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杉浦　ちなみ

July, 2015

Abstract

This working paper tries to trace the development of the learning of local culture in school through historical and field research on a school in Amami Oshima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
In Amami Oshima, people used to perform the Hachigatsu-Odori, a traditional community dance. However, as the island was modernized after the Meiji restoration, the schoolteachers in Amami prohibited children from using the local language at schools. Around 1975, people in Amami realized that they must preserve their traditional local culture, which they had almost forgotten. Nowadays schools, the social education administration and local community are working together to preserve local cultures and encourage people to enjoy them.
In the case of Kasari Junior High School, North of Amami Oshima Island, residents come to school to teach students how to sing and dance the Hachigatsu-Odori. The connection of the school and the community is quite strong.