Preview

Female Religious Preeminence in the Indigenous Religion of Okinawa

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
816 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Female Religious Preeminence in the Indigenous Religion of Okinawa
The indigenous religion of Okinawa is unique in that it defies typical gender rolls that most prominent world religions have developed and continue to exhibit. In this religion, women are not relegated to playing subservient roles based on their gender, but in contrast, constitute the majority of religious leadership within the culture. What makes the indigenous religion of Okinawa exceptionally groundbreaking is the fact that this female dominated religion is the respected and “only on the Ryukyu Islands do women lead the official mainstream religion” (127). The Okinawan religion’s lack of a defined gender ideology, as well as its female dominated religious culture makes it stand as exceptionally unique and contrasting to most of the worlds popular world religions.
With the exception of the religion of Okinawa, “all known religions led by women are comprised only of women and/or are considered marginal, subordinate, or secondary in the societies in which they are located” (127). The women in the indigenous religion of Okinawa live without the entrenched sphere of male domination that is present in most religious and government bodies throughout the world. There is an embedded deference for women and “Okinawan women are acknowledged and respected leaders of the publicly funded indigenous religion in which both men and women participate” (127). Sered notes that it has not been an easy road for the culture as a whole throughout this tenure of female religious domination. The culture has in fact been through many political and social changes in which the legitimacy of female religious prominence was never upended. “Women’s female preeminence in Okinawa has endured through a range of political structures and political changes: decentralized villages, warring feudal chiefdoms, a centralized monarchy, occupation by foreign power” (128). It is an imbedded aspect of their culture that has remained unchanged during the long and at times tumultuous history of the



Cited: Peach, Lucinda Joy. "Women and World Religions". New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 2002

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Relgion 133 Version 3

    • 29552 Words
    • 119 Pages

    de Bary, William Theodore, ed. 1958. Sources of Indian Tradition. New York: Columbia University Press. Dhammika, Sravasti, ed. 1989. Buddha Vacana. Singapore: Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society. Horner, I.B. 1930. Women under Primitive Buddhism: Laywomen and Almswomen. New York: Dutton. ______, trans. 1967. The Collection of the Middle Length Sayings (Majjhimanikaya). vol. 3. London: Luzac. Hughes, Ernest R., and K. Hughes. 1950. Religion in China. London: Hutchinson. Nanamoli [formerly Osborne Moore], trans. 1972. The Life of the Buddha as It Appears in the Pali Canon, the Oldest Authentic Record. Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society. Nhat Hanh, Thich. 1988. The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajñaparamita Heart Sutra. Berkeley: Parallax Press. Paul, Diana Y., ed. 1979. Women in Buddhism: Images of the Feminine in Mahayana Tradition. Berkeley: Asian Humanities Press. Rhys Davids, Caroline A. 1964. Psalms of the Early Buddhists. vol. 1 (Psalms of Sisters). London: Luzac, for the Pali Text Society. Rhys Davids, Thomas W., trans. 1881. Buddhist Sutras (F. Max Müller, ed., Sacred Books of the East, 11). Oxford: Clarendon Press. ______, trans. 1880. The Questions of King Milinda, Part I (sbe, 35). Oxford: Clarendon Press. Suzuki, D.T. 1991. An Introduction to Zen Buddhism. New York: Grove Press. Tsunoda, Ryusaku. 1958. Sources of Japanese Tradition. New York: Columbia University Press.…

    • 29552 Words
    • 119 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Religion 133 Bota Paper

    • 1507 Words
    • 7 Pages

    “I love Hawaii,” says Ganga. “I love that it is a combination of all of our cultures.” “It’s your turn to share with us about Shintoism.” Ganga gently reminds him. “Yes.” agrees Huang He, “How does Shintoism play into all of this?”…

    • 1507 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the 1950’s women were brought up to believe that they are strong leaders passing along their families’ traditions, values and faith in order to keep the beliefs of their culture ongoing. From their Native American ancestors, they inherited the belief that women are wise and powerful offering their unique and valuable contributions…

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Izanami Chapter Summary

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This book chronicles the emergence of Shintoism and the transplantation of Buddhism into the Japanese soil by narrating the exploits of the Deities who create the country and the feats of medieval warriors who change forever the fabric of the Japanese society. The Deities IZANAGI and IZANAMI are appointed by their superiors of Heaven, the incumbents of the creation of a new world and should procreate to start a new dynasty on Earth. During the procreation phase, Izanami dies by giving birth to the God of Fire.…

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Being comprised as an informative read, the chapter gives a better understanding of Buddhist women including their official and unofficial roles, the rules they must follow, and the social changes they have had to endure. Growing up as a devoted Christian, I have always known the church to be a place where men were leading the services, not knowing that a women could lead services in other religions. Reading Anderson’s chapter on Buddhism I was intrigued to learn that many Buddhist nuns had the same positions as the monks did within their religion. The nuns were “full members of the monastic order and were recognized for their extraordinary intellectual and spiritual talents and accomplishments” (p. 86). Anderson also states that “during the first 200 years of Buddhism the difference between the nuns’ and monks’ orders were insignificant” showing again the direct relation that women and men had within their Buddhist traditions (p.…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Growing up with a family of five sisters and myself as first generation Korean Americans, The Women Warrior focuses on the author’s life were she struggles to find her voice. Maxine Hong Kingston’s writing of this book is an example of how ancient talk stories, myths, and beliefs help one find her voice in America. The Women Warrior takes us on an adventure through five main female characters and five chapters that helps us understand how she finds her voice in America. The five chapters integrate Kingston’s experiences through the five women brought to life throughout the book. The references in the book…

    • 3520 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many religions of the world have eight elements in common. The elements are a belief system, community, central myths, ritual, ethics, characteristic emotional experiences, material expression, and sacredness. These elements help shape religions and the people who believe in them. In this paper I discuss how these elements are similar or how they differ in each of a few of indigenous religions.…

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    References: Molloy, M. (2010). Experiencing the world 's religions. (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.…

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Heian Theme Introduction In the history of Japan, the Heian period is thought by many critics and literal experts an important age of art and culture. During this time period, Japan was able to develop a strong and very important sense of native visuals. The period was so developed that even merchants and warriors had started in becoming important political and social figures within the Heian period. The period had also witnessed a substantial rise in liberty of women and is some kind of the milestone in Japanese feminism during this conflicting course of history.…

    • 1626 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Native American culture, it was common to see many women with powerful roles in the community. Most families were Matrilineal , with the woman’s family in charge. When the Europeans arrived in the late 1600’s to early 1700’s the roles of women began to change from the usual life they had before, to a whole new set of guidelines.…

    • 568 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shinto Research Paper

    • 1490 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The bones of religion were conceived the moment man first walked the Earth. It has provided comfort to loneliness, answers to the unknown and euphoria with a fulfilling experience. Much like humanity, religion varies, thrives and changes with history. Japan is a land rich in a variety of topography. It is a country abundant in islands, containing lush environments of mountain peaks, volcanic ranges, sweet cherry blossoms, and a history deeply embedded in its indigenous legends (Piggott 11-12). Nothing details this more than its religion, so ancient its songs has ringed bells for a millennium. Shinto has thrived since the Common Era, carrying with it a deep connection to nature to a time wherein humanity has forgotten the root of its existence.…

    • 1490 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    and how they hold the religion together. In many of these tribes there was an equality in…

    • 2216 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    D. Adamson, C. (2007, Winter). Gendered Anxieties: Islam, Women 's Rights, and Moral Hierarchy in Java. Anthropological Quarterly, 80(1), 5-37. Retrieved May 24, 2008, from Academic Search Alumni Edition database.…

    • 1350 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    How have anthropologists argued that gender is socially constructed, with reference to the Japanese and Mosuo culture.Within this essay, it will be discussed how anthropologists have argued that gender is socially constructed. It is argued that this occurs as a result of human behaviour, thought or interference, which reflects the social norms within a culture and is not due to any physical, natural or biological difference (Bussey & Bandura, 1999). When anthropologists discuss the societal construction of gender, it is crucial to first differentiate between “sex” and “gender”. “Sex” refers to the biological and physical characteristics which define men and women, primarily concerned with genes and genitals (Torgrimson & Minson, 2005). Male and female are the two standard classifications of sex, however in some societies the recognition of a third sex, “intersexed”, refers to those that do not clearly fit these descriptions (Torgrimson & Minson, 2005). In contrast, “gender” refers to the behavioural, cultural or psychological traits and actions typically associated with the expectations of a certain sex within a society (Torgrimson & Minson, 2005). The notion that boys like blue and girls like pink is a gender difference; there is no natural or biological reason for this belief, as it is a social constructed concept. To further substantiate the argument that gender is a social construct, two contrasting societal examples will be cited; the patriarchal society of Japan, and the matriarchal society of the Chinese Mosuo. Each culture differs in what is deemed socially acceptable behaviour and characteristics for both men and women. It is this difference which has crafted the ideology that gender is not fixed, as is sex, but is a fluid, non-inherent identity, learned through enculturation. It further supports the supposition that gender cannot be innate, or males and females would display characteristics and behaviour appropriate to one sex only,…

    • 1938 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although religions today take on many shapes and forms, and may seem so dramatically different from each other, in order to study and understand these religions, their similarities must be identified. This paper will first present a definition of religion that will connect to all religions at the simplest base. Then this paper will examine the common practices and experiences that are present in both the primary religions of the world, as well as the indigenous religions. Finally, this paper will discuss the issues that are critical to the academic study of religions.…

    • 859 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays