article
'Munchuu-making' and disequilibrium distribution of knowledge in an Okinawan village
Minzokugaku-kenkyu • 51 (4) • Published In 1986 • Pages: 344-374
By: Oda Makoto.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
In this study, Oda examines the different kinds of knowledge involved in the formation of descent groups (MUNCHU) in northern Okinawa. He documents the change in village organization from a focus on house-lines where status is based on proximity to the village's founding household, to an emphasis on family-lines, where status is based on connections to outside aristocratic families. Genealogical knowledge is required for this process, however, it is not equally shared by everyone. In order to keep the house-lines going, many households in the past adopted heirs, whose genealogical connections were remote or forgotten over time. This creates a problem for establishing MUNCHU ties. The elite have a more complete knowledge of their genealogies than commoners, however, even elite claims have to be verified by the secret knowledge of shamans who understand sicknesses and calamities in terms of genealogical violations and prescribe cures to remedy them.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Mode of marriage
- Household
- Adoption
- Kinship terminology
- Clans
- Community structure
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Okinawans
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2000
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Asia
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- East Asia
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Ian Skoggard ; 2000
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- no date
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1960s
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Shioya village, Ohgimi county, Okinawa prefecture, Japan
- NotesAdditional notes
- Oda Makoto
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 373-374)
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Ryukyuans