Okinawan Religion: Belief, Ritual, and Social Structure (Lebra, 1966)

William P. Lebra, an anthropologist, produced this monograph as a systematic descriptive account of the indigenous religion of Okinawa, meaning the beliefs, ritual and structure of the autochthonous system rather than the Buddhism and sectarian Shinto that reached the Ryukyus later as foreign imports. Based on fieldwork conducted between 1953 and 1961 and covering the period from 1875 to 1960, it describes Okinawan concepts of the supernatural, religious practice and religious specialists, and religious organization at the state, community, kin group and household levels, characterizing the tradition as uncomplicated, highly pragmatic and adaptable. Published by the University of Hawaii Press, it remains the standard English language ethnographic reference on the subject.