The HATOMA films1981

The HATOMA films: Contains the following films: Waiting for Water (1981) 16mm, color sound, 27 mins; There's Nothing that doesn't Take Time (1981) 16mm, color/sound, 7 mins; The Priestess/The Storekeeper, (1983) 16mm, color/sound, 30 mins; Sacred Vandals (1983) 16mm, color/sound, 55 mins. vhs rental: 75.00. Hatoma is a coral island of just over one square kilometre in area, located in Yaeyama , the southernmost part of the Ryukyu Islands, now Okinawa Prefecture. Okinawa was once an independent kingdom and a flourishing trade route. Early in the 17th century the islands came under Japanese dominance and most were directly annexed by Japan in 1879. This led to a conscious policy of "Japanization" and the people were forced to learn Japanese in addition to their own dialects. The people were more resistant, however, to the influences of Buddhism and Confucianism, and retained their own belief system of animistic origins. In contrast to the rest of Japan, it is the women who take leading roles in the spiritual and ritual life of the islands, in addition to their responsibilities for farming and social activities. In 1972 the islands reverted to Japan after a period of US occupation, and despite their cultural traditions are becoming increasingly like the "mainland". SEE INDIVIDUAL FILMS ABOVE FOR DESCRIPTIONS