between the indigenous Ainu people in northern Japan (Hokkaido) and mainland Japanese. The Ainu were originally conquered and assimilated by the Japanese, but now many of them are trying to regain their rights and reclaim their cultural identity and traditions.
Growing up studying the different various Asian martial arts Mainly Japanese And Chinese It was always explained to me That the History And existence of the Okinawan people Is pretty much A 50/50 Combination of Chinese and Japanese Culture and bloodline Ethnicity . However they are uniquely their own at the same time ! I could be wrong however ? Okinawa is a very fascinating place .
I asked my friends girlfriend, later wife, what the difference was between an Okinawan and a Japanese. She had to think about it for a minute then replied, "an Okinawan is a Japanese with a tan".
"An Okinawan is a Japanese with a tan". That one hit the spot! Because before I knew exactly what I was, I used to say something very similar. Too cute! Thanks! I went around telling everyone that I was half Japanese, half Italian for 30 years of my life? Turns out, I am actually half Okinawan, half British and no longer a confused American as to the question "Who am I?" Lol! ; )
Did Japan conquer Okinawa in the 19th century, it surprises me to see so many Okinawans so peaceful, I am a Slav and some of our grudges carry on for hundreds of years of blood spilling up until this very day...
Not that you want to bring up painful experiences, but i was wondering how native Okinawans felt about Japanese soldiers occupying their island during the second world war. I suppose there was little they could do if they were opposed to that. To me it was a monumental catastrophe that so many Okinawan civilians lost their lives in a conflict that wasn't't really there's to begin with. It seemed like their peaceful and relatively simple way of life was shattered forever as a result. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on the matter.
I completely agree. It's so angering that people have lost their lives in a battle that wasn't even theirs to begin with. It's even happening a lot with what's going on today. However, I believe the only thing you can do is adapt to the change, if you live of course. Make your life the best it can be at the moment. That of course is an extreme example, but everything in life changes eventually. I know many Okinawan's that have let go of their anger of what happened and have continued to live amazing lives, then there are others who die angry because they can never forgive what has happened. You may be familiar with it but there is a great book by Viktor Frankl called "Man's Search For Meaning" where he describes his time as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Very insightful. Sometimes I think about if I did anything to anyone in my past that upset someone that those people are still hanging on to, even though I'm a completely different person today. I think about that because I had a friend that I found out was mad at me for like 5 years for something I did. When he finally brought it up to me I barely remembered, and even with what I did remember from the situation, it seemed so minuscule to me, even at the time. It was bothering him all these years, and he never said a word. Meanwhile, it didn't even phase me. It makes you think, how many people are living their lives with anger that is only theirs? Anger that is only hurting themselves. Why live that way? Anyway, my thought is; adapt to change, keep an open mind, and always continue to move forward, because it's really easy to get stuck in the past. Thanks for wanting to hear what I think John. 😊
The peaceful and relatively simple way of life of the Ryukyuans was shattered way much earlier sometime in 1609 when the Satsuma of Kagoshima invaded Okinawa and made the king of Okinawa a vassal of Satsuma. When WWII broke out, for all intents and purposes, Okinawa was part of Japan so having the Japanese soldiers present on the island during the war was not unusual. However, what does anger many Okinawans and others is the fact that the Japanese government conscripted (as in forced) the Okinawan civilians, regardless of age or gender, to serve in fighting the "enemy" (directly or indirectly) in the name of the Japanese emperor. In Okinawa, there is a Peace Memorial honoring those who died in the Battle of Okinawa. The names listed include those of Japanese soldiers, American and other allied soldiers and Okinawan civilians. Just under two-thirds (60%) of the names listed at the Peace Memorial are those of Okinawan civilians who died in the war! 😢
My Mother's home was Miyako Island in Ryukyu island chain. She did speak the Miyako language with her brother, sister and cousin which is different from the Okinawa language and the neighboring islands. It didn't sound anything close to the Japanese language when I listened to her speak to her family members. She also spoke Japanese and English fluently. She was born the year World War 2 ended in 1945. Okinawa the island is where people who lived on Miyako, Yaeyama or Ie Shima went to seek their fortunes. LIke Hawaii, Okinawa was taken over by force by the Satsuma Clan. The Okinawan KIngdom were trading partners with China. That's the reason you see those Shi Dog statues on the roof and Turteback tombs on Okinawa. Actually, a major portion of the Japanese who first emigrated to Hawaii were actually of Okinawan descent. To me, the Big Island looked and felt similar to Okinawa especially when I saw the sugarcane fields. I've read that Okinawan genetics are closely related to the Ainu in Northern Japan. My Mother grew up on an island but she couldn't tan and had a slightly reddish hair color (not jet black entirely). Present day Japanese on the mainland are a combination of Yayoi (China & Korea) and Jomon (Ainu) people. I've always told people I'm Half Japanese if they ask. The distinction between Okinawan/Japanese was never that important to me. I have an Aunt, Uncle and cousins that moved from Okinawa to Tokyo a little over 40 years ago. Lived in Japan for 15 years total split between Okinawa 8 years total (moved there 2x) and spent 7 years on mainland Japan (move there 2x). My Dad was career Air Force. I had some memorable times in both places too. We moved back to United States soon after I turned 21.
No, it's like the equivalent to saying are HAWAIIANS American. Yes-no. Definitely annexed like Okinawa 👍. Hawaiians are American citizens, but Hawaiian blood is Hawaiian.
Aloha, Matt. I have an Okinawan mother and native Hawaiian father, and I was born and raised in Hawaii but living in Honshu now. I completely agree that the Ryukyus and Okinawans are their own ethnicity. The problem, as you probably well know, is that the long-time leading party of Japan are a bunch of ultra-right nationalist buffoons who refuse to recognize that Japan is a country built upon Native lands and that it is indeed, a country built not only by Yamato-jin, but by Indigenous peoples, and forcibly relocated peoples, comprised of multiple languages, cultures and customs. You mentioned a bit about Hawai'i, and you seem very open to learning and portraying the reality of what Native peoples, including Ryukyuans and Hawaiians, are subjected to around the world, so I hope that you read this with an open heart and mind (albeit excessively long, sorry!). In Hawai'i, we have a fierce independence movement that has its roots in the 1890s when the Americans performed a military-backed coup de tat, arrested our Queen, and illegally annexed on the Kingdom of Hawai'i. Immediately after annexation, there were riots started by Native Hawaiians. Through cultural assimilation, much of our history was lost, our history of chiefs and islands were quickly replaced with George Washingtons and 13 colonies, our language was banned from use in schools and public institutions, and as a result, our language was deemed "critically endangered". The Kupuna, or elders, refused to teach their children anything about their language or culture due to the forced assimilation policies that they grew up with, and that led to many Natives believing that they were inevitably born as Americans. However, in the 1970s, a "Hawaiian Renaissance" movement started, and the Hawaiian Independence Movement was reborn from its ashes. While there are treaties signed around the world between colonizers and the colonized which signify an official handover of land and possessions to the benefit of the colonizers (i.e. historical treaties between Japan and Korea, Native Americans and Americans, First Nations and Canadians), there is no such treaty that exists between Americans and the Hawaiian people that resulted from the overthrow and annexation. Therefore, for many of us, we believe that we are not a state, nor were we ever legally subjugated to the United States. In fact, in 1993, Pres. Bill Clinton signed an official resolution which formally apologized to the Native Hawaiians for the overthrow, and officially recognized that the sovereignty and nationality of Native Hawaiians were stripped away as a result of the American military-led coup. Also, this history that I've just mentioned was never taught in schools until relatively recently, through efforts of the fierce supporters of this movement. The Hawaiian language ban was lifted in the 80s, but Hawaiian language education only really took off in the 90s, albeit through an incredibly reluctant and low amount of effort on the part of the US government. Nonetheless, we are still a minority on our own land (making up ~10% of the total population), receive the lowest marks on all calculable social scales, and our language is only spoken by nearly 1% of the population. Supporters of the movement believe that we are not American, as the legal proceedings leading to us becoming a territory, then state, was not legal at all, at least by a modern-day standpoint. If any nation in the world did to Hawai'i what Americans did, the United Nations would be erupting, and the US military would be sending their tanks and troops there, assuming there is any oil involved. Of course, some other middle-aged Natives have their reservations (no pun), as they were born and raised brainwashed with the American narrative of the world rather than the Native one. These days, all schools in Hawai'i teach about the illegality of the overthrow, the non-existence of a treaty of annexation, and the dark things that our Kupuna were subjected to during the early days of our occupation. The United Nations also recently deemed Hawai'i's position as a US state to be abnormal and a result of an illegal overthrow and decades of forced assimilation and political subjugation. I highly recommend reading/watching Dr. Haunani Kay-Trask's work. I believe a PDF for "The Color of Violence" is available online. Her speeches and debates are all over TH-cam. She's AMAZING, and recently passed away one week ago (RIP). SO sorry for the long passage I just wrote for you. I really hope you could find the time to even get this notification. In short, we Hawaiians and anyone else born on the islands of Hawai'i, from a modern international law standpoint, are not American. Many Natives are not comfortable with being called "American", and descendants of other immigrants who came during the plantation era have become comfortable with an American identity (however, a huge amount of allies to the movement exist, and support Hawaiian autonomy as well). HAVE AN AWESOME DAY.
And that is what the problem is from my understanding. Not being recognized as a separate country with its own language and culture. I do remember my Mother saying she was forced to speak Japanese and would get punished if caught speaking the native Okinawan language. The unique language has been wiped out surviving in folk songs. The war wounds seem to still be fresh, a dive into history would be a good source for understanding the animosity.
Yes. It makes a lot of sense. I can definitely understand why they would feel animosity towards Japan. Like I said in the video though, I just don't think having different cultures is really something that Japan has had to deal with too much. 🙁
Im ethnic Okinawan. Thank you for talking about the only 900k of us left. I also speak the native language. Most of the japanese really like to visit here because it is different still even though we are a prefecture of Japan. I've never experienced hostility from them ever.. but im not ignorant to the differences. I rather it be Japan rule over us than China. Just saying.
More accurately, they are Ryukyu 琉球 people. Their languages, traditions and culture are totally different from mainland Japanese. They still celebrate the same old new year based on lunisolar calendar. Same new year as Koreans, Chinese and Vietnamese.
I’m a quarter Okinawan and I like to think of myself as a different ethnicity because there’s like three different ethnicities so we’re like the fourth.
The definition of ethnicity seems to exclude one's native language. The language is the main mode of conveying the cultural group to which you identify. Therefore, while your ancestors may be from, say Portugal, if you don't use Portuguese then it will be hard to convey Portuguese culture through the American English prism, surely? Okinawans who don't speak a ryukyuan language may be originally Okinawan, but now they are both Japanese and Okinawan. In any cases the Okinawan culture is primarily of Ryukyuan origin, and Ryukyuan language are part of the Japonic language family, like English is a Germanic language. This doesn't make English-speaking people "German" of course, and likewise, just because ryukyuan languages are termed "Japonic" doesn't make Ryukyuans "Japanese".
My grandparents were Okinawan, most people think I am Philipino or Mexican. When I tell people I am okinawan, they think i am lying, so I took a DNA test, just to make sure.. My results , 100 % Japanese .. I think people just don’t understand, Okinawans are shorter, darker. Lol
My Kume Jima wife is Okinawa. Of course, now she is a Naturalized American citizen. However, as you explained, Japan's government classified all as Japanese. I arrived on Kume Jima in 1966 and all her family never considered themselves as Japanese. And, they spoke the Okinawan Hogen Language. Okinawan dialect (沖縄方言, ) More and more after Reversion in 1972, mainlanders from Japan moved to Okinawa for business, etc. and many intermarried. Thus, their children became official Japanese. Japan is crafty over the dying out of Okinawan culture as the old folks closer to 100 years old die way. Eventually in another generation everyone will be assimilated into Japanese culture and Okinawans will be no more. Many Okinawans have ethnic blood lines mixed from the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Miyako, Ishigaki, Yaeyamas, Iriomote, and other nearby islands. Example is Tamlyn Naomi Tomita (Karete Kid II actress); she was born on Okinawa but her mother is mixed, Okinawan and Philippine. Her father is American former G.I. Tamlyn is an American citizen through her father. So, being Okinawan will die away in a generation or two when the older people die and leaving the younger people to fully identify with being Japanese.
Okinawan people have some Ainu blood too, same ancestors. I think Jomon people. Japan forced Okinawans to take their language out of schools, and they were forbidden to speak it. Solders threaten death if they heard them speaking. They treated the natives as 3rd class citizens. Nearly half of Okinawa's pop. died during the Battle of Okinawa that they were forced to fight in. Yes, I know, many innocent people from the mainland and every nation involved lost many lives. Japan made their peace. ...However, Okinawa is still Japan's scrafical lamb. Mainland Japan has forced the major occupation of the American military on our little island when, really, mainland Japan should carry that burden, not Okinawa, sorry. Worldwide, indigenous people are on the bottom. We have to fight to preserve our history and become educated. With all the interest in Okinawa's history and beaches the mainland people are slowly taking over the island too... But I don't want to belittle the suffering of any indigenous groups in Japan, they all suffered. Like every indigenous group left in the world, it's up to the few to keep the history, language, and cultural alive. Interesting, if you are Okinawan and take a blood test your blood will link directly to Okinawa💕, not mainland. Mine did. (I'm half, grew up there). Youtuder, sorry missed name, you are right, Okinawan is our ethnicity. 🤗Thank you for starting the conversation. Side note: Although I forgive mainland Japan, the politicians have to make Okinawa whole. Give the heart back, more of the land back to the people.
Japan isn't really that homogenous. The real numbers aren't known because like you said, Japan refuses to do ethnic surveys. Many of those 98% are not ethnically Japanese.
Okinawan American woman here. No we don't considered ourselves Japanese but are governed by Japan. We are our own indigenous ppl. Japanese government have given protection against discrimination for the Ainu ppl but not recognized Okinawan as indigenous ppl. Even after the battle of Okinawa, the US government made an agreement treaty to relocate Okinawan farmers bcz there was so much destruction in the agricultural land. Many Okinawan farmers were placed in areas closest to their climates ie Hawaii, Brazil,Mexico. Okinawan ppl who relocated to Hawaii and took over land that was destroyed by Pearl Habor are now very wealthy. My family stayed back in Okinawa and rented their property to the US government for the Kadena AFB until the base relocated and the Japanese government rents the land for their Japanese Navy base. My family are elected officials and if you're seriously interested in Okinawa and Japanese issues,disputes,etc you're welcome to ask me or my Okinawan family members.
My great-grandmother was Japanese from a well to do family in Tokyo (She was a physician) and her husband was an Okinawan from a farming family. We do not consider them both Japanese. The Japanese treated Okinawans so terribly. They both had to run away to get married because her family wouldn't allow her to marry a mere Okinawan.
My moms grandpa is Japanese Okinawan. Im a 5-6th generation in America. My family has always said we are Japanese depsite us originating from Okinawa. Ive always said im jappense too since im mixed and alot of people dont know about Okinawa where I live. I always thought of Okinawa has Japanese but due to its distance from mainland Japan was more influenced by other cultures. When I was younger I thought people in japan where inly Japanese if that makes sense. How I see us from a 5-6th generation in America, is Japanese but different like how the Ainu people are from what people traditionaly think of Japan. I hope I can learn Japanese and visit Okinawa to beter reconnect with it!
Sorry for the late post. I am a typical Japan person. There is a lie in the comments here that cannot be overlooked. Yamato, Ainu, and Okinawans are ancient Jomon people with the same Jomon genes (haplogroup D). (By the way, Chinese and Koreans do not have the Haplogroup D gene.) Since ancient times, genetically and linguistically, the Uchinanchu (Okinawan people) are the same Japan people as the Yamatonchu (Yamato people). Of course, I am well aware that the people of Okinawa have a unique culture that is different from Yamato. I love beautiful Okinawa, which retains such a culture. The people of the world must not be deceived by China's efforts to divide Japan and Okinawa. Don't forget that China are targeting Okinawa.
The Ryukyuan people of Okinawa were invaded by Japan in 1609. The Ryukyuans fought like hell but were defeated. The Ryukyuan people were always treated badly by the Japanese. This is why the Ryukyuan people didn't want Japan to regain control of Okinawa on April 15, 1972,, There were RIOTS for months before the 1972 revision...
I like to be called half Okinawa, I told this lady at work, I'm half Okinawan , and she says, I'm from Okinawa too in naha I told her I was in nishihara Cho my obadsn lived...she's works at the airport too...she thought í looked like Japanese, in my eyes I hàve brown eyes. And ligh skin well be safe guys....alittle history today,. My mom is from old Okinawa dialect talking. She lived in henza, kits favorite place
Yes I found from Okinawa n, at work she's from naha, I told her I'm from nishihara Cho, bye nishihara high school, I didn't get to highschool I went threw 6 grade...well be safe byéeeee
As an Osakan, Okinawans are more Japanese belonging to Tokyoites or the Tokyo regime. The biggest group, the minority in Japan that doesn't belong to the Tokyo regime is the Yamato Osaka-Kyoto region. We speak a different language with a different accent. Because Yamato is the ancient regime of Japan, Okinawans misunderstand it and the Tokyo regime is not Yamato, it's anti-Yamato powers of the Satsuma and Choshu regime. Okinawa had been belonging to Satsuma for centuries therefore they sound more Japanese than any Yamato people.
Ahh understandable. The present Japan is based on Tokugawa, not even based on the original one, the Kinki Court. It is only natural that the people of Kyushu and Kansai are very friendly compared to the people of Tokyo.
Going to Okinawa, and interacting with Okinawan people, if you remove the japanese language, you'd mistaken yourself of being in Taiwan. Hokkaido is similar to a lesser extent. Genetically, Okinawan people is more similar to Native Taiwanese people than mainland japan, likewise native Hokkadio people (Ainu) is also more genetically similar ot Native Taiwanese people than the main land Japanese ("Yamato Japanese", as scientists call it). No doubt it's part of the modern country of Japan, but it's still a minor culture shock going from Kyoto to Okinawa.
From an aussie perspective who never have visited Japan and after spending 10 days in Okinawah and 3 days in Japan i saw a very different culture...all the people i meet in okinawah liked to be identified as Okinawain and so should they after the past they had to endure....either way Japan was a wo derful experience but the two places were like chalk and cheese...Arigatoe xx
As a native Okinawan, I'd say your explanation is what exactly how many Okinawan people feel. Like you mentioned, some Okinawan get offended by mainlanders and other people's definitions of Okinawa, but some Okinawan have a complete opposite perspective.. so yes it is kind of confusing but we Okinawan understand each other. I really appreciated your narrative and explanation to people out there who are interested in the topic "are Okinawan Japanese?'' One thing to leave is that most of us are really layback people and welcome others. So just enjoy the island, please please do not leave trash on the beach(yes, this becomes HUGE problems there. although some locals are guilty of it when they don't clean after themselves) Anyhow, I really appreciated this video and you all have a wonderful day(: Thanks Muteki Matt!
The native or original owners of the Island are not Japanese. Japan invaded the island and claimed it to be Part of Japan. I forgot the name of these Island natives who were more China friendly. China could not help when Japan invaded the island because China was too weak then. (I hope someone could help to name the native owners of the island. They have no link with the Japanese)
Ryukyuan (Okinawan) & Ainu people have more Jomon DNA. The modern Yamato Japanese people have more Yayoi DNA. Proto-Japonic language was even derived from Korean Peninsula. If you want to say who’s more “Japanese”, the indigenous peoples in Japan should have more right to say they are the representatives of Japan rather than all those coloniser majority. East Asian society is utterly disgusting. There is no hope for diversity, equality and freedom. All the minorities will be eventually devoured into “one”. While Ryukyu independence doesn’t seem to be possible, what I can do is always recognising that Ryukyuan/Okinawan are not Yamato Japanese. They are the Indigenous there and they have their own languages.
Very well explained. We always identify ourselves as Okinawan whenever people ask. We are proud of our ethnicity. When I was born (I'm from Chatan-son), Okinawa was not part of Japan. It was a U.S. territory since after WW2. My mom (she's from Ginowan) was very involved in the Uchinanchu club here in the U.S. and we love going to the festivals. Anyway, mom being a WW2 survivor always drilled it in our heads that we are Okinawan and not Japanese.
The festivals are really fun with the taiko drums and Eisa Dancers. 😆
You are inspired me to proud of my ethnicty and culture... I will use my native language on everyday life than the national language and the culture too..
Wow. Thanks for information
Your mother has born and raised during the US occupation period and that's not the real history of Okinawa it's the suffering, humiliating period of Okinawa. Your mother is educated in the US criteria trying to separate Okinawa from Japan. Okinawans get angry is you say they are not the Japanese.
@@Funica11 my mother was born in 1936. It was not occupied by the U.S. at that time.
I am Ainu, Okinawan and Japanese, and all three have very different cultures and languages and beliefs so I always say I’m all three
Nice. 😆
HI FRIENDSHIPS 🐷🇯🇵
There aren’t a lot of Ainu’s, huh?
@@kaleimaileThere are, but most of them don’t tell they are Ainu, because many will face discrimination.
@@imprisonedone8054 , that bites!
My wife was born in the castle town of Shuri. She is ethnically Okinawan. She is often confused to be Philipino. However she speaks Japanese and some Okinawan. She seems content to be a Japanese national but embraces both Okinawan and Japanese cultures, much the way Ghandi embraced so many religions. To me the cultures are quite different but there is overlap with regard to morals. There is little crime in Okinawa except for that which is imported.
You spelled "filipino" wrong but it's okay
@@kalvon thanks, I should know better. I worked with many a nurse who came from Manila. One "L" right?
My wife of 30 years was born in Yonabaru. I was stationed in Okinawa for 5 years and I met her during that time. Your description of the way your wife is both Japanese and Okinawan is exactly the same as my wife. Her embrace is a little less vigorous after 28 years in the states, but the description is still valid.
Err...embrace of Okinawan and Japanese cultures. Her Embrace is still just fine.
@@kalvon no, you did.
Okinawans are Okinawans the only reason that they're "japanese" is because they're govern by Japan. The culture, language, religion and Race are different and Okinawa was historically its own kingdom
Yes. Thank you..not many westerners know we are different. I'm one of less than a million left. We aren't going to be around for maybe 100 more years if we're lucky.
@@orneryokinawan4529
I’m proud of you 👍
Please preserve and protect your ethnicity
It’s like the relationship between Italy and Sicily.
Even though people from Okinawa have had their own independent Kingdom compare to Sicilians who had been under foreign rule for most of their history
@James Furey well obviously Ireland should be one nation but considering that the Ulster Scots- Irish would definitely rise up and start with Civil War if Ireland was unified right now I don't see Irish unification anytime soon or in my lifetime hopefully one day. but as for Palestine I don't have an opinion on it of considering it will start a debate I don't want to get into.
More like the relationship between Italy and Sardinia. Why?
1) linguistic reasons: if we compare Sardinian and Sicilian languages, Sicilian is a lot closer to standard Italian than Sardinian is.
2) Geography: useless to say, but Sicily is a lot closer to Italic peninsula in comparison with Sardinia
3) culture: I don’t know too much about Sardinian culture, but I know enough to say that Sardinian culture share a bit less with Italy if we compare to Sicilian culture. That’s probably because of the vicinity to the peninsula.
A better example could be Venetia and Italy
Russia and Ukraine and Belarus too. Same people.
During the early discussions about the reversion of Okinawa to Japan about 1970, I asked my coworker who was Okinawan-American what the Okinawan people thought about the Japanese eventual takeover. She pointed out that most of the ones she knew did not want any part of Japan at all. She added that as far as she could tell the Japanese people (from the mainland) thought of the Okinawan people "as those short dark people from the south with spicy food". I'll never forget her words.
That's interesting. Some else who commented was saying that too.
@@MutekiMatt My experience in the late 60's was about 50/50. A lot of Okinawans owned land that before the end of the war was Japanese owned and they were afraid that they were going to lose their land when the revision came. Almost all of the bar girls were looking for a ticket to the US and wanted no part of the revision. I had one girl who was honest with me. She said that she wanted me to marry her so she could leave Okinawa. She said she would be loyal to me and not run away. lol Good luck with that one. It was basically a business arrangement that I wanted no part of. I know a few GI's who brought Korean girls back and when they came home from work one day they were gone, never to be seen again. Then again I also know many who have stayed married all these years.
@@Oxmix66 It was still this way in the mid 90s. I will say unlike most of Japan they have separate Japanese language dialect. Though most mainlanders learn it. The big difference is the range of Kanji they use is reduced vs mainland they use approximately 3000 characters vs 4000 to 6000 characters,
I have always been raised to be proudly Okinawan....(shrug) ...that's it...everybody else.... think however, or whatever? makes you feel comfortable
The Japanese “takeover” didn’t occur with the 1972 Reversion. Japan imposed itself upon the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1609 and controlled the Ryukyuan economy, polity and society thereafter. Japan then took possession of the entire Ryukyu Kingdom in 1872 but then formalized it by making it a prefecture in 1879. The U.S. held “Ryukyu Islands” following the war but Japan retained residual sovereignty throughout the 27 years of American occupation.
Appreciate your sensitivity here. I think answers are also given differently in different situations. I will always claim to be Okinawan American to those who care enough to want to know me. Then the history lesson starts.
Nationality can change who rules us but it doesn’t change who we are, if we choose to be true to our culture.
Thank you. I completely agree. Regarding the different situations, some else in the Facebook comments, who was Okinawan, was saying he which ever one benefits him at that time. If Japan is doing something dumb he's Okinawan, but if he needs something from Japan he's Japanese.
I realize that's not what you meant, but I just wanted to bring it up because I thought it was kind of funny. 😂
Okinawans are originally, anthropologically Japanese since ancient.
Okinawans are glad the Meiji Tokyo regime liberated Okinawa from the arrogant feudal lord of the Ryukyu Kingdom that HAD BEEN EXPLOITING Okinawans. Also, the nasty humiliated days occupied by the US. Who wants to return to those nasty days? NO ONE. Stop spreading terrorist propaganda to destroy Okinawa and Japan. Okinawans brag about Ryukyu just like those from Kanazawa are bragging about its one million Goku country, or those from the rest of the 300 clans brag about their countries when they get drunk at parties, that's all. Okinawans are angry BECAUSE the Japanese government is just a dog of the US, they don't remove the US bases from Okinawa. Stop spreading wrong information about Okinawa. Face the reality and the truth of Okinawa today.
Hi Matt! I've never seen your videos before, but this one was recommended to me. I'm ethnically half Okinawan, half Japanese, born and raised in Hawaii. I think you explained the differences very well. :) This video would have been very useful for me back when I first started wondering about the differences. There's a huge Okinawan diaspora, so there's a lot of Okinawans in Hawaii and Brazil. But, with my family, I wasn't exposed to Okinawan culture growing up. (I'm 4th generation, so it was my great-grand parents from my mother's side that came to Hawaii from Okinawa.) So now I'm exploring what it means, at least to me, to be Okinawan. I've never been to Okinawa, so I hope to visit my ancestors' homeland someday.
There's a lot of great resources in English if you would like to learn more about Okinawan history, such as "Okinawa: The History of an Island People" by George Kerr and Mitsugu Sakihara. There's even a Okinawan-English Wordbook if you're interested in the language. ^-^
Thanks, Bree! Glad you liked the video. The culture has been interesting, especially since living here. It's an amazing place. Hope you can come check it out soon. 😆
@chiburu625 That's interesting to hear, and also a little sad if he did drink himself to death. I haven't gotten the chance to thoroughly read through both Sakihara and Smits' work yet. But thank you for sharing your comment. I'll keep that in mind when I read their works.
Also, kind of an update to my original comment... I recently did a 23andme DNA test, and while they don't distinguish Okinawan ethnically from Japanese (It said I'm 100% Japanese), when broken down by prefectures, it showed that my ancestors mostly came from Okinawa. There was only a little evidence that my ancestors came from prefectures like Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Kagoshima, Tokyo, and Kumamoto. So, there's a possibility that I am more than half ethnically Okinawan. This made me theorize that perhaps my paternal ancestors migrated from Okinawa, and settled in mainland Japan. And perhaps that is why they identified as Japanese.
Also, if anyone's interested, there's an article called "Okinawa Migrants to Hawaii" written by Y. Scott Matsumoto. He talks about some of the discriminations early Okinawan immigrants faced from Japanese immigrants in Hawaii.
Bree N - Since you've never been to Okinawa, I suggest you contact N&K Travel, on Kapahulu , about going to Okinawa during for the Taikai. The Takiai takes place every five years and this year should be a Taikai year. Because of the pandemic, I don't know if it's happening or not.
If you want more info about Okinawa and its history, look up Rob Kajiwara. He has a TH-cam channel that is very educational.
You need to come to the Uchinanchu Taikai. I went in 2016 and it was AWESOME! I am half Okinawan and half Japanese, too. I was born & raised in CA, but my parents were born/raised in HI. I also danced the hula. Where in HI are you from?
1. Yamato 2. Ainu 3. Ryukyuan aka. Uchinanchu
From my understanding, three ethnic groups exist within what is the contemporary Japanese state.
Wrong. Real hierarchy is,
1 Tokyo, Kanto
2 Tokai, Tohoku, Hokkaido, Okinawa, Kyushu
3 Yamato (Osaka, Kyoto), Shikoku
My dad is Okinawan but was adopted by white Americans, so as I am trying to learn more about my Okinawan heritage I get very confused! And BTW my dad very strongly believes he is NOT Japanese lol. He says he is Okinawan when people ask.
mine too, his mother was born and raised in okinawa. but i dont know them very well because i was raised by my grandma on my moms side, and ive only seen a parents a couple of times, and only met my grandma 1 time. ive always grown up confused about myself and my heritage because i dont really look japanese at all, no epicanthic fold. people have asked me my ethnicity before and accused me of lying about my dad being japanese which highly offended me, and i avoid at all costs talking about this subject because its highly sensitive for me and i do not think people realize.
i knew nothing about okinawa but everything makes so much more sense now. and it makes me sad it is so hard to find information on the ryukyuan people.
so you are not alone, and it is very reassuring to know that i am not alone either.
That’s what I say. I am 1/2 Okinawan and 1/2 Japanese. Lol!
America attacked Okinawa to kidnap children.
I'm half Okinawan. My mom was native Okinawan. Yet, I was born and raised American and have never been to Okinawa. I consider Okinawa my ancestry and heart of my origin. My relatives still live there.
I will be speaking from my westerner experience of this topic on how it seems to me, as an Okinawan American. By the way, I think you presented this video very well.
As an Okinawan American, I have had to deal with this a number of times here in the states.
When I introduce myself to people here that are either Okinawan or Japanese.
In my heart and blood, I am Okinawan and that's my claim. (Arakaki). Yet, here in the states most people know of Japan and sometimes unaware of Okinawa?
(being it's a very small island). I found it easier to just tell people that generally, I was Japanese which avoided the confusion with the said, American people. I found the individuals who did not know of Okinawa were more so of the younger generation vs. the older folks many of them know of the island of Okinawa.
So when it became an issue was when I was dealing with Okinawan's or Japanese people here in the states.
It feels and seems pretty like how you explain it. I feel a discriminating type of feeling from the particular Japanese individuals here in America, when I claimed that my mother was from Japan? Okinawa, Japan? But I had a few Japanese react a bit harsh telling me "your not Japanese!" "Okinawan's are not Japanese!" It feels discriminating, defensive, and just plain unkind with a superior-like vibe to it?
At the moment, it is very hurtful. I start off with trying to connect with these Japanese individuals based on our a sense of similarity, only to walk away feeling shot down to nothing and rejected??? It really is a shame when this occurs. Because I feel a sense of both Okinawan and Japanese in me and try to embrace both. But mainly Okinawan and am aware of its own dialect, which seems to me Japanese language mainly, but with added specific of Okinawan dialect. Okinawan's here, understand both dialects. Yet most Japanese here, often do not understand Okinawan words?
When I get a sense of offensiveness from the Okinawan's here? It's more like in an "honor your people,
and your ancestry" type of way? With an added tinge of "lest we not forget our past history" type of way?
Anyways, I can understand the reasoning behind this and like you say it would be nice if this didn't feel so belittling as an Okinawan's vs. Japanese. Because Okinawan's do not have a history of disrespecting the Japanese in any way. Yet, given the history, Okinawan's I feel, have more legit reasoning as towards the animosity. But, that's history, and we must move forward.
People are people. All are equal and unique. Different races and cultures add to the spice of life!!! That's a positive thing and for that I am grateful. I have some of the nicest relations with some Japanese people here in American. I have always appreciated certain things about their culture. Because it seems to be very respectful in general and overall. It seems to avoid a haughty type of pride. I guess that's why it seems so harsh, when I am confronted with these certain individuals.
OMG! This is so long, sorry. I'm beat.
I hope it makes sense.
Love it! Thank you for sharing. I understand what you're saying. In a way, I do feel like Japanese are sort of living in the past when it comes to discrimination against certain races. Like you said, the majority of the time they are very respectful and curious more than anything, but some still act like how America treated people who were from the south like 50 to 100 years ago. They were looked down upon. Like you said though, the younger generations don't care too much, and don't even really know about Okinawa, plus I guess it's to be expected since Japan's population is 99% actual Japanese. I would probably say the same thing you do though if I was Okinawan. I'd just say I was Japanese, just to save me from explaining myself. 🤣
You must write this comment for 10-20 mins right ?
😂
@@kalvon yeah😁
I knew a Nancy Arakaki! 😁
Living on the island twice I think brought a better appreciation of the culture and people to my mom. Like stated before, she came from a prestigious lineage and just accepted and parroted what she was told. Her attitude and heart softened after living there and establishing friendships. She always wanted to go back to visit. Sadly the attitude and treatment from Japanese to Okinawans have not changed entirely, but is better.
You need to go!! You won’t want to come back I guarantee it! Be very very proud of your Okinawan roots!
沖縄生まれの琉球民族です。
歴史的にたくさん悲しい事がありましたが、私は沖縄が日本に帰属してよかったと思っています。
先住民の土地を奪って出来たアメリカの方々が私たちに同情するのは皮肉なものですね笑
少なくともアメリカ軍に統治されて、表現の自由や政治権が侵害された最悪の時代よりは、今の方が健全な社会ですし幸せです。
とはいえ、まだまだ改善の余地はあると思うので、そこは我々の世代で変えていきたいですね。
あと、沖縄の基地に関しては中国の台湾侵攻などのリスクやその他諸々あるので、普通に現状のままでいいです。
文句を言うなら日本政府やアメリカ政府ではなく、沖縄の領海にミサイルをうっている中国に言うべきです
Propaganda from the western media
我真替你感到耻辱面对那些屠杀你先祖的人你却高兴的和他们生活
Great! Thanks a lot for this video focusing on a very exciting question. My father was born in Okinawa and emigrated to Brazil (I was born in Brazil and emigrated to Germany). My perception is that the Okinawan community in Brazil does not see itself as part of the big Japanese community, due to its own different language and tradition.
Your country is so beautiful! Brazilian Portuguese is also very pleasant to listen to.
@@emilyleavitt5276 Thank you so much!
That’s neat to know! I have Okinawan family in Brazil that I know of, but that I don’t know. Long story, but my Okinawan great grandmother had a husband that moved to Brazil for work. He took the children with him, but my great grandmother had to stay behind until she could get a ticket to go as well, or until he could return. I don’t know which one. Anyhow, she was informed that her husband had married a Brazilian woman. As far as I understand, my great grandmother had no laws on her side regarding her children. She never saw them again until she was quite old. She did remarry (which was rare) another Okinawan (my great grandfather).
When her children that were living in Brazil (all grown up) came back to see her, they no longer spoke the language well. They spoke the Brazillian language. But as my mother told me, my great grandmother went a little crazy feeling their faces like she was dreaming or something. Someone had to smack her face to snap her out of it. She couldn’t believe she would ever see them again I guess. So, that’s how we have family living in Brazil today.
My mother married an American soldier (my dad). So I am an American. My dad did what he could to make sure they stayed near my moms family. So he tried to get stationed there a lot. All in all we got stationed in mainland Japan for about 3 years where he would always volunteer to take jobs in Oki, so my mom got to see family often. Then he got stationed in Oki for 6 years, so I got to be raised around my Okinawan family (great grandparents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, cousins, etc).
Lots of Okinawans immigrated to South America for some reason. I'm Okinawan and sometimes get mistaken as Hispanic, so maybe we were just able to blend in easier.
Wikipedia writes:
QUOTE """Recent genetic and anthropological studies indicate that the Ryukyuans are significantly related to the Yamato people (mainland Japanese) but have also a relatively closer relation to the Ainu people, compared with the Yamato people. This is possibly explained with partially shared ancestry of the population during the Jōmon period (pre 10,000 BCE - 1,000 BCE) and with the population of the Yayoi period (1,000 BCE - 300 CE) - these peoples migrated from other parts of East Asia (specifically China and the Korean peninsula).[11]"""UNQUOTE
So, while Okinawan culture appear to be quite distinct - the language also beign a factor -, the race/ethnicity thing appear to be more open to interpretation.
One thing most people omit, when talking about Japan and the Japanese in general, is that, yes, they are very homogenous, but they only began to actually be homogenous after the fourth century A.D. which is quite a long time for culture but very short a time for biology.
Therefore the actual question appears to be "does a Japanes ethnicity/race even exist?
And to make things even more sensitive, one could also add "are the Japanese closer to Koreans, seeing as they share an ancestry or were the austronesian and Jomon influences enough to give their ethnicity big enough a twist?"
One could conclude by saying that yes, the mainland Japanese appear to be very homogenous.
BUT, during their history, the various areas of Japan were quite isolated from each other. This contributed significantly not only to the staggering number of very distinctive spoken varieties that may be unintelligible to speakers of the standard language, but also to the growth of different customs and mores. These differences are still visible to this day, especially if you travel outside Tokyo.
ethnicity isnt defined by genetics. ALl people in asia are going to share genetics and the closer they are geographically, they more related they will be. Koreans and Japanese share wquite a lot genetically as well, but are different ethnicities. WHat determines ethnicity is not only genetics, but also geography, and most importantly, language, religion and history. The Ruuchuu have a different and distinct history, language, religion, geographical region and yes, still, genetics (however related, still distinct) to the yamato japanese. Most importantly, they can identify themselves as okinawan. SO they are a distinct ethnicity so long as they choose to recognise that they are. The moment they chose to erase it, then Meiji era Japan wins, and the policy of cultural genocide/assimilation against the Ruuchuuan people would have been successful. It isnt my place to say, but I do hope that the people of Okinawa NEVER give up their unique identity and work hard to continue restoring it.
Here's one to throw you in for a loop. On the mainland, I am Japanese, in Hawai'i I am Okinawan (Ryukuan).
I'm always Okinawan...in CT., CO.,ID. CA. FL...
Love the video.
My great 'nmee was from Hamahiga island, Higa village in Okinawa.
She spoke Japanese and Okinawan.
When telling people, I now say exclusively that I'm Okinawan-American, because that is my ethnicity.
When my family came to America, they were "Japanese" citizens.
But I feel what I learned of Japan and what I learned about Okinawa..
I feel preserving the unique identity of Okinawans and their heritage is far more important and thus, Okinawan or Uchinaanchu in the Uchinaaguchi(Okinawan language) is the way to go.
My family on my fathers side is also from that island. We are related to the Higas....My Grandmothers maiden name was Toyama. My mom was born and raised in Okinawa her last name before the war was Sedikaku (sp)...after the war it was changed to Machida. I was born in Okinawa also but as an American military brat....dad was stationed there ....
@@darrellgribbin1401 There is a joke I heard, that if you aren't related to a Higa, you're not Okinawan 😅 Not sure how true that is...but man, I think it is more common than the name Miyagi, which my great tanmee was.
I heard my grandmother who grew up in Okinawa say that our family is related to a Higa. 😆
@@theancientandreios7417 They're everywhere(Higa's). Fiija is the Original Okinawan way of saying it, I do believe.
I was on Okinawa 50 years ago. The Okinawans then hated the Japanese. They blamed them for bringing the war to them. There were at least 3 times when Okinawans tore down Japanese flags at different schools. Most of those that lived through the war are gone now and 2-3 generations later I guess that feeling is fading. I loved Okinawa and the people. They were very friendly and I had several friends that I wrote to for many years. Sadly, some have died and I lost touch with the others. But that's what happens when you live a long time.
That must have been really interesting to see. Maybe people have told me that Okinawa was a completely different place then. Of course, everything changes over time, but Okinawa specifically has probably seen more change then most places because of the war and change of ownership. Really interesting...
Anyone would be pissed if they went through genocide, war, forced to give up its language and culture and then ended up as a colony with military bases…
I learned Japanese and traveled to Okinawa during the mid 90s. I learned Japanese in Okinawa Dialect as my Sensei was from Okinawa. It to her was to her family an insult to be called Japanese. It is more a culture and traditional stance.
Nicely done! You truly gave honor to those who choose to remain Okinawans but also honored those who choose to be called Japanese.
The information you provided regarding nationality, ethnicity and stateless was very clear.
Loved it.
Thank you Cat! I know it can be a sensitive topic, so I really tried to keep everything factually rather than opinion. The reason I made the video is that I saw someone that was Okinawan make one but it was completely bias because he didn't want to be Japanese and everyone in the comments was arguing with him, even other Okinawan's. I do have a feeling some people wouldn't like me talking about it since I'm neither Japanese nor Okinawan, but in a way I think that's better because I have no bias of wanting to be one over the other. Anyway, thank you. I was a bit worried about releasing this one. 😊
@@MutekiMatt yeah I guess Okinawa s is japenese, but they have elderly people still old ways of talking Okinawa too they don't speak japenese,my mom is from older days, but she can speak japenese too...but I was born in Japan.
@@MutekiMatt , I argued with another Okinawan about this subject. I told her we were different. She said that we were the same as Japanese. 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
I came to love Okinawa while stationed there ('71-'72)
My great grandpa born okinawan-japanese but it's a very sad story. His grandpa offered them with his siblings to move here in the mainland just to abandon their parents but because he loves his parents so much he stayed with them and used his mothers Okinawan name instead of his father.
Okinawan/Ryukyu Peoples are culturally differ from Mainland Japan. Ironic that you mentioned Hawai'i and Okinawa, as both have grassroots movements to become their own sovereign states/countries! Nice video, thanks for posting!
Thank you. 😊
Hawaii is a very good parallel for Okinawa. In fact, one Japanese spin-off of Lilo and Stitch took place on a fictional Ryukyu Island off of Okinawa. In other words, they basically localized Hawaii by turning it into Okinawa.
I absolutely do not think Okinawans are Japanese
Either way, I'm Okinawan, and Japanese . Proud to be both , this is who I am as a good person wants to live my life best as I can . Thank you so much.
What do you think about the Japan capture Okinawa and colonial policy since Japan had never admitted the crime they committed in WW2. As far as I know, they even eradicate this history from their education system.
Basing on the Cairo Declaration, Okinawan has never been a part of Japan legally. So Okinawa should be an independent country.
It was annexed by Japan in 1604 ! And Okinawans are Japanese since genetically they are related to the people from Kyushu !!
I observed in this comment section that people who feel they are Okinawans and not Japanese are the half-Okinawans who most likely grew up somewhere else outside Okinawa and might not even set foot in Okinawa. Why not try to ask Okinawans who live in Okinawa?
I know Okinawan people that already embraced being Japanese and Okinawan at the same time.
Seems to be a more generational items. As most kids these days still respect the parents and the parents culture in Japan/Okinawa. This makes new things very slow to change.
Noob, you maybe right.
This generation of Okinawans in Okinawa may want to be a part of Japan.
Hell, when your native language is mostly erased and your educational institutions are mostly taught in Japanese, under thr influence of the Japanese way of things, that is bound to happen.
Yes, it is also natural that many of us in other countries see it differently.
We come from families that left Okinawa, due to poverty made worse by the Japanese government policies enforced on the islands.
We have the memories passed down from our elders, of how Yomitan treated Okinawans, not just in Japan/Okinawa, but here in the countries we grew up in.
Some of us heard the stories from nisei uchinaanchu in the M.I.S., about Japanese soldiers killing Okinawans in the battle of Okinawa and how they convinced Okinawans to commit suicide.
We've heard the very worst of it.
I mean, yeah, probably, I'm half Okinawan that doesn't live in Japan, but due to mainland influence and the Japanese community around me, I do like to think of my identity as partially japanese/okinawan, even my grandmother has this mix of traditional mainland japanese and okinawan culture since she grew in a japanese community, and people from all prefectures would live together.
That is what we call Conalisim :)
First: Organizing a Ryukyu Independent Organization.
Second: Save Ryukyu culture action. Save Ryukyu characters, languages, costumes, songs and dances, etc.
Third: Supervisors should meet regularly to discuss how to achieve Ryukyu independence.
Based
An autosomal DNA analysis from Okinawan samples concluded that they are most closely related to other Japanese and East Asian contemporary populations, sharing on average 80% admixture with mainland Japanese and 19% admixture with Chinese population, and that have isolate characteristics. Okinawans have Chinese blood in them...
According to recent research, Ryukyuan inherited 36% of Jomon genes, and Yamato inherited 17% of Jomon genes.
Kyushu in southern Japan is also 36%/37% Jomon !
I am of Okinawan descent. Not only politically, or geographically, but Okinawans are different from Japanese ethnically. They have their own history, their language is different, they have Chinese, Southeast Asian, a small percentage of japanese, and white DNA. They are physically different from the Japanese (type of hair, skin, face).
It is true that people from Fujian Province lived in Okinawa.
However, according to an article in the Okinawa Times, it is clearly stated that the ancestry of Okinawans is of Japanese origin in DNA, different from that of China and Taiwan.
As for physical characteristics, the Japanese Kyushu people are said to have the same characteristics.
TRUE ! On my visit to Kyushu I noticed a lot Japanese who had bigger 👀 eyes then your average they also had non shovel teeth which is the norm in most of Asia !!
Thank you for sharing your view on the Japanese/Okinawan issue. I am an Okinawan American. Both my mother, now 96, and father were born and raised in Hawaii and later sent to Okinawa for schooling. On the point of ethnicity, I will never say that I'm Japanese and have corrected/educated people when the topic comes up. My mother drilled into me that I'm Okinawan, not Japanese. She also told me about the prejudice she encountered from the Japanese. And that happened even in Hawaii. The Okinawans were looked down upon by the Japanese in Japan and Hawaii.
My mother was stuck in Okinawa when WWII started while raising her younger siblings. The stories she told me about the Japanese soldiers never really sunk in until I visited the Himeyuri Peace Museum in 2006. Those soldiers were evil. They forced the female students to be their nurses and other things. They also forced the students to 'commit suicide' when the Americans started to encroach further and further inland. My mom was lucky because she was allowed to go home everyday and take care of her siblings. If you get the chance, please visit the Himeyuri Peace Museum, it will give you much more info about what happened to the female students.
Oh, wow! I haven't been to that museum yet, but there is one a peace prayer park which was really nice that we went to with my wife's grandpa. It was interesting because as we were walking around he was telling us about his experiences during that war.
@@MutekiMatt I went to the Peace Memorial Park twice, once in 2006 and again in 2016. Both times were on tours during the Taikai. I hope you were able to see the butterflies at the building just across the road from the main park building. My daughter, 12 y.o. at the time really loved that part with the butterflies landing on her.
@@score2high It's been a while, but I think I've been there.
My ex wife’s grandmother, Kyoko Oba-Chan, told me stories about some of her experiences during the war. Her stories matched what you said. The Japanese soldiers were not nice at all! They weren’t allowed to speak Hogan, the Okinawan native language, because the Japanese soldiers labeled them as spies if they did. They were told that the approaching American soldiers were cannibals and were coming to eat them and perform other atrocious acts that were just not true. They were forced to fight and support the Japanese soldiers and were also pushed to commit suicide prior to the Americans arrival. Sometimes entire families would follow through with the forced suicide. Hence the numerous areas on the coast line that have the nickname of “suicide cliffs”. So very sad!
Thank the Lord Kyoko Oba-Chan and so many others made it through. She was a beautiful, happy, loving and caring person with an amazing spirit. I consider myself lucky to have known her and have her in my life. I miss her very much.
During the 10 years I lived in Okinawa I found that most Okinawan people fit that same description. They are a respectful, caring, happy, family oriented culture of peoples. I will forever cherish the memories of the time that I was privileged to live on Okinawa. I hope to return to live there again someday.
I am a Brazilian Okinawan with German citizenship. I had the opportunity to visit the Himeyuri Peace Museum when I went to Okinawa for the first time in 1988.
Okinawa has a different history, culture and language from Japan.
Okinawa was an independent country with its own king. It was influenced heavily by China and is reflected in its food. It was also a tributary state to China. UNESCO recognizes 6 languages in Okinawa prefecture that are endangered. Linguist recognize that the languages spoken in the Ryukyu islands are not a dialect of Japanese. Genetically the Okinawans have a different haplogroup mix than mainland Japan. The music and dance is also different. There are so many differences.
The US military base issue also adds feelings that there is a distinction between Japan and Okinawa. The Japanese government has not supported Okinawans in the reduction of US military bases in Okinawa even though Okinawa is just 0.6% of the area of all of Japan but has 75% of the US military bases in Japan. US military bases occupy 20% of the land area of Okinawa. Japan has always sided with the US and not with Okinawa on this issue.
But yes, Okinawans are Japanese citizens.
Plus the Japanese Look Down on the Okinawa People. 1961 -62 when I was their.
@T R Okinawan people did not decide to belong to Japan in the postwar era. This decision was made between the US and Japan. US allowed reversion back to Japan because Japan was agreeable to US demands that its military presence on the island continue. An independent Okinawa would not have agreed to such an agreement. There have been many movements by the Okinawan people for an independent state since 1945. There has been renewed energy in independence as Japan has continued to ignore Okinawa's views regarding the US military base situation.
@T R You are Right!!! im from Ryukyu.
@T R Unfortunately, Ryukyu culture is dying, especially it's own distinct languages because the government keeps classifying them as "dialects" of Japanese. That's like classifying German as an English dialect. The government should give and encourage cultural autonomy because the youth has been colonized like mainland Japanese. It's a problem throughout the world during globalization and the nationalism of new countries, destroying and assimilating minority cultures just because they bear the slightest resemblance of being related.
@arai nn You are drunk, China transgressions into Senkaku is actually real. My Ex-GF was Okinawan native and I've been to Okinawa many times, there are these "Free Okinawa" tents and inside them there are no Okinawan nor Japanese, only mainland Chinese posing as Okinawan.
Okinawa, in the past, had been annexed to China until it was left on its own, invaded and made part of Japan. But to me, either it wants independence or not, the Okinawan culture should be maintained and respected. It is beautiful and special.
Okinawa was a tributary state to Imperial China like Korea and Vietnam. It was never a part of China.
Why do people like you make up history and act like they know what they are talking about?
My favorite part of Okinawan history is when we were trading with China until the Japanese came down and said "you only trade with us now."
Okinawa said "sure whatever" and just traded with both. It took like a century or so before Japan realized we played them.
@@urphakeandgey6308😂
Just want to add, in our Malaysian history books (that is a another contentious southern centric issue), we have been told that we had a long trading history with Japan. Of late, when I know how to read between the lines, I just realised we weren't trading with the Japanese but Okinawans. This was highlighted recently in a recent book that analysed our historical figure (some have contended that this figure was fictional/myth) via Ryukyu historical records, if I am not mistaken the Rekidai Hoan. There were some interesting findings, principally that there was a historical figure from here that did go to Ryukyu and established diplomatic relationship.
All I cay say, if Okinawans contend that they are not Japanese, they may very well have grounds to do so.
Okinawa had a closer relationship to China and Southeast Asia than mainland Japan did
Ryukyuans are the reason why us, Han Chinese, can be existed in Nusantara 😅
From what I read, Ryukyu is an independent country invaded by Japan though…and it did not get its independence back after Japan lost WWll
My grandma is Okinawan and Yamato/Japanese. Her dad was born in Hawaii from Okinawan parents in 1890 and his wife was an immigrant from Tokyo. Her and my mom considered themselves Japanese with Okinawan roots.
The Ryukyuans and Ainu are Japonic Peoples too but were obviously annexed by what would become Japan much later than other Kingdoms on the Japanese Mainland.
They stole karate from them and label them as blacksheep 😆
Thanks for sharing! I am a Singaporean and ethically a Southern Chinese. I was surprised by the similarities in culture that Okinawa has with Southern China when I visit this beautiful island 2 years ago. I personally felt they r like a hybrid of Chinese and Japanese.
yes, the ancient Ryukyu kingdoms on Okinawa did lots of trade with the chinese and other asian nations. Their language was related to japanese, but their culture was more chinese
Formerly a vassal state of China,It is an independent kingdom，Later, because of the weak national strength of the Qing Dynasty in China, it was impossible to protect the vassal States.It was annexed by Japan.It should be about 1880！During World War II, the battle of Okinawa was very miserable, Japan let the Okinawans kill the Okinawans, and the rest jumped off the cliff.The mass slaughter of indigenous people,And then emigrated from the Japanese mainland,
From the perspective of international law, Japan only has the right to govern Okinawa and has no sovereignty.
@@纸上影 thank u very much for the insights!
China - Ryukyu Relations: presentation at University of Hawaii at Manoa Rob Kajiwara. th-cam.com/video/v_qGtrdEb04/w-d-xo.html
As an Indian I am disturbed by knowing that people don't know the difference between nationality and ethnicity
Okinawan speak a different dialect. The US administration was turned over to Japan 1972, when clearly after the WW2, Korea and Taiwan was released. So why were they release? Ryukyuan Kingdom was annexed by Imperial Japan in roughly 1879, around the same time Korea and Taiwan was annexed. Obviously, the US wanted to keep the island for military strategy but decided to keep it as Japan.
No, your ethnicity is American because your language is American English and you're culturally American. The fact that you have Italian and Portuguese ancestry doesn't mean anything.
Word.
Also, the Meiji Tokyo regime is not Yamato, it's an anti-Yamato clans of Choshu and Satsuma, they even assassinated the Yamato emperor and then replaced him with a Choshu person. Yamato people in Osaka, Kyoto, Nara today are the largest minority group in Japan today.
For me I'm mixed and raised in Hawaii. Hard when your father is white and Hawaiian and mother is white / Okinawan so that being said, I'm good within my skin. I feel I really don't have to elaborate my race, it just boils down the kind of person you are really. Everyone be safe and stay positive..
Well said. 😊
Do you speak Hawaiian and/or Japanese and/or Okinawan? Hawaii is a very interesting cultural melting pot!
My Okinawan grandmother had 4 children. Two died rather young which left my aunt and my mother. Then she was widowed at 29 years old. The Okinawans have connections with their oki friends and family that migrated to both Brazil and Hawaii during hard times (as you know). So, someone tried to arrange a marriage between my grandmother and an Okinawan widower in Hawaii. She declined and remained a widow. I’ve often wondered what if.
"Okinawans" are Japanese Citizens but Ryukyuan in Ethnicity, language and customs. Being a small nation, spread out over a large expanse of the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea, Ryukyu has had to rely on diplomacy and maintain good relations with neighboring countries (being too small to raise a standing Military to withstand invasion). In ancient times, Ryukyuans had strong relations with China (especially southern China coast, such as Fujian Province). For decades, Ryukyu Kingdom paid a yearly tribute to China. The Ryukyu Kingdom even hosted visits by the US (Commodore Perry), Portuguese and Dutch traders/merchants while accommodating the Chinese (the castle complex in Shuri had a special building on the castle's left side which had 2 large separate halls/rooms where the Ryukyu kingdom could accommodate the entreaties of 2 different countries at the same time). And by the way, 'Ryukyu' is synonymous (these days) with 'Okinawa', as the island was the largest in the Ryukyu archipelago and held the seat of government (Shuri). Then, the Satsuma clan of Kyushu invaded Okinawa and treated the Ryukyu people as subordinate and lesser than their own. Some say that the development of Karate (with heavy influence of Chinese martial arts) was spurred in response to the brutal oppression by the Satsuma/Yamatu/Japan. This continued into the mid-1940s where the Japanese military dug in to form a defense line against the Americans invading Japan. The Okinawans were caught between the hammer and anvil of WW2; between the Japanese forces and American forces. It was horrific. Some historians say that more than 50,000 Okinawan civilians perished during that battle. Though they are passing away quickly, the generation that survived WW2 held deep resentment and anger toward the Japanese. America, realizing the strategic location of Okinawa (close to the China coast, Korean Peninsula, Kyushu and the Philippines) proceeded to build a huge military installment there. Okinawa hence, was referred to as the keystone of the Pacific, and those bases remain today (Kadena, Futenma/Henoko, Foster, Kinser, etc). Many (proud) Okinawans are resigned to being Japanese and are well aware of the '2nd class' citizenship/status given to them by the Japanese mainlanders. Despite being a prefecture of Japan (since 1972), Okinawans have the highest poverty and unemployment numbers in Japan. Meanwhile many Okinawans are weary of the constant, never-ending presence of the American military - both personnel and equipment. The current military bases are on Okinawan ancestral lands, and there seems to be no way to get America to move some of the bases to the Japanese mainland. The US needs to maintain a strong presence in "the Keystone of the Pacific".
I was born and raised in (Naha and Ginowan) Okinawa, became a citizen of Canada and live and work in the US. I love Okinawa and proudly identify as Okinawan. I long for my people to have their island back and pursue a life of peace and kindness, which are some of the defining characteristics of Ryukyu people. Okinawans are not Japanese; nor are they Chinese, or anything else. They are a distinct people with distinct cultural practices. I'd like to think that if you love Okinawa and are willing to defend it, then you are 'Okinawan'.
中国从未打算把冲绳收入自己的囊中，更何况从古代起琉球充其量只是作为中国的一个附属国并没有占领而日本则是在近代依靠武力强行侵占了琉球
中国只希望可以帮助冲绳获得他本应得到的独立地位
中国对琉球的态度就是可怜和同情因为我们都是曾经被日本野蛮侵略过的人
Okinawans are to Japan like the Basques or the Catalonians to Spain, or the Quebequois to Canada.
Scotland to Britain. :)
As someone who is half Okinawan and also of Scottish ancestry, I can say that calling an Okinawan person Japanese can be a bit like referring to a Scottish person as English. I get that British would be more accurate as that would apply to all countries / cultures within the United Kingdom. And this does make English a bit less appropriate a term for a Scottsman / Scottswoman than Japanese for Okinawans.
However that said, many Okinawans don't have a problem these days with being called Japanese, as Okinawans were granted Japanese citizenship recently. Yes, I did say recently.
Something that a lot of people don't realize is that Okinawans didn't have Japanese citizenship until the 1970s, when the USA handed off administration to Japan with the understanding that Japan would grant citizenship and not attempt genocide against Okinawans again. And to Japan's credit, they have been working to help preserve Okinawan history and culture rather than trying to erase it as it attempted in the early 20th century.
@arai nn True I've lived in Okinawa and never in Japan, however while there I did see programs where the government was trying to preserve traditional Okinawan culture, for example bamboo fabric kimino craft. If they are claiming that this is Japanese and not Okinawan culture, than that is very disappointing.
Yup! I’m Japanese, Okinawan, Chinese, Portuguese. But, when people ask me, what is your ethnicity, do mention that I’m Japanese and Okinawa. I would tell them, I’m Uchinanchu and Nihonjin.
lol 🤣, I bet they are so confused.
Yes, sometimes I make a joke and say that I’m a mutt! 😂
(I'm using a translator...) Thank you for the Okinawa video! I am a native Okinawan. I am proud to have been born and raised in Okinawa. We also learned a lot about the history of the island. I have to think about what choices to make in the future. However, the people of Okinawa are proud to have been associated with countries such as the United States, Japan, and China.
You just go to Henoko sometime and check how Okinawans hate US bases.
Taiwan is half Japanese. Okinawa is 3/4 Japanese.
To throw more into the mix, recently the Chinese have actually claimed that Okinawa belongs to them, and historically, Okinawa in the past has paid "tribute" to China. Even more recently, the Chinese are actually promoting Okinawan independence but that is probably more of an attempt to drive a wedge between Okinawa and mainland Japan.
WE ❤️ JP
Filthy xina ... trying to divide to conquer.
China has never occupied Okinawa.Ryukyu was an independent country before and occupied by Japan later.Some disgusting ones from some country shamelessly stealing the history of other countries and interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.
Ryukyu used to be the Ryukyu Kingdom, an independent country, but a vassal state of China.Its culture is close to the coast of China.It is far from the mainland of Japan.
Okinawa did not belong to Japan, and Japan massacred many Okinawa aborigines in World War II.According to post-war international law, Japan only has the right to govern Ryukyu and has no sovereignty.
In fact, after World War II, China can want the sovereignty of Ryukyu, but China's Chiang Kai-shek is too weak.
@@纸上影 偷爹贼
@@纸上影 琉球或者流囚是和日本同属日本语系，流囚文化是受中原文化较浅并带有弥生和虾夷成分更多的日本，而且影响琉球的所谓中国文化实际是福建一代的百越文化，跟中国本土完全不一样，请不要信口开河
Okinawans had their own kingdom.
The main island has always had problems with okinawans, I believe the werent allowed to speak their language for years, ask the say their okinawan when asked, red the story of the 3 tears, also Chinese have had much influence in okinawan culture, more likely to separate them from Japan, many great memories from there , many friends.
Was a Navy Hospital Corpsman with a Marine unit on Okinawa 1970-1971, when it was still controlled by the US.
Went to Camp Fuji Japan at the Base of the mountain for Live Fire Training, bunch of us were heading back to the Base on a partially full Subway Car, after a weekend of Liberty (Free Time).
Also on the car was a Middle Aged Male originally from Okinawa, who obviously had a FEW drinks.
Gentleman was pacing around our area of the Car, and was quite vocal about his disdain of the Japanese people and how much he admired Americans.
Almost all the Japanese that were passengers in the car, were quiet and looked embarrassed.
Marines I was with as well as myself were embarrassed by his actions and kept quiet, and as soon as we got to our stop, we were off and gone.
Strange experiences
ポルトガル人が1543年に初めて日本と接触した後、南蛮貿易で大規模な奴隷貿易が発展しました。ポルトガルの貿易の1つには、ポルトガル自体を含む海外のさまざまな場所に販売した日本人のポルトガル人による購入が含まれ、南蛮貿易が存在していました。 16世紀から17世紀を通して。多くの文書は、日本人の奴隷化に対する抗議とともに大規模な奴隷貿易に言及しています。 1555年に教会が指摘したように、日本の奴隷は彼らの国で最初にヨーロッパに到着したと考えられており、ポルトガル人は性的な目的でポルトガルに連れて来るために多数の日本の奴隷の女の子を購入しました。ポルトガル語での奴隷貿易が大幅に拡大して以来、カトリックの改宗に悪影響を及ぼしたため、彼は1571年にそれを禁止するよう命じた。ガスパール・フェルナンデス、ミゲル、ベンチュラという16世紀の3人の日本人奴隷がメキシコに到着したという記録によると、彼らは日本のポルトガル人奴隷貿易業者によって購入され、マニラに運ばれ、所有者のペレスによってメキシコに送られました。
数万人以上の日本人、特に女性が奴隷として売られた。ポルトガル人の訪問者は日本で奴隷制に従事することが多く、時には南アジアとアフリカの乗組員がマカオや東南アジア、アメリカ大陸、そしてゴアに日本の奴隷と商人のコミュニティがあったインドの他のポルトガルの植民地に連れて行かれました。 17世紀初頭までに、その多くは売春婦になりました。奴隷にされた日本人女性は、1598年の文書でポルトガルのイエズス会のルイス・セルケイラが言及したように、日本で取引されているポルトガルの船に乗るヨーロッパの対応者と一緒に、アフリカの黒人乗組員にコンキュバインとして売られることさえありました。 秀吉はこの奴隷貿易についてポルトガル人とイエズス会を非難し、結果としてキリスト教徒の改宗を禁止した。しかし、歴史家は、特にポルトガル人による性的目的での日本人女性の購入に関して、反ポルトガルのプロパガンダが日本人によって積極的に促進されたと指摘している。
南蛮貿易で日本に来ていたポルトガル人の中にも1492年以降、異端審問を逃れてきたセファルディム系の人たちがいたと思いますが日本には悲しい歴史がありました。大村純忠がカソリックに回収してポルトギーズの奴隷と自らなりカソリックに回収しない大和民族を次々にポルトガル船に引き渡した歴史があります。弾丸一つに対して50人ほどの女性、処女はポルトガル人の奴隷として売られていたほどです。モザンビークの黒人奴隷がポルトガル船に載せられて日本に到着した際にポルトガル人はモザンビークからの黒人奴隷に日本人奴隷を買う許可を与えていたのでモザンビークの黒人奴隷が性的欲望に飢えていたのを切っ掛けに日本人奴隷、（主に女性、処女）は売り飛ばされていた現実があったことに信じられないほどの驚きがありました。日本の教科書に載せられなかった現実な真実です。その数は何千万人とも言われています。ユダヤ教では奴隷制度がありましたが現在の奴隷密度とは異なっていました。でもポルトガル人の奴隷制度は厳しかったと歴史が伝えています。まあ、この事も歴史の一部として心に残しておいて下さい。先程説明にありますようにモザンビークの黒人奴隷が性的欲望の為に大和民族の女性、処女を買っていたことについては歴史上信じられない驚きがあります。弥助というモザンビーク黒人奴隷が日本の将軍になったのはご存知でしょうか❓約四十万人以上との情報。弾丸一つに50人ほどの女性、処女はポルトガル船に載せられて連れて来られたモザンビークの黒人奴隷が性的欲望の為に処女を使用したとの事も発覚している。ポルトガル人奴隷となった日本人は未だに奴隷であり自由の身になっても奴隷であることは変わりない。奴隷の主である者が解放し、証明を提出しない限り奴隷である。日本人の奴隷たちはヨーロッパに流れ着いた最初の日本人であると考えられており、1555年の教会の記録によれば、ポルトガル人は多数の日本人の奴隷の少女を買い取り、性的な目的でポルトガルに連れ帰っていた。ポルトガルの奴隷貿易で数百人以上の日本人、特に故郷から遠く離れた異国で働く水夫等を懐柔するための奴隷として女性が売られたとされている。日本人の女性奴隷は、日本で交易を行うポルトガル船で働くヨーロッパ人水夫だけでなく、黒人水夫に対しても、妾として売られていた、とポルトガル人イエズス会士ルイス・セルケイラ (Luís Cerqueira) が1598年に書かれた文書で述べている。ポルトガル人がアフリカ土人 ー ポルトガル系モザンビーク黒人の奴隷を所有し、その黒人奴隷が日本人の奴隷を所有するというように、自ら他の奴隷の奴隷になった者もいたという。
Your comparison of Hawaii to the US is probably the best way to explain the Okinawa to Japan relationship to Western folk.
I grew up in a home in the US where my parents had lived in Japan in the 1950s as part of the occupation forces so I grew up with an awareness of Japanese culture. Neither of my parents were Japanese. When I went to Okinawa in 1982 with the Marines I had an expectation of a certain culture and quickly came to recognize Okinawa was not exactly "Japanese" as I had been raised to expect Japanese culture.
I actually enjoyed Okinawa a lot, but only spent one year there, was not uncommon back in 1982 to see signs saying "No Americans Allowed" in many places and Americans would be refused service. I am proud to say while living there I was invited places while in Okinawa many Americans never were and experienced some things many Americans typically did not.
That's great that you got to experience some of the culture while you were here.
Japanese is nationality and it’s main ethnicity is Yamato people. Ainu and Okinawan are distinct ethnicity.
My mom’s cousin said that Okinawa was like a step-cousin to Japan.
I tell ppl I am 1/2 Okinawan and 1/2 Japanese and yes, I differentiate. 🤣😂🤣
I have a friend whose wife is Okinawan and she considers herself to be Okinawan with a Japanese passport. when she went to school in the 50's and 60's Okinawan students were punished if they spoke Okinawan in any of their classes. . .she said, if she didn't know the Japanese word for something, the only way she could explain it was to apologize to the teacher and say that she did not know the word in Japanese, but in Okinawan it was "whatever the word was". . .I did learn a few Okinawan phrases from her like: in Japanese "ouch" is "itai", in Okinawan if is "aga". . .and asking for tea in Japanese is "Ocha kudesai" and in Okinawan it is "Cha gwa kimi sorei" . . .
That's really interesting. Sometimes walking around here you'll hear the older Okinawan's speaking hogan.
To a "Japanese" listener, the Okinawan elders were speaking hogen (that's with an 'e', not an 'a', BTW ;-) ) but to an Okinawan, they were speaking uchinaaguchi (or shimakutuba). :-)
I used to speak and understand some uchinaaguchi when I was a kid growing up in Okinawa because many of my relatives on my mom's side spoke it entirely instead of Japanese. But when I moved away from Okinawa to attend college "abroad", I forgot most of it. :-(
I'm glad to see that there are people and organizations making an effort to revive the Okinawan language to keep it from disappearing entirely.
My Okinawan aunt took a dna test, and it registered as her being Japanese. Perhaps the DNA is so similar that DNA test can't identify the differences?
May be because DNA tests can't exactly pinpoint the exact origins of people. They just compare your DNA with the sample populations they have. They might not have a lot of Okinawan samples and most of the Okinawan samples they have might have been simply considered Japanese. And if you go far back the Yamato Japanese and Ryukyuan peoples share a common origin, with both Japanese and Ryukyuan languages sharing a common descent and belonging to the same language family. That may also be a factor.
I wonder if it’s because the companies that set up the dna tests, set the system simply to assign the dna as ‘Japanese’. I believe, since they make the tests, they can simply assign what ever dna to whatever location they want to if that makes sense. 🤷🏻♀️
It’s the same situation and relationship between the indigenous Ainu people in northern Japan (Hokkaido) and mainland Japanese. The Ainu were originally conquered and assimilated by the Japanese, but now many of them are trying to regain their rights and reclaim their cultural identity and traditions.
The most succinct, articulated explanation of the difference between Okinawans and Japanese. Very well done.
Culturally, I don't think so, they even had their own language. They have their own tradicional dishes and also their own tradicional outfits.
Growing up studying the different various Asian martial arts Mainly Japanese And Chinese It was always explained to me That the History And existence of the Okinawan people Is pretty much A 50/50 Combination of Chinese and Japanese Culture and bloodline Ethnicity . However they are uniquely their own at the same time ! I could be wrong however ? Okinawa is a very fascinating place .
yes, the ryukyu kingdom on okinawa was an important trade partner between china and japan in ancient times
I asked my friends girlfriend, later wife, what the difference was between an Okinawan and a Japanese. She had to think about it for a minute then replied, "an Okinawan is a Japanese with a tan".
lol 🤣, I like that answer.
"An Okinawan is a Japanese with a tan". That one hit the spot! Because before I knew exactly what I was, I used to say something very similar.
Too cute! Thanks!
I went around telling everyone that I was half Japanese, half Italian for 30 years of my life?
Turns out, I am actually half Okinawan, half British and no longer a confused American as to the question "Who am I?" Lol! ; )
So true!!! Lol! That’s basically what I’ve said! And also a shorter and smaller people in general.
I see it like being Hawaiian and American (my thoughts when I opened the video)
And then he mentioned it later in the video 😂 👏
great video! well done! :)
Thank you! 😀
Such a wonderful explanation!
Thank you
Did Japan conquer Okinawa in the 19th century, it surprises me to see so many Okinawans so peaceful, I am a Slav and some of our grudges carry on for hundreds of years of blood spilling up until this very day...
Not that you want to bring up painful experiences, but i was wondering how native Okinawans felt about Japanese soldiers occupying their island during the second world war. I suppose there was little they could do if they were opposed to that. To me it was a monumental catastrophe that so many Okinawan civilians lost their lives in a conflict that wasn't't really there's to begin with. It seemed like their peaceful and relatively simple way of life was shattered forever as a result. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on the matter.
I completely agree. It's so angering that people have lost their lives in a battle that wasn't even theirs to begin with. It's even happening a lot with what's going on today. However, I believe the only thing you can do is adapt to the change, if you live of course. Make your life the best it can be at the moment. That of course is an extreme example, but everything in life changes eventually. I know many Okinawan's that have let go of their anger of what happened and have continued to live amazing lives, then there are others who die angry because they can never forgive what has happened.
You may be familiar with it but there is a great book by Viktor Frankl called "Man's Search For Meaning" where he describes his time as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Very insightful.
Sometimes I think about if I did anything to anyone in my past that upset someone that those people are still hanging on to, even though I'm a completely different person today. I think about that because I had a friend that I found out was mad at me for like 5 years for something I did. When he finally brought it up to me I barely remembered, and even with what I did remember from the situation, it seemed so minuscule to me, even at the time. It was bothering him all these years, and he never said a word. Meanwhile, it didn't even phase me. It makes you think, how many people are living their lives with anger that is only theirs? Anger that is only hurting themselves. Why live that way?
Anyway, my thought is; adapt to change, keep an open mind, and always continue to move forward, because it's really easy to get stuck in the past.
Thanks for wanting to hear what I think John. 😊
The peaceful and relatively simple way of life of the Ryukyuans was shattered way much earlier sometime in 1609 when the Satsuma of Kagoshima invaded Okinawa and made the king of Okinawa a vassal of Satsuma. When WWII broke out, for all intents and purposes, Okinawa was part of Japan so having the Japanese soldiers present on the island during the war was not unusual. However, what does anger many Okinawans and others is the fact that the Japanese government conscripted (as in forced) the Okinawan civilians, regardless of age or gender, to serve in fighting the "enemy" (directly or indirectly) in the name of the Japanese emperor.
In Okinawa, there is a Peace Memorial honoring those who died in the Battle of Okinawa. The names listed include those of Japanese soldiers, American and other allied soldiers and Okinawan civilians. Just under two-thirds (60%) of the names listed at the Peace Memorial are those of Okinawan civilians who died in the war! 😢
Im from American but my birth certificate says Okinawan and not japanese. But I tell people I'm japanese
My Mother's home was Miyako Island in Ryukyu island chain. She did speak the Miyako language with her brother, sister and cousin which is different from the Okinawa language and the neighboring islands. It didn't sound anything close to the Japanese language when I listened to her speak to her family members. She also spoke Japanese and English fluently. She was born the year World War 2 ended in 1945. Okinawa the island is where people who lived on Miyako, Yaeyama or Ie Shima went to seek their fortunes.
LIke Hawaii, Okinawa was taken over by force by the Satsuma Clan. The Okinawan KIngdom were trading partners with China. That's the reason you see those Shi Dog statues on the roof and Turteback tombs on Okinawa. Actually, a major portion of the Japanese who first emigrated to Hawaii were actually of Okinawan descent. To me, the Big Island looked and felt similar to Okinawa especially when I saw the sugarcane fields.
I've read that Okinawan genetics are closely related to the Ainu in Northern Japan. My Mother grew up on an island but she couldn't tan and had a slightly reddish hair color (not jet black entirely). Present day Japanese on the mainland are a combination of Yayoi (China & Korea) and Jomon (Ainu) people.
I've always told people I'm Half Japanese if they ask. The distinction between Okinawan/Japanese was never that important to me. I have an Aunt, Uncle and cousins that moved from Okinawa to Tokyo a little over 40 years ago. Lived in Japan for 15 years total split between Okinawa 8 years total (moved there 2x) and spent 7 years on mainland Japan (move there 2x). My Dad was career Air Force. I had some memorable times in both places too. We moved back to United States soon after I turned 21.
Thank you for sharing
ゆくしむにーさー😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
No, it's like the equivalent to saying are HAWAIIANS American. Yes-no. Definitely annexed like Okinawa 👍. Hawaiians are American citizens, but Hawaiian blood is Hawaiian.
Pretty cool take on the things. Now I get it much better 🤙🏼
Aloha, Matt. I have an Okinawan mother and native Hawaiian father, and I was born and raised in Hawaii but living in Honshu now. I completely agree that the Ryukyus and Okinawans are their own ethnicity. The problem, as you probably well know, is that the long-time leading party of Japan are a bunch of ultra-right nationalist buffoons who refuse to recognize that Japan is a country built upon Native lands and that it is indeed, a country built not only by Yamato-jin, but by Indigenous peoples, and forcibly relocated peoples, comprised of multiple languages, cultures and customs.
You mentioned a bit about Hawai'i, and you seem very open to learning and portraying the reality of what Native peoples, including Ryukyuans and Hawaiians, are subjected to around the world, so I hope that you read this with an open heart and mind (albeit excessively long, sorry!).
In Hawai'i, we have a fierce independence movement that has its roots in the 1890s when the Americans performed a military-backed coup de tat, arrested our Queen, and illegally annexed on the Kingdom of Hawai'i. Immediately after annexation, there were riots started by Native Hawaiians. Through cultural assimilation, much of our history was lost, our history of chiefs and islands were quickly replaced with George Washingtons and 13 colonies, our language was banned from use in schools and public institutions, and as a result, our language was deemed "critically endangered". The Kupuna, or elders, refused to teach their children anything about their language or culture due to the forced assimilation policies that they grew up with, and that led to many Natives believing that they were inevitably born as Americans.
However, in the 1970s, a "Hawaiian Renaissance" movement started, and the Hawaiian Independence Movement was reborn from its ashes. While there are treaties signed around the world between colonizers and the colonized which signify an official handover of land and possessions to the benefit of the colonizers (i.e. historical treaties between Japan and Korea, Native Americans and Americans, First Nations and Canadians), there is no such treaty that exists between Americans and the Hawaiian people that resulted from the overthrow and annexation. Therefore, for many of us, we believe that we are not a state, nor were we ever legally subjugated to the United States. In fact, in 1993, Pres. Bill Clinton signed an official resolution which formally apologized to the Native Hawaiians for the overthrow, and officially recognized that the sovereignty and nationality of Native Hawaiians were stripped away as a result of the American military-led coup. Also, this history that I've just mentioned was never taught in schools until relatively recently, through efforts of the fierce supporters of this movement. The Hawaiian language ban was lifted in the 80s, but Hawaiian language education only really took off in the 90s, albeit through an incredibly reluctant and low amount of effort on the part of the US government. Nonetheless, we are still a minority on our own land (making up ~10% of the total population), receive the lowest marks on all calculable social scales, and our language is only spoken by nearly 1% of the population.
Supporters of the movement believe that we are not American, as the legal proceedings leading to us becoming a territory, then state, was not legal at all, at least by a modern-day standpoint. If any nation in the world did to Hawai'i what Americans did, the United Nations would be erupting, and the US military would be sending their tanks and troops there, assuming there is any oil involved.
Of course, some other middle-aged Natives have their reservations (no pun), as they were born and raised brainwashed with the American narrative of the world rather than the Native one. These days, all schools in Hawai'i teach about the illegality of the overthrow, the non-existence of a treaty of annexation, and the dark things that our Kupuna were subjected to during the early days of our occupation. The United Nations also recently deemed Hawai'i's position as a US state to be abnormal and a result of an illegal overthrow and decades of forced assimilation and political subjugation.
I highly recommend reading/watching Dr. Haunani Kay-Trask's work. I believe a PDF for "The Color of Violence" is available online. Her speeches and debates are all over TH-cam. She's AMAZING, and recently passed away one week ago (RIP).
SO sorry for the long passage I just wrote for you. I really hope you could find the time to even get this notification. In short, we Hawaiians and anyone else born on the islands of Hawai'i, from a modern international law standpoint, are not American. Many Natives are not comfortable with being called "American", and descendants of other immigrants who came during the plantation era have become comfortable with an American identity (however, a huge amount of allies to the movement exist, and support Hawaiian autonomy as well). HAVE AN AWESOME DAY.
When okinawa was a US territory, were people granted US citizenship? What happened to them after Japan acquired the Island after 1972?
At first I would have said their nationality is Japanese and their ethnicity is Okinawan and i still think so.
I agree, even though it's not recognized by Japan.
And that is what the problem is from my understanding. Not being recognized as a separate country with its own language and culture. I do remember my Mother saying she was forced to speak Japanese and would get punished if caught speaking the native Okinawan language. The unique language has been wiped out surviving in folk songs. The war wounds seem to still be fresh, a dive into history would be a good source for understanding the animosity.
Yes. It makes a lot of sense. I can definitely understand why they would feel animosity towards Japan. Like I said in the video though, I just don't think having different cultures is really something that Japan has had to deal with too much. 🙁
From what I've read just the Okinawans in the south and the Ainu of Hokkaido. Those are the two.
@@tomi1964 Yes, I agree!
Im ethnic Okinawan. Thank you for talking about the only 900k of us left. I also speak the native language. Most of the japanese really like to visit here because it is different still even though we are a prefecture of Japan. I've never experienced hostility from them ever.. but im not ignorant to the differences. I rather it be Japan rule over us than China. Just saying.
how widely spoken is the native language? do parents teach it to their children? also, is it common for okinawans to speak English so well?
Obviously you are a Ryukyu brainwashed by Japan
Okinawan🤝Yamatonchu
I have learned bit okinawa ❤, my father is black belt
That's how you got colonialised.
More accurately, they are Ryukyu 琉球 people. Their languages, traditions and culture are totally different from mainland Japanese. They still celebrate the same old new year based on lunisolar calendar. Same new year as Koreans, Chinese and Vietnamese.
I’m a quarter Okinawan and I like to think of myself as a different ethnicity because there’s like three different ethnicities so we’re like the fourth.
Same! I'm a quarter! That's crazy because besides me and my 2 brothers, I've never come across anyone else that identifies that way. So cool.
Same
The definition of ethnicity seems to exclude one's native language. The language is the main mode of conveying the cultural group to which you identify. Therefore, while your ancestors may be from, say Portugal, if you don't use Portuguese then it will be hard to convey Portuguese culture through the American English prism, surely? Okinawans who don't speak a ryukyuan language may be originally Okinawan, but now they are both Japanese and Okinawan. In any cases the Okinawan culture is primarily of Ryukyuan origin, and Ryukyuan language are part of the Japonic language family, like English is a Germanic language. This doesn't make English-speaking people "German" of course, and likewise, just because ryukyuan languages are termed "Japonic" doesn't make Ryukyuans "Japanese".
My grandparents were Okinawan, most people think I am Philipino or Mexican. When I tell people I am okinawan, they think i am lying, so I took a DNA test, just to make sure.. My results , 100 % Japanese .. I think people just don’t understand, Okinawans are shorter, darker. Lol
Nice!
Cool shirt! Where'd you get it?
My Kume Jima wife is Okinawa.
Of course, now she is a Naturalized American citizen.
However, as you explained, Japan's government classified all as Japanese.
I arrived on Kume Jima in 1966 and all her family never considered themselves as Japanese.
And, they spoke the Okinawan Hogen Language. Okinawan dialect (沖縄方言, )
More and more after Reversion in 1972, mainlanders from Japan moved to Okinawa for business, etc. and many intermarried.
Thus, their children became official Japanese.
Japan is crafty over the dying out of Okinawan culture as the old folks closer to 100 years old die way.
Eventually in another generation everyone will be assimilated into Japanese culture and Okinawans will be no more.
Many Okinawans have ethnic blood lines mixed from the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Miyako, Ishigaki, Yaeyamas, Iriomote, and other nearby islands.
Example is Tamlyn Naomi Tomita (Karete Kid II actress); she was born on Okinawa but her mother is mixed, Okinawan and Philippine. Her father is American former G.I.
Tamlyn is an American citizen through her father.
So, being Okinawan will die away in a generation or two when the older people die and leaving the younger people to fully identify with being Japanese.
It’s a bit sad but true. Thank you for sharing.
The ainu people are the ingenious people of Japanese islands from the north they are treated worse than the okinawan people.
Really? That's interesting. I figured Okinawan's would be treated the worst.
@@MutekiMatt Fishermen, (Still) Walking A: Fine-Line, Between: Communist U.S.S.R. & North Korea! :(
Okinawan people have some Ainu blood too, same ancestors. I think Jomon people. Japan forced Okinawans to take their language out of schools, and they were forbidden to speak it. Solders threaten death if they heard them speaking. They treated the natives as 3rd class citizens. Nearly half of Okinawa's pop. died during the Battle of Okinawa that they were forced to fight in. Yes, I know, many innocent people from the mainland and every nation involved lost many lives. Japan made their peace. ...However, Okinawa is still Japan's scrafical lamb. Mainland Japan has forced the major occupation of the American military on our little island when, really, mainland Japan should carry that burden, not Okinawa, sorry. Worldwide, indigenous people are on the bottom. We have to fight to preserve our history and become educated.
With all the interest in Okinawa's history and beaches the mainland people are slowly taking over the island too... But I don't want to belittle the suffering of any indigenous groups in Japan, they all suffered. Like every indigenous group left in the world, it's up to the few to keep the history, language, and cultural alive.
Interesting, if you are Okinawan and take a blood test your blood will link directly to Okinawa💕, not mainland. Mine did. (I'm half, grew up there). Youtuder, sorry missed name, you are right, Okinawan is our ethnicity. 🤗Thank you for starting the conversation. Side note: Although I forgive mainland Japan, the politicians have to make Okinawa whole. Give the heart back, more of the land back to the people.
In Southeast Asia there are multiethnic Asian countries like Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore
Japan isn't really that homogenous. The real numbers aren't known because like you said, Japan refuses to do ethnic surveys. Many of those 98% are not ethnically Japanese.
Good point
Okinawan American woman here. No we don't considered ourselves Japanese but are governed by Japan. We are our own indigenous ppl. Japanese government have given protection against discrimination for the Ainu ppl but not recognized Okinawan as indigenous ppl. Even after the battle of Okinawa, the US government made an agreement treaty to relocate Okinawan farmers bcz there was so much destruction in the agricultural land. Many Okinawan farmers were placed in areas closest to their climates ie Hawaii, Brazil,Mexico. Okinawan ppl who relocated to Hawaii and took over land that was destroyed by Pearl Habor are now very wealthy. My family stayed back in Okinawa and rented their property to the US government for the Kadena AFB until the base relocated and the Japanese government rents the land for their Japanese Navy base. My family are elected officials and if you're seriously interested in Okinawa and Japanese issues,disputes,etc you're welcome to ask me or my Okinawan family members.
My great-grandmother was Japanese from a well to do family in Tokyo (She was a physician) and her husband was an Okinawan from a farming family. We do not consider them both Japanese. The Japanese treated Okinawans so terribly. They both had to run away to get married because her family wouldn't allow her to marry a mere Okinawan.
My moms grandpa is Japanese Okinawan. Im a 5-6th generation in America. My family has always said we are Japanese depsite us originating from Okinawa. Ive always said im jappense too since im mixed and alot of people dont know about Okinawa where I live. I always thought of Okinawa has Japanese but due to its distance from mainland Japan was more influenced by other cultures. When I was younger I thought people in japan where inly Japanese if that makes sense. How I see us from a 5-6th generation in America, is Japanese but different like how the Ainu people are from what people traditionaly think of Japan. I hope I can learn Japanese and visit Okinawa to beter reconnect with it!
Sorry for the late post. I am a typical Japan person. There is a lie in the comments here that cannot be overlooked. Yamato, Ainu, and Okinawans are ancient Jomon people with the same Jomon genes (haplogroup D). (By the way, Chinese and Koreans do not have the Haplogroup D gene.) Since ancient times, genetically and linguistically, the Uchinanchu (Okinawan people) are the same Japan people as the Yamatonchu (Yamato people).
Of course, I am well aware that the people of Okinawa have a unique culture that is different from Yamato. I love beautiful Okinawa, which retains such a culture. The people of the world must not be deceived by China's efforts to divide Japan and Okinawa. Don't forget that China are targeting Okinawa.
冲绳人祖先并不是绳文人只是说冲绳人的组成里面有他可你却将他们的祖先称为绳文人
冲绳人不是日本人
谎言
日本不过是个无耻小偷，偷走了冲绳
漢民族の土地を奪った五胡に絡まれて気の毒だ😂
The Ryukyuan people of Okinawa were invaded by Japan in 1609. The Ryukyuans fought like hell but were defeated. The Ryukyuan people were always treated badly by the Japanese. This is why the Ryukyuan people didn't want Japan to regain control of Okinawa on April 15, 1972,, There were RIOTS for months before the 1972 revision...
I like to be called half Okinawa, I told this lady at work, I'm half Okinawan , and she says, I'm from Okinawa too in naha I told her I was in nishihara Cho my obadsn lived...she's works at the airport too...she thought í looked like Japanese, in my eyes I hàve brown eyes. And ligh skin well be safe guys....alittle history today,. My mom is from old Okinawa dialect talking. She lived in henza, kits favorite place
Oh wow! That's funny you found someone else from Okinawa. 😂
Yes I found from Okinawa n, at work she's from naha, I told her I'm from nishihara Cho, bye nishihara high school, I didn't get to highschool I went threw 6 grade...well be safe byéeeee
Why didn’t you talk about that Okinawa was independent country
Very interesting video!
As an Osakan, Okinawans are more Japanese belonging to Tokyoites or the Tokyo regime. The biggest group, the minority in Japan that doesn't belong to the Tokyo regime is the Yamato Osaka-Kyoto region. We speak a different language with a different accent. Because Yamato is the ancient regime of Japan, Okinawans misunderstand it and the Tokyo regime is not Yamato, it's anti-Yamato powers of the Satsuma and Choshu regime. Okinawa had been belonging to Satsuma for centuries therefore they sound more Japanese than any Yamato people.
Ahh understandable. The present Japan is based on Tokugawa, not even based on the original one, the Kinki Court. It is only natural that the people of Kyushu and Kansai are very friendly compared to the people of Tokyo.
Going to Okinawa, and interacting with Okinawan people, if you remove the japanese language, you'd mistaken yourself of being in Taiwan.
Hokkaido is similar to a lesser extent.
Genetically, Okinawan people is more similar to Native Taiwanese people than mainland japan, likewise native Hokkadio people (Ainu) is also more genetically similar ot Native Taiwanese people than the main land Japanese ("Yamato Japanese", as scientists call it). No doubt it's part of the modern country of Japan, but it's still a minor culture shock going from Kyoto to Okinawa.
I rather call them Ryukuan the people of Ryukyu, this their rightful historical name.
From an aussie perspective who never have visited Japan and after spending 10 days in Okinawah and 3 days in Japan i saw a very different culture...all the people i meet in okinawah liked to be identified as Okinawain and so should they after the past they had to endure....either way Japan was a wo derful experience but the two places were like chalk and cheese...Arigatoe xx
As a native Okinawan, I'd say your explanation is what exactly how many Okinawan people feel. Like you mentioned, some Okinawan get offended by mainlanders and other people's definitions of Okinawa, but some Okinawan have a complete opposite perspective.. so yes it is kind of confusing but we Okinawan understand each other. I really appreciated your narrative and explanation to people out there who are interested in the topic "are Okinawan Japanese?'' One thing to leave is that most of us are really layback people and welcome others. So just enjoy the island, please please do not leave trash on the beach(yes, this becomes HUGE problems there. although some locals are guilty of it when they don't clean after themselves) Anyhow, I really appreciated this video and you all have a wonderful day(: Thanks Muteki Matt!
Thank you so much, I’m glad you like it. Yes Okinawans are very welcoming and layback. 😊
I tell ppl that I am half and half and I do differentiate between Okinawan and Japanese. Lol!😊
The Okinawans relationship reminds me a lot of Nepal and India.
The native or original owners of the Island are not Japanese. Japan invaded the island and claimed it to be Part of Japan. I forgot the name of these Island natives who were more China friendly. China could not help when Japan invaded the island because China was too weak then. (I hope someone could help to name the native owners of the island. They have no link with the Japanese)
Ryukyuan (Okinawan) & Ainu people have more Jomon DNA. The modern Yamato Japanese people have more Yayoi DNA.
Proto-Japonic language was even derived from Korean Peninsula.
If you want to say who’s more “Japanese”, the indigenous peoples in Japan should have more right to say they are the representatives of Japan rather than all those coloniser majority.
East Asian society is utterly disgusting.
There is no hope for diversity, equality and freedom.
All the minorities will be eventually devoured into “one”.
While Ryukyu independence doesn’t seem to be possible, what I can do is always recognising that Ryukyuan/Okinawan are not Yamato Japanese.
They are the Indigenous there and they have their own languages.