Not just western occupation but also Japanese occupation. Ryukyuans are the indigenous ethnic group, like the Ainu in what is currently called Hokkaido.
Sure. Although at this point its very difficult to draw any kind of straight line between native Ainu/Ryukyuans and migrant Japanese given how many have dual parentage.
But I have met a couple of ryukyuans and they really are a lot different, it's a related language not a "dialect" as many Yamato people like to refer to it as. And they look very different- certain parts of Hawaii have a lot of Okinawan people, and when I see current Okinawa residents, they look to me like they're from Hilo Hawaii.
Hell even Ryukyu is a weird word, it's the japanized pronunciation of Ruuchuu or Luchu
As a history professor once told me, the difference between a "dialect" and a "language" is a standing army.
But yeah the Okinawans have always gotten the shaft from the mainland Japanese government, the fact that they have to play host to nearly all of the occupying American military forces is one part of that. We're thankfully past the days when their language and religion were illegal but the legacy of fascist Japan's policies lives on.
That's true of many indigenous people. For example, the Maori people of New Zealand almost all have some degree of intermixing with European settlers, to the point where some scientists believe that there are no longer any genetically "pure" Maori (if such a term ever made sense) left today.
However, that doesn't stop Maori people from having their own culture, language, and struggle for liberation against colonialism.
Not disagreeing with you here at all, just wanting to add that according to Okinawa Prefecture, about 8% of Okinawa's land area is occupied by US bases, including about 14% of the total area of the main inhabited island.
70% of Japanese land set aside for American bases is in Okinawa.
Liberate Okinawa from the tyrannical occupation of Western devils
Not just western occupation but also Japanese occupation. Ryukyuans are the indigenous ethnic group, like the Ainu in what is currently called Hokkaido.
Sure. Although at this point its very difficult to draw any kind of straight line between native Ainu/Ryukyuans and migrant Japanese given how many have dual parentage.
That's sorta how it always goes
But I have met a couple of ryukyuans and they really are a lot different, it's a related language not a "dialect" as many Yamato people like to refer to it as. And they look very different- certain parts of Hawaii have a lot of Okinawan people, and when I see current Okinawa residents, they look to me like they're from Hilo Hawaii.
Hell even Ryukyu is a weird word, it's the japanized pronunciation of Ruuchuu or Luchu
As a history professor once told me, the difference between a "dialect" and a "language" is a standing army.
But yeah the Okinawans have always gotten the shaft from the mainland Japanese government, the fact that they have to play host to nearly all of the occupying American military forces is one part of that. We're thankfully past the days when their language and religion were illegal but the legacy of fascist Japan's policies lives on.
That's true of many indigenous people. For example, the Maori people of New Zealand almost all have some degree of intermixing with European settlers, to the point where some scientists believe that there are no longer any genetically "pure" Maori (if such a term ever made sense) left today.
However, that doesn't stop Maori people from having their own culture, language, and struggle for liberation against colonialism.
Not disagreeing with you here at all, just wanting to add that according to Okinawa Prefecture, about 8% of Okinawa's land area is occupied by US bases, including about 14% of the total area of the main inhabited island.
70% of Japanese land set aside for American bases is in Okinawa.