A Little Bit About Ancient Okinawans

The oldest human remains discovered on Okinawa were those of a seven-year-old girl estimated to be approximately 32,000 years old. Her remains were found inside Yamashita Daiichi Cave in the Yamashita district of Naha in 1962. 

Yamashita Daiichi Cave is a semi-cave ruin and because it was used as a grave it escaped destruction in postwar quarrying. The bones of an 8-year-old girl, subsequently called the Yamashita-dojin were excavated from here. It is one of the most significant finds within the whole of the East Asian region and in 1969 it was designated as a Cultural Property by Okinawa Prefecture. 

 

 

 

 

 

Six years later, the remains of a male who lived more than 18,000 years ago were unearthed in the Minatogawa district of Gushikami. Not much is known about how these ancient Okinawans lived, but scientists are continuing lo discover more about Okinawa’s past through new excavation sites.

 Ancient Okinawans lived in small coastal communities and survived mostly on small fish and shellfish. Archeologists called this the “Shellmound Era” because of the mounds of discarded shells and fish bones that were found during numerous excavations.

Okinawans who inhabited the island during the Shellmound Era, several thousand years ago, lived in caves near the coastline. As civilization advanced, building technology improved to simple dwellings made from wood, thatch, and earth. These early Okinawans survived on fish, shellfish, and small animals that they occasionally hunted. Tools crafted from bone and stone were used. This way of life lasted until approximately 1,500 years ago.