Okinawa's Cultural Ties to Southeast Asia

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Breezes from Lands Below the Winds In the Ryukus; Southeast Asian Influences in Okinawan Culture

Between the 14th and 16th centuries, the Ryukyu Kingdom was the main trade link between East and Southeast Asia, even transporting goods from South Asia to China and Japan. The impact of these early contacts with Java, Thailand, Laos and Malaysia still appear today in various aspects of Okinawan culture, especially textiles, dance, music and language.

This talk will cover the history of Ryukyuan contacts with the "Lands Below the Winds", the places that the monsoon blew its ships down to. Through a variety of visual and audio examples, it will show how Okinawa absorbed and transformed cultural influences from Southeast Asia.

The presenter is Garrett Kam, who was born in Hawaii and received his M.A. in Asian Studies at UHM. He has been living in Southeast Asia for over 20 years, principally on Java and Bali. He has also studied Okinawan dance and music.

Ticket Information
free admission

Event Sponsor
Center for Japanese Studies & Asian Studies Program's Freeman Artist-in-Residence program, Manoa

More Information
Ricardo D. Trimillos, 956-6085, rtrimil@hawaii.edu

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