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Jinbun Project
Jinbun Project
"Jinbun" means "knowledge, wisdom" in Uchinaaguchi (Okinawan language). We understand it not just what we can learn from textbooks, but also the knowledge and wisdom we learn from the land and community surrounding us.
We decided to call our project "Jinbun Project" because we believe the resources introduced here are the gift from the rich local Okinawan culture and community in Hawaii.
Our project began in the fall semester of 2024 with a grant from the Elizabeth Spann Award. The members consist of students conducting research on Okinawa-related topics at UHM. We conducted research and interviews to complete this website to introduce various resources for Okinawan studies owned by UHM.
What we refer to here as "resources" includes not only books about Okinawa owned by UHM but also Okinawa-related courses, events, and the community available for the students of UHM. The purpose of this project is to showcase what resources UHM students can access when they want to learn about Okinawa.
Colloquium
Colloquium
On March 24, 2025, we held a colloquium at theUniversity of Hawaiʻi, co-sponsered by the Center for Okinawan Studies and Akisamiyo Club.
Flyers of the colloquium:
In this colloquium, each project members presented articled they had written that explored the resources of Okinawan studies available at UHM. We introduced the official project title "Jinbun project" and this website as a platform for sharing Okinawan studies resources at UHM.
The topics of the articles showcased the diversity of project members research interest, and they included Okinawa gender studies, Uchinaaguchi textbooks, Okinawan literature, Okinawan immigrants, and Okinawan social issues. Additionally, the colloquium provided an overview of Okinawa-related courses offered at UHM, how to access Ryukyu Shimpo and Okinawa Times, and an exhibition "Miree Ya Kugani" held at Hamilton library.
More than 30 participants joined the colloquium, including UH faculty, students, and many members of Hawaiʻi's local Okinawan community. During the discussion session at the end, the project members and the audience engaged in meaningful dialogue about the future direction of the project and how Okinawan studies at UHM can further strengthen its relationship with the local Okinawan community.
We sincerely thank everyone who joined the event and all those who supported us in this project.
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