Yaeyama people

Like other Ryukyuans, the Yaeyama mainly descend from the Jōmon people, who were hunter-gatherers that lived in both mainland Japan and the Ryukyu Islands.[1] The Yayoi people who migrated into the area around 2,000 years ago had more of a cultural influence on Ryukyu's inhabitants rather than a genetic one.[1]

The Ryukyu Kingdom only controlled Okinawa until it annexed the Yaeyama, Amami and Miyako islands in the 16th century.[2] During this time, the Ryukyuans gained tributary status to China and were important trading partners throughout the region.[2]

In March 1609, the Satsuma Domain of Japan invaded the Ryukyu Kingdom, winning the war by May. The Amami Islands were annexed by Satsuma while the rest of the Ryukyu Kingdom (including the Yaeyama Islands) became a vassal.[3]

In 1879, the Japanese Empire annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom, cementing its control over the Yaeyama Islands. Years later, the Imperial Japanese government started to suppress Yaeyama culture and identity, as they did with the other Ryukyuans as well.[4]

The United States occupied the Yaeyama Islands after defeating the Japanese Empire in World War II. In 1950, the islands were incorporated into the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands. In 1972, the islands were given back to Japan and were made a part of Okinawa Prefecture.

The indigenous Yaeyama language is a Southern Ryukyuan language. It is not spoken on the island of Yonaguni, which has its own language and identity, despite being a part of the Yaeyama Islands. The Japanese government classifies Yaeyama as a dialect of Japanese, despite the lack of mutual intelligibility.

Due to assimilation policies,[4] younger generations tend to speak Japanese instead.

The native religion of the Yaeyama Islands is the Ryukyuan religion, which involves ancestor worship and animistic practices.[5] Other religions practiced by the Yaeyama include Shintoism, Buddhism and to a much lesser extent, Christianity.