Kamiuta and Possesion : Sacred Songs at Karimata of the Island of Miyako-jima(<Special Issue>Language and Shamanism)

Abstract

Sacred songs called kamiuta have been defined as a stylized and popularized version of oracles which had been originally uttered by the possessed at rituals in a primitive community. So the origin of kamiuta has been almost always traced to "oracles by the possessed" and its words comprehended as a remnant of ancient divine messages. Of course, such historical research is worthwhile in order to understand the old songs, but what is more important is to actually see and hear kamiuta itself in performance. Thus it seems necessary to reconsider the relation between kamiuta and possessed oracles from a performative perspective.