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Field Study Report: Okinawa 022505 |
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Between February 25 and March 3, 2005, four of my students, Kumi, Misa, Tomo, and Yasuyo, visited Okinawa to enhance their knowledge of this rich culture. Based in a village that is situated in the northern part of Okinawa's main island called Yanbaru, these students conducted ethnographic surveys with their own agenda in mind. |
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We took a long ride down south to visit one of the most well-known religious sites in Okinawa's main island, Seifa Utaki, where king appointed female shamans called "yuta" used to offer prayer to the supernaturals - the most famous of which is Amamikiyo, the godess of creation. At one end of the prayer route in the forest was an open ground from which one can overlook the surrounding ocean and an off-coast island called Yakushima. Okinawa's legend holds that Amamikiyo landed onto this island upon opening up Okinawa. |
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Taking a deep'n comforting breath out on a local beach at a low tide. This was proven to be a heal for the students, being liberated from noisy and stressful lives in Tokyo! |
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Here, students are peeping into the wax-replicated dishes of Okinawan cuisine at a museum of local ethnicity in Nago City. |
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Tomo has been a practitioner of traditional Japanese music called "minyoh," and she is here applying her skill to singing Okinawan folk songs at an evening get-together. |
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At a daytime fieldtrip, my students were guided by a local gentleman, Mr. Miyazato, in order to learn about the sociohistory of the village. |
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Another daytime fieldtrip was spent at a local sugar-cane farm. My students had their thrills harvesting some canes. |
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Another half-day fieldwork was conducted at Henoko, a place known for the local villagers' struggle against the building of a gigantic landing strip for US military flying-machines off of its coast. Japanese government has been stubborn enough to suppress the villagers' campaign. Pressure groups were organized by the villagers in order to stop a series of progressive off-shore constructions, which are apparently posing a devastating impact on the area's natural envirnment. Coral reefs are bombed and drilled, preventing precious ocean ecosystem from being sustained. Henoko coast is known to be an invaluable habitation ground for dugongs. |
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A shot at Nakijin World Heritage Park, where the students observed the remains of Nakijin Castle, the northern center of one of three powerful kingdoms that prospered during 14th and 15th centuries. |
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