(The prehistoric era till the Archaic (Jomon) Period)
The oldest record of human occupation of what is sometimes called the Ryukyu Islands or Archipelago dates back to some 32,000 years BP (Before Present time) with the discovery of the remains of an eight year old girl in Yamashita, Naha. Perhaps the most interesting find however is that of the Minatogawa man found at Gushikami Village which dates back to 18,000 BP. What makes this find interesting is that it is a complete skeleton and in excellent condition. The oldest remains found on other islands, were found at Ueno Village on Miyako Island, the Pinzaabu caveman, and he's been dated at 26,000 BP. One of the main reasons older skeletal remains are found more commonly on Okinawa as opposed to mainland Japan is because of the abundance of limestone on Okinawa, which preserves bones very well. Originally made from coral, limestone also preserves an excellent record of the marine environment around Okinawa.

There was a land bridge between Japan, Okinawa and the Asian continent until about 20,000 BP when the last major ice age ended. The first people to have migrated to Japan and Okinawa are referred to as 'old mongoloids' and are the ancestors of the Indigenous people of North and South America. Thus, many believe the ancient Okinawans to be related to the Indigenous Ainu which can still be found in Northern Japan. Chances are that the migratory patterns to Okinawa and Japan prior to the rise in sea levels would have consisted of small bands, family groups rather than an en masse migration (though this is an assumption on my part at the moment). Stone tools dating back to 20,000-30,000 BP have been found in Okinawa, however they don't seem to classify them as part of the small stone tool traditional of the northern hemisphere, ie Japan, Northern China, North America. Around about 6,000 BP there was a second migratory period from the Eurasian continent, this time made up of peoples called new mongoloids from northern China/ Mongolia who made their way through Korea and then Kyushu to mainland Japan.

There was some migration of new mongoloids to Okinawa from southern China via Taiwan, as it is believed that wetland farming and rice cultivation was introduced during this period. Interestingly enough, some believe that wetland farming technology could have been transmitted to mainland Japan via Okinawa, as people from Northern China would have been more accustomed to dry land farming and wheat as a stable. Farming and agrarianism would have been done on a limited basis as people of this period where still semi-sedentary (hunter gatherers) and continually moved to different locations throughout the year, depending on availability of resources. At about 7,000 BP two distinctly different cultures appear in Okinawa, both influenced by the Jomon culture of Kyushu. Jomon culture is distinct as it uses ceramics, and some of the world's oldest ceramics have been found near Fukuoka dated to about 12,000 BP.

Archaeologically, the Ryukyu Archipelago has been divided into three zones; the Northern Area covering Tanegashimi and Yakushima (Kagoshima Prefecture), the central area consisting of Amami Island and the main islands of Okinawa, and the southern area made of Miyako and Yaeyama islands. The Northern Area is heavily influenced by Kyushu Jomon ceramics and their cultures seem almost identical. The Central Area is marked by a 'Shell Mound' culture which lasted until the 10th century. Communities on Amami and Okinawa islands relied on hunting and fishing and moved between the coast and the inland hills depending on the season, and availability of resources. Near the coast where people harvested sea shells are the remains of mounds or middens of discarded shells. Some excavated mounds yielded 150 different types of mollusc shell. These mounds may have been constructed to serve a purpose, as most of the archaoelogical finds of tools and ornaments seem to be in these mounds of shells. Early examples of earthenware from this culture resemble Jomon ceramics, however, with time they developed a particular style of their own. Stone tools and utensils were completely different Jomon Japan, and they produced a great variety of ornaments and utensils from shell and fish/animal bones.

There is evidence of trade with mainland Japan, at Chiarabaru ruins in Gushikawa City obsidian spearheads have been found along with Jomon ceramics. Furthermore, cone shells and a stock of conch has been uncovered in Northern Kyushu.

The Southern Area has two different prehistoric cultures. The first starts around 4,000 BP and their earthenware has a distinctive style, being thicker and having handles on opposite sides of vessels. The style of ceramic is called Shirutabaru Type earthenware Culture. They also used ground stone axes as well as bone and shell ornaments. The second prehistoric culture is more recently dated at 2,000 BP but has no tradition of ceramic manufacture. They do have interesting tools made from giant clam shells though. There are suggestions that this Southern Area frequently traded with other prehistoric cultures from Southern China and South East Asia, however, at this stage more research needs to be done confirm such ideas.

Paul Saeki.