Group - Ryukyuan people

The Ryukyuan or Lewchewan people ( , Ryukyu minzoku , Okinawan, Lyuchyu minzuk) are the indigenous peoples of the Ryukyu Islands between the islands of Kyushu and Taiwan. The generally recognized subgroups of Ryukyuans are Amamians, Okinawans, Miyakoans, Yaeyamans, and Yonagunians. Geographically, they live in either Okinawa Prefecture or Kagoshima Prefecture. Their languages (or dialects), such as Uchinaguchi, make up the Ryukyuan language family, one of the two branches of the Japonic language family, the other one being Japanese and its dialects. These languages are, in fact, different from Japanese and cannot be understood by a native Japanese speaker without some effort (However,the speech of the Ryukyus has also been considered dialects of Japanese. Many Japanese dialects are not mutually intelligible with one another). The term Uchinaanchu ( ) refers to only people from Uchinaa (Okinawa) while Ryukyuans refers to the entire of Ryukyu. The culture of Ryukyuans, though closely related to mainland Japanese culture, is nonetheless distinctive in that it historically received much more influence from China and has separate political and religious traditions. The Ryukyuan people's marine environmental protection awareness is very strong. Traditionally, Uchina'anchus have a very tightly-knit family life and enjoy close personal friendships, which contributes to dietary factors that make Uchinanchu among the longest-lived people in the world. Uchinanchu tend to see themselves as bound together by their home island and, especially among older Uchina'anchu, will always consider themselves from Uchina'a first and Japan second. Okinawan food is rich in vitamins and minerals and is a good balance of protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Although rice is a staple food, pork, seaweed, rich miso (fermented soybean) pastes, and black sugar all feature prominently in native cuisine. Most famous to tourists is the bitter melon, goya, which is often mixed into a rice dish called goya champuru. The taste of goya can best be described as an acquired taste by some, but others will describe its unique flavor as one that is approximated by no other vegetable.