Push to preserve native Okinawan languages reaches Hawaii

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – While the culture of Okinawa continues to thrive in Hawaii, the native language of the southern islands of Japan is on the verge of extinction.

The decline began in the late 1800s when Japan annexed Okinawa and took control of the once independent kingdom of Ryukyu.

“So after the annexation in 1879, the Japanese identified it as a dialect, a dialect of Japanese,” said Dr. Mark McNally, director of Okinawan Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

At the time, he says the Japanese wanted to unify the country and modernize the spoken word among the people.

“One of the critical components of that is everybody speak a common language right? So as a way of kind of feeling that you’re one people, we’re going to speak the same language,” said McNally.

What followed was a steady of decline of Uchinaguchi, one of the dominant Okinawan languages. Now, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO, less than one percent of Okinawans speak any form of its native language.

Fortunately, this decline has caught the attention of those who are asking for help from Hawaii language experts who have revived Olelo Hawaii to where it is today.

“It’s the Okinawans in Okinawa who are sort of interfacing with language revitalization people here,” he said.

McNally remains very optimistic that there is a path forward to save Okinawa’s native languages, especially with all the attention the year 2025 has brought to commemorating the first Okinawans coming here 125 years ago.

He also attributes this to the vibrant Okinawan community here in Hawaii as clearly exhibited at the annual Uchinanchu Festival, where the dance and pageantry of the Okinawan people are alive and well.

“The energy, the enthusiasm is there, so this is a good time to kind of link one with the other, right revitalization efforts along with the sheer energy that’s in the local Okinawan community,” said McNally.

And with that, one leader in the Okinawan community here summed it up best using an Okinawan word.

“Chibariyo just means go for it, so anytime there is an event of challenge in the Okinawan community, think shibariyu, go for it. Let’s get it done,” said Okinawan community leader David Arakawa.

That’s a message that is easy to understand, no matter what language you speak.