#Uchinaanchu

[hajichirei]

continuing the left hand 💕

couldnt find time to finish everything but still good practice to sketch it out anyway

hajichi questions always welcome, lets decolonize together 🫶🏽

#hajichi #hajichiaa #handpoke #selfpoke #okinawa #okinawan #uchinaanchu #uchinaa #haitai #haisai #indigenoustattoo #indigenous art #indigenous cultural revival

[hiromicota]

Ii soogwachi deebiru!

Which means “Have a happy New Year” in Uchinaaguchi/Okinawan. Kind of. Like most translations, there’s a trade off between functional equivalency and literal meanings. In this case, I went with the functional version.

Here’s the literal one:

ii or yii: good*

soogwachi: first month (and by extension, the new year)

deebiru: is/will be**

So, “This is/will be a good new year” is a more literal translation.

* It’s very likely that both pronunciations being valid is related to why the word for “good” in Modern Japanese is ii or yoi, depending on context. I’ve done absolutely no research into this hypothesis, so take it with a grain of salt. I am a linguist, but I’m not a Japanese-Ryukyuan languages linguist; my specialization is second language acquisition and English language education.

** Kind of. Deebiru is 1 of at least 3 Uchinaaguchi copular verbs. A full explanation is probably beyond my ability at this point. If you’re familiar with Modern Japanese, this is similar to and a cognate with でございます. If you’re not familiar with Japanese, 🤷🏻‍♀️. Wish I could help, but I can’t at this time.

tl;dr Deebiru means “is” or “will be” here, but not necessarily elsewhere.

Bonus

Earlier today, a friend asked me why I use Latin characters to write in Uchinaaguchi instead of hiragana. Part of the reason is because it makes what I write accessible to Uchinaanchu/Okinawans who don’t read Japanese. The rest of the answer is because neither hiragana nor Latin characters are native to Okinawa; there is unfortunately no native writing system, and if I have to pick a colonizer writing system, I’m going to pick the one that doesn’t require weird hacks to make work with Uchinaaguchi phonology. There are a bunch of sounds that Okinawan has that Japanese doesn’t***, and there’s just no good way to write them in hiragana.

Example 1: “gwachi” (month) from the above “soogwachi” isn’t a possible word in Modern Japanese****. I’d need to write ぐゎち to get there, which is kind of goofy. If you don’t read Japanese, that’s like, “Say gu, but drop the u and add a wa, then say chi.” It’s silly, but not super complicated, which is why it’s only Example 1.

Example 2: ‘kwa (child) is pretty understandable for most folks used to reading Latin characters, aside from the apostrophe, which represents a glottal stop, which is the consonant in the middle of “uh oh” and between the Is of Hawai’i. Written in hiragana, it’s っくゎ, which will just straight up baffle most Japanese speakers, because っ is not an OK way to start a word.

Example 3: ‘nma (horse) is one step further, with an upsetting hiragana transliteration of っんま. Neither っ norん are supposed to go before a full syllable in Japanese, and here both of them are.

Example 4: But, wait. We can go one step beyond that! Nnna means “everyone,” and yes, all of those Ns are important; nna, ‘nna, and na are different words. Nnna could be written as んんな or っんな, neither of which will make anyone happy.

So, yeah. I write Uchinaaguchi using Latin characters because using hiragana just seems messy. And I like making what I know accessible to my fellow diasporic Shimanchu.

*** Modern Japanese has the sounds, but can’t use them the same way, because Japanese has a bunch of sound shifts (allophones). Like, はひふへほ are the H morae (syllables-ish), and are theoretically pronounced ha hi hu he ho, except hi and hu don’t actually exist, because the ‘h’ inふ is a bilabial fricative, which is kind of an F sound, but not, and the ‘h’ in ひ is kind of like a cat hissing at you. The S and T morae have similar things going on, with si, ti, and tu being illegal in Modern Japanese, and shi, chi, and tsu replacing them. Uchinaaguchi, on the other hand, is fine with si & shi, ti & chi, and tu & tsu. Still no actual hi or hu in either language, though. Kind of a bummer for me, but at least I get to hiss like a cat when I introduce myself.

**** It was in Old Japanese, though. Maybe Early Middle Japanese, too. I don’t know. I told you I wasn’t a Japanese-Ryukyuan languages linguist. I do know that /gwa/ was actually the Old Japanese pronunciation of ぐわ, making it interesting that /gwa/ is fine in Modern Okinawan, but not Modern Japanese.



#Uchinaaguchi #Okinawan #shimanchu #lunar new year #Uchinaanchu

[softsoundingsea]

Thinking more about how the Ryukyuan archipelago is more like many ethnic-cultural groups with similar histories rather than one ethnicity. There's no perfect word but I appreciate that for now, Shimanchu has been used more frequently in place of Okinawan.

As a marginalized group within the sphere of Japan, I feel that we often lean towards seeing our own history through a rose-tinted glass. But the history of our place and space is complicated and the Ryukyuan Kingdom had acts of colonization to islands outside of Uchinaa.

I do find it frustrating that Uchinaaguchi is often referred to as “the Okinawan language” when Shimayumuta, Yambaru-Kutuba, Myaakufutsu, Yaimamuni, Shikamuni, Mēramuni, Teedanmuni, and Dunanmunui also exist? And in contemporary times, what does Uchinaaguchi standardization mean?

I can't speak to how it is in the islands but in the diaspora, I do feel that [we] Uchinaanchu don't really give as much space or conversation to other islands or don't acknowledge how Loochoo/Ryukyu/Uchinaanchu is not an identity that is accepted-used across our archipelago.

I am still in the process of learning and I am grateful to those within the community for sharing their truths, struggles and thoughts in language, identity, and history.

#personal text #uchinaaguchi #uchinaanchu #okinawan #ryukyuan #identity #terminology

[shimaplaylist]

Haisai, gusuuyoo. I hope everyone is safe and doing well. I teamed up with Nami Oshiro, a fantastic Shimanchu American artist based in Virginia, to create the first three items in an ongoing effort to raise funds for independent Shimakutuba practitioners and projects.

Many Shimanchu creators and educators are doing the work on their own time and out of their own pockets, so I'm hoping that this (and future fundraisers) can be a small show of support and gratitude.

This 3" sticker, 2.25" button, and 1.25" acrylic pin set features a Ramones logo-inspired design with an open-mouth shiisaa symbolizing the sharing of good things, i.e. our indigenous languages. There are several distinct languages throughout the Ryūkyū Islands (all of which are endangered), so we decided to go with the six regions recognized by UNESCO: Amami, Kunjan (Kunigami), Uchinaa (Okinawa), Myaaku (Miyako), Yaima (Yaeyama), Dunan (Yonaguni).

Please visit the Ko‑fi shop today! All proceeds (minus item production costs and shipping fees) will be donated to individuals/groups and I'll post receipts once the donations are made.

P.S. I'm still selling items through the Shimanchu Dushi-nu-chaa Online Sale, if you're interested in combining shipping.

Shiisaa illustration by Nami Oshiro

- namioshiro.com - inprnt.com/profile/namioshiro - etsy.com/shop/iyasasa - instagram.com/nami_oshiro - twitter.com/namioshiro

#okinawa #okinawan #uchinaanchu #uchinanchu #shimanchu #ruuchuu #loochoo #ryukyu #ryukyuan #shiisaa #shisa #shimakutuba #uchinaaguchi #uchinaguchi #沖縄 #ウチナーンチュ #琉球 #島人 #世界のウチナーンチュ #世界ウチナーンチュ #nami oshiro #art #artwork

[chimugukuru]

Thank you to THE @kidovna for the gorgeous art of my kiddo Ushi!

She captured Ushi's very essence and was so awesome to collaborate with! I can't say enough good things about the experience and their art in general (seriously, if you haven't seen her work, go check it out!).

Image description in ALT and under the cut.

A young Uchinaanchu (indigenous Okinawan) woman stands in front of a light green background. Her hair is shoulder length, brown-black, and wavy-curly. She is wearing large clear plastic square-framed glasses showcasing her dark brown eyes. She has a serene smile on her face. Her light-medium skin has a slight yellow undertone. She wears a warm yellow sweater with a red crew neck collar, turquoise cuffs, a two strips across the torso. One is narrow and the same red as the collar, and the other is wide and the same turquoise as the cuffs. Her cutoff, Bermuda-length jean shorts are held up by a dark blue belt with red hatching symbols common in Ryukyu textiles. Her crew length socks have turquoise and white stripes, and she is wearing high-top converse-like shoes. End description.

#Bhavna worked with me to figure out the outfit and I LOVE how it could easily fit in the 80s or now #I can't get over how HUGGABLE she looks!!! #Which is something I always want to portray in my writing #happy tag #kidovna #OOC #for future reference #ushi headcanon

[bluemichikosan]

Hi! I saw in one of your posts that you are Okinawan. I have some questions about cultural appropriation and I hope I'm not annoying you with me asking. I've seen on twitter some people making their OCs or fursonas a shisa. I know that the shisa has origins in Okinawan culture so I would like to ask if this is offensive or not? Unrelated to OCs or fursonas and questions that I have after doing some research. I've seen people who are not Okinawan wanting to get Hajichi or Okinawan tattoos and try on Okinawan clothing such as Bingata and Ryuso. Would that be appropriate or not? Sorry for this question if it's stupid and if you do answer, thank you in advance!

TL;DR - It depends on the situation, but being respectful is usually fine, my personal feelings are whatever, others may or may not think differently, life is too short so think critically but don’t be afraid to enjoy things. You can’t just get “Hajichi” because it isn’t just a tattoo, it’s tied to traditional practices; if you like the style then just tattoo some shapes on your hands that are inspired by them. I put this here at the top because this turned into a really wordy response so heRe wE GOOOOO

In my opinion, when it comes to the question of “cultural appropriation,” the long and short of it is: depends on the situation. As long as aspects of culture that are being shared are appreciated respectfully it’s usually fine; misappropriation and being disrespectful is what’s bad. (Side note: "cultural appropriation" has lost all meaning in internet discourse, and culture has always been shared or “appropriated” just by existing and being observed, so I use "misappropriation" to specify when there’s a negative connotation. Just an fyi.)

The fursonas? I don't know. I personally wouldn't be offended. Shisa aren't like major religious figures or something. Similar beings appear in other East Asian cultures. Shisa themselves exist because they were appropriated from China. Personally think that it is a weird choice if you don't have any connections to Okinawa, but that doesn’t mean someone isn’t allowed to like them just because they aren’t Uchinaanchu (native Okinawan). I see it being like making a fursona of a kelpie but not being of Western/Northern European descent. Again, weird choice but whatever. Other people might have different opinions.

As for Ryosou and Bingata? Go for it and wear it! You can buy shirts made with traditional Bingata dying practices as a souvenir if you visit Okinawa, so why wouldn’t you be allowed to wear it? Go ahead and try on traditional clothes if you want. I don’t know what kind of occasion you would wear it at outside of trying it on for fun or going to a festival in Okinawa or something, but why not? If it keeps the tradition alive, prohibiting outsiders from participating can only hinder it.

It would be weird if a Euro-American person with no relation to Okinawa showed up in traditional Ryukyuan robes to a fancy banquet in New York or something, but if they have the guts to actually do that then all the power to them I guess? Just don't try to copyright them like certain fashion companies do to Native American patterns and styles.... no individual person or company owns them and shouldn’t act like they do.

Hajichi is a little different though. Like, are they getting it in Okinawa, or with with encouragement of an Uchinanchu person? If they aren't Uchinanchu, are they marrying into an Uchinanchu family, or have they made Okinawa their home for a while and greatly respect the culture? Then I probably wouldn't argue with them. The practice itself is kind of dying out because a certain imperial power in the 1800′s made it illegal, so if someone gets Hajichi it’s probably Uchinanchu reclaiming cultural heritage. I’m under the impression that this is more of a Okinawa-diaspora thing than a people-actually-living-in-Okinawa thing though. Like most Okinawans wouldn’t want Hajichi or care about them, or may even have the prejudice my Obaa-chan does against people having any kind of tattoos at all, and might not get care about them being misappropriated in the first place.

The specific style of tattoo is connected to traditional cultural practices of Uchinanchu women, and the patterns reflect life events like getting married and stuff. If you want to get Hajichi just because you think it looks cool... Like the hypothetical attendee of banquets in NY donning traditional Okinawan clothing, I don’t understand why someone would do it if you aren’t connected to the culture in the first place. Is it even “Hajichi” if you aren't getting them for the traditional reasons you’d get them tattooed? I mean I guess it's their decision but I'll judge them for it. If you think they look cool and you want similar shapes on your hands then just get shapes on your hands, you can get similar tattoos without them being “Hajichi” specifically.

As for tattoos of Okinawan art or whatever go for it. Some people appreciate the awesomeness of art, so they buy it to display in their home because they like it. Some people display that art on their bodies instead. NBD, as long as they respectfully appreciate it.

Again, other people may think differently. Some people might disagree for legitimate reasons, some might disagree for stupid reasons. Rule of thumb for everything you do is to just do your best and have good intentions... Because no matter what you do, some ignoramus on the internet who unironically calls themselves an "SJW" is going to claim that you're a terrible person who deserves to die for interacting with any culture that isn’t your own.

TL;DR, again - It depends on the situation, but being respectful is usually fine, my personal feelings are whatever, others may or may not think differently, life is too short so think critically but don’t be afraid to enjoy things.

[delphibay]

rory came to my island just in time for world uchinaanchu day!

on october 30th, 2016, the governor of okinawa declared it world uchinaanchu day at the closing ceremony of the 6th world uchinaanchu festival. it’s a day to celebrate the okinawan diaspora all over the world!

the bingata kimono and stone lion items are based off of parts of okinawan culture, and wouldn’t you say rory bears a strong resemblance to the stone lions? 🤔

play k.k. faire (which is inspired by okinawan folk music) for a little while today! happy world uchinaanchu day!

#delphi bay #phoebus.txt #world uchinaanchu day #uchinaanchu #uchinanchu #okinawan #animal crossing #acnh #animal crossing new horizons

[kataibusaibiin]

Couple weeks ago, an #Uchinaanchu cousin from #Brazil contacted me after finding me as a DNA match. How awesome we got to "meet" last week via Zoom.

When I got my brother to take a DNA test few years ago to aid in genealogy research of our dad’s / American family, I definitely wasnʻt expecting anyone on my mom’s / Uchinaanchu side of family to show up as matches. But Iʻve been pleasantly surprised by the #Shimanchu cousins Iʻm encountering across the #diaspora.

As I've sifted through various documents and ships’ manifests in search of possible relatives that connect us cousins, I've come across descriptions like those pictured here, which made my heart race as I felt something tug at it and my eyes widen:

"Tattoo marks on back of 2nd and 3rd finger of both hands."

"Tattoo marks on backs of all fingers of both hands..."

Hajichi.

I could almost picture their hands blessed with #hajichi, holding so many stories past/present/future - connecting their lives in Ryukyu islands and journey to new shores with our present and collective memories and all our connected roots in our beloved ʻnmarijima, across #LooChoo.

This manifest is filled with pages of passenger names almost entirely young Uchinaanchu arriving as “farm workers.”

These Shimanchu arrived in Hawai'i as #ImmigrantFarmworkers or traveled on to Mexico, US, Peru, Brazil, Argentina... Many were recruited with promises of guaranteed work, steady pay, and in some cases land or free lodging. Many would discover otherwise upon their arrivals.

My cousins are here now reaching out to each other because somehow the passengers of this ship and others that passed through these ports found ways to persevere. It is important we do our part to remember and learn from them, even if we must dig a little together now to do so.

Whenever I review ship manifests and immigration documents, I often wonder what folks thought and felt as their new home could be seen on the horizon and their future came more clearly into view...

This time, I found myself drawn to the image of these hands... what must they have carried with them on this journey?

#uchinaanchu #brazil #shimanchu #diaspora #hajichi #loochoo #immigrantfarmworkers #imigração #okinawanos #brasil #imigrantes #história #memória

[uchinaguchishutoku]

ぅんまりびー　けーき♪誕生日ケーキ

うちなーぐゆみ1月21日（うらんだぐゆみ2022年2月21日）

くぬえーだ　わん　ぅんまりびー　やいびーたくとぅ、

わったー　うっとぅが　けーき　ちゅくてぃ　とぅらさびたん。

りんごキャラメルチーズケーキ　やいびーんり。

あきさまよー！　じこー　まーはる！

くれー　レストラぬんけー　ある　スイーツぬ　ぐとぅ、　まーはぬよー。

わんねー　いちゃんだし　かまりーくとぅ　くぇーぶーぬ　あいびーっさー♪

—

この前私の誕生日でしたので、

妹がケーキを作ってくれました。

りんごキャラメルチーズケーキだそうです。

あきさまよー！とっても美味しい！

これは、レストランにあるスイーツのように、美味しいですわ〜。

私はタダで食べれるので、食べ物の運がありますわ～♪

#うちなーぐち ケーキ #うちなーぐち ぅんまりびー #うちなーケーキ #うちなーぐち #うちなー誕生日 #Ucinaaguchi cake #Uchinaa 'nmaribii #Uchinaanchu #Uchinaa birthday

[hajichirei]

mfw someone looks at my hajichi and asks “getting ready for Halloween?”

#hajichi #indigenous art #hajichiaa #handpoke #okinawa #okinawan #uchinaanchu #body art #body ink

[hiromicota]

Today, I learned: There’s a volunteer project to digitally to recreate Sui-ugusuku (ja: Shuri-jō/en: Shuri Castle). They’ve done a really good job at bringing the gusuku back to life, and their work may have even influenced the physical reconstruction. I’m glad that Uchinaanchu (Okinawans) still have a Sui-ugusuku, even though it’ll take awhile for the physical one to get rebuilt.

Context: Sui (Shuri) is the former capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and Sui-ugusuku was the seat of the government, residences of the monarchy, and home to nearly a dozen shrines. It’s a pretty big deal culturally, especially after the American and Japanese militaries almost destroyed the whole site during WWII. When it got rebuilt, it became a World Heritage site and a symbol of Shimanchu (Ryūkyūan) resilience and a glimpse into what our islands were like before the Japanese and American military forces invaded.

Context, pt. 2: The castle burned down due to an electrical fault in 2019. So, a bunch of Shimanchu want to get it rebuilt again. Physical reconstruction started earlier this year, but this photogrammetry project started before that (probably as soon as people learned that it burned down.)

Context, pt. 3: Photogrammetry is collecting and/or shooting a bunch of photos of something from different angles and using math to generate a 3D model of the thing.

#today i learned #Sui-ugusuku #Shuri castle #首里城 #Shimanchu

[yanaimi]

imi ru yataru | just a dream (EP)

new three-song EP by yana-imi and Micah Chibana

available on Bandcamp or Ko-Fi

listen on YouTube

---

conceptualized and recorded remotely in California and Minnesota during the pandemic, yana-imi and Micah Chibana's "imi ru yataru | just a dream" EP consists of one original song from each artist and a collaborative cover of R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion." both original songs draw influence from the artists' shared cultural heritage and incorporate a traditional Ryūkyūan/Okinawan instrument called sanshin.

#shimanchu #okinawan #uchinaanchu #uchinanchu #ryukyuan #indie #independent #indie music #indie bands #home recording #unsignedartist #sanshin #rock music #alternative #alt rock #ウチナーンチュ #インディーズ #沖縄 #世界のウチナーンチュ #okinawan rock #okinawanrock

[shimaplaylist]

🔃 SHUFFLE PLAY 🔃 Weekly random selection of one traditional song and one modern song A couple of songs for the soul after yet another unthinkable tragedy and the U.S. government continuing to willfully disregard our safety. 🎶 "Sanyama Bushi" (traditional) 🎶 Rendition by Shinjin Kise Full translation below 🎶 "Warabigami" 🎶 Misako Koja Translation excerpt below Misako Koja's "Warabigami," written in 1997 affer the birth of her first grandchild, hits differently in this context. The first time I heard a mournful rendition of the song was when she performed it at a June 19, 2016 protest rally (attended by tens of thousands of Shimanchu and allies) following the murder of 20-year-old Rina Shimabukuro by American civilian contractor and ex-U.S. Marine Kenneth Franklin Gadson. Surely, Koja never imagined having to sing the song under such circumstances. ⤵️ Some translations below ⤵️ (by no means am I an expert, so apologies in advance for any mistakes!) --- 🎶 SANYAMA BUSHI 🎶 Translation from "Nufani: English Translation of Kumiodori and Okinawan Poetry," Naganori Komine: "I can't believe it's real! I'm at quite a loss. It's like the daze that comes Just after a nightmare." --- 🎶 WARABIGAMI 🎶 Translation excerpt from karakui.wordpress.com: "Though stormy winds may blow As you go through this world I will shelter you from the storm, so you may bloom like a flower Irayo hei, irayo hoi, irayo, My dearest child, Don't you cry, heiyo heiyo, May the heavens shine on you Be a good human being, heiyo, heiyo, To lead a worthy life"

#okinawa #okinawan #uchinaanchu #uchinanchu #shimanchu #ryukyu #loochoo #沖縄 #ウチナーンチュ #島人 #琉球 #music

[chimugukuru]

A VERY DESCRIPTIVE PROFILE OF YOUR MUSE. repost with the information of your muse, including headcanons, etc. if you fail to achieve some of the facts, add some other of your own!

NAME. Kamado Higa

NICKNAME(S). Kam, Mado,

TITLE(S). Madame Kinetic, Kinetic Spider

AGE. Verse dependent, typically teens-early 20s

SPECIES. Verse dependent (mutant, metahuman, etc).

GENDER. Trans woman, she/her/hers pronouns

NATIONALITY. Dual citizenship, Japan & United States

ETHNICITY. Uchinaanchu (Indigenous Okinawan)

ALIGNMENT. True Neutral

INTERESTS. Marine biology

PROFESSION. Student, part-time vigilante

BODY TYPE. Average height, prepubescent (on puberty blockers)

EYES. Dark brown

HAIR. Black, very straight and shiny (like a conditioner commercial)

SKIN. Light, yellow undertone

FACE. Oval

HEIGHT. 5'8"

VOICE: May be heard in involuntary reactions (yawning, breathing hard, etc.) but otherwise unused. Communicates primarily through ASL and writing

SIGNIFICANT OTHER? Verse-dependent

COMPANIONS. Verse-dependent, but typically other superheroes/super-powered people

ANTAGONISTS. Verse-dependent,

COLORS. Green, cream, brown, tan

FRUITS. Most. Cautiously willing to try new things.

DRINKS. Water, tea

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. None

SMOKES? No

DRUGS? No

DRIVERS LICENSE? No

Tagged by: @oftomorrow

Tagging: anyone who wants to do the thing! <3

#kamado headcanon #oftomorrow

[murayamagrooves-blog]

Soundscape with samples, flutes + synth

#soundscape #soundscapes #flute #uchinaanchu #diyphiladelphia #phillymusician #phillymusicians #diyphilly #phillyband #electronicmusic #electronics #gearhead #gearnerd #music #musicnerd #guitarpedals #pedals #pedalboard #murayamamusic #murayama #loops #synth #synthesizer #jdxi #roland #rc3 #bossrc3 #relaxinggroove #meditate #okinawa

[icharibachoodee]

🌺 Episode #5! Kick back with your favorite drink and join our co-hosts Mariko, Erica, Tori and new contributor Emma Anderson who will be helping to guest-host Ichariba Choodee episodes! Stepping out from behind the podcast audio-editing role she’s been in, Emma shares her experiences with us as a gosei, fifth generation Okinawan and Swedish American, in this casual and laughter-filled get-to-know-you episode. From her involvement in her local Kenjinkai, to her path playing Okinawan Koto in the Ryukyu Sokyoku Koyokai, to being a soul-funk Radio show DJ... we are ippee excited to share the amazing stories of another amazing Shimanchu! Karii and mensore Emma! And, as always, make sure to stick around to the end of the episode for our Okinawa fun fact of the day. Ippee nifee debiru to Emma for providing this episode's music (Kajadifu Bushi) and thank you to Erica for the lovely illustration! Shoutout to the editing team Emma and Joey for all your amazing work. Links and references to topics we cover in the show can be found in our show notes (link in our bio). Karii and mesōre, Emma~ 🍻 https://www.instagram.com/p/CWIsTholAO6/?utm_medium=tumblr

#5 #shimanchupodcast #icharibachoodee #okinawa #ryukyu #uchinaa #shimanchu #uchinaanchu #uchinaaguchi #lewchew #loochoo #diaspora #indigenous #japan #沖縄