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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

When I was a little boy my father once lifted me upon his shoulders that I might see the President of the United States as he passed us. That was not the first time I had stood upon the shoulders of another, nor was it the last.

I would be shamefully dishonest and disgracefully uncharitable if I were not to acknowledge those who, like my parents, have challenged me to be dissatisfied with my present accomplishments, and have stimulated me to new ones.

Much thanks must go to my wife, Nancy, and my four children, Jimmie, Joey, Judy, and Johnnie, who were patient when time was stolen from then. Their love and devotion are irreplaceable.

Publications by Dr. William Lebra, Okinawan Religion; and Dr. George H. Kerr, Okinawa: The History of an Island People; and Dr. Clarence J. Glacken, The Great Loochoo, were especially helpful. Professor Sokyo Ono's Shinto: The Kami Way, was both stimulating and informative. Thanks are also due the University of Hawaii Press for permission to quote from Okinawa Religion by William P. Lebra and from Ryukyuan Culture and Society: A Survey.

Special appreciation must go to Dr. William Stockton, Anthropologist, and Mr. Sam Kitamura, Public Relations Department, USCAR, for encouragement and constructive criticism. Any errors or false conclusions, however, must rest upon me.

Typing and editing was done by Mr. William Stem, Jr., who labored long and hard over penmanship that has always served as a bewilderment both to my teachers and to my friends.

James C. Robinson