Ryukyuans
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 Okinawa PrefectureKagoshima Prefecture (Amami) Taiwan Philippines Brazil Peru California (USA) Hawaii (USA) |
|
| Languages | |
| Ryukyuan languages, Japanese | |
| Religion | |
| Ryukyuan religion, Buddhism, Shinto | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Yamato people, Ainu/Jōmon |
The Ryukyuan, Lewchewan,Uchinaachu (琉球民族 Ryūkyū minzoku?, Okinawan: Ruuchuu minzuku) are the indigenous peoples of the Ryukyu Islands between the islands of Kyushu and Taiwan. Politically, they live in either Okinawa Prefecture or Kagoshima Prefecture. Their languages make up the Ryukyuan language family, considered to be one of the two branches of the Japonic language family, the other one being Japanese and its dialects.
Ryukyuans are not a recognized minority group in Japan as the Japanese authorities consider them just a subgroup of the Japanese people, akin to the Yamato and Ainu. Although unrecognized, Ryukyuans constitute the largest ethnolinguistic minority group in Japan, with 1.3 million living in Okinawa Prefecture alone. Another 300,000 are dispersed outside Japan, mostly in Hawaii.
Recent genetic and anthropological studies indicate that the Ryukyuans are significantly related to the Ainu people and mostly share the ancestry with the indigenous prehistoric Jōmon period (pre 10,000–1,000 BCE) people, who arrived from Southeast Asia, compared to the mainland Yamato people who are mostly an admixture of the Yayoi period (1,000 BCE–300 CE) migrants from Northeast Asia (specifically Korean peninsula). The Ryukyuans have a specific culture with some matriarchal elements, native religion, and cuisine which had fairly late 12th century introduction of rice. The population lived on the islands in isolation for many centuries, and in the 14th century from the three divided Okinawan political polities emerged the Ryukyu Kingdom (1429–1879) which continued the maritime trade and tributary relations started in 1372 with Ming dynasty China. In 1609 the kingdom was invaded by Satsuma Domain which allowed its independence being in vassal status because the Tokugawa Japan was prohibited to trade with China, being in dual subordinate status between both China and Japan.
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