The change of folk culture and women's role among fishing communities in Ryukyu Islands.

该研究项目于1998年至2000年开展，目的是讨论妇女参与改变非伊托曼海洋社会的民间文化。为了进行这项研究，选择了两个海洋社区进行实地调查，即萨拉哈马，（渔业社区辅以农业）宫古和大滨的海武岛以八重山县石垣岛市为例，收集了有关1）渔业活动和转型、2）渔民家庭的经济、3）渔民妻子的经济角色、（4）渔妇的社会贡献;（5）妇女对渔民信仰和仪式的影响。这两个社区对渔业的经济依赖程度大不相同，但是，妇女参与渔业社区特有的社会和经济方面的情况几乎相同，妇女主要参与石制潮汐器皿的捕鱼活动，渔民的妻子作为商贩和市场妇女活跃在渔获分配领域。渔民的家庭经济基本上是通过性别分工来维持的，即男性在海上捕鱼，女性在陆地上卖丈夫捕捞的鱼，女性对渔民的情感和精神影响是显著的，同时也是经济上的影响，因此女性在一个海洋社区中通常占据主导地位。

This research project has carried out from 1998 to 2000, to discuss women's participation to the change of folk culture among non-Itoman maritime societies. For this research purpose, two maritime communities had been selected for field survey, namely Sarahama (fishing community supplemented by agriculture) Irabu Island in Miyako and Oohama (agricultural community supplemented by fishing) in Ishigakijima, Yaeyama.I collected data focusing on 1) fishng activities and transformation, 2) economy among fishing household, 3) economic role of fisherman's wife, 4) social contribution of fisherman's wife, 5) women's influence to the belief and the ritual among fishermen. Economic dependence on fishing is widely different between these two communities, however, women's participation to social and economic aspect which is peculiar among fishing communities is almost same.Women participate mostly in a domain of fishing activities in stone tidal ware and fishermen's wife is active in a area of distribution of catch as a venders and market woman. Household economy among fisher-folk is maintained basically by sexual division of labor, that is to say, men work on the sea as fishermen and women work on the land selling fish cauhgt by their husbands.Women's emotional and mental influence on fishermen is remarkable as well as economic influence, so that women usually hold dominant position in a maritime communities.