Place-based science from Okinawa: 18th-century climate and geology recorded in Ryukyuan classical music

Abstract. Indigenous knowledge can record scientific observations of specific “places” that may be difficult to preserve in the geological record. Such a place in “place-based” science highlights issues local to a learner with regard to engaging audiences on the scientific problems relevant to their communities. Here, we focus on a popular seafaring repertoire of Indigenous Ryukyuan classical music, called Nubui Kuduchi and Kudai Kuduchi, to examine place-based observations of 18th-century climate and geology in the Ryukyu Islands (21st-century Okinawa Prefecture, Japan). By comparing the environmental conditions recorded in these songs with those of 20th- and 21st-century studies, we find that surface winds, ocean currents, typhoons, and volcanism from lyrics parallel their respective observations in the scientific record. This novel perspective of art and science highlights the relevance of Ryukyuan classical music in teaching contemporary issues such as climate change and natural hazards. Thus, Ryukyuan Indigenous knowledge can play an innovative role in science engagement for 21st-century Okinawans in Okinawa Prefecture and for their diasporic kinsfolk worldwide.