Editing Ryukyuans (section)

===Early history===
{{Main|Shellmidden Period}}
The Ryukyu Islands were inhabited from at least 32,000–18,000 years ago,{{sfn|Hendrickx|2007|p=37}} but their fate and relation with contemporary Ryukyuans is uncertain.{{sfn|Pellard|2015|p=27}} During the [[Jōmon period]] (i.e., Kaizuka) or so-called [[History of the Ryukyu Islands#Okinawa midden culture|shell midden period]] (6,700–1,000 [[Before Present|YBP]]) of the Northern Ryukyus,{{sfn|Pellard|2015|p=27}} the population lived in a hunter-gatherer society, with similar mainland [[Jōmon pottery]].<ref name="TakeshiroSato2014"/> In the latter part of Jōmon period, archaeological sites moved near the seashore, suggesting the engagement of people in fishery.{{sfn|Kerr|2000}} It is considered that from the latter half of Jōmon period, the Ryukyu Islands developed their own culture.{{sfn|Hendrickx|2007|p=38}} Some scholars consider that the language and cultural influence was more far-reaching than blending of race and physical types.{{sfn|Kerr|2000}} The Yayoi culture which had a major influence on the Japanese islands, is traditionally dated from 3rd century BCE and recently from around 1000 BCE,{{sfn|Robbeets|2015|p=26}} and is notable for the introduction of Yayoi-type pottery, metal tools and cultivation of rice, however although some [[Yayoi pottery]] and tools were excavated on the Okinawa Islands, the rice was not widely cultivated before the 12th century CE, nor the Yayoi and the following [[Kofun period]] (250–538 CE) culture expanded into the Ryukyus.{{sfn|Pellard|2015|p=27}} The Southern Ryukyus culture was isolated from the Northern, and its Shimotabaru period (4,500–3,000 YBP) was characterized by a specific style of pottery, and the Aceramic period (2,500–800 YBP), during which no pottery was produced in this region.{{sfn|Pellard|2015|p=27}}<ref name="TakeshiroSato2014"/> Their prehistoric [[Yaeyama Islands|Yaeyama]] culture showed some intermingled affinities with various Taiwanese cultures, broadly, that the [[Sakishima Islands]] have some traces similar to the Southeast Asian and South Pacific cultures. The [[Amami Islands]] seem to be the islands with the most mainland Japanese influence.{{sfn|Hendrickx|2007|p=38}} However, both north and south Ryukyus were culturally unified in the 10th century.<ref name="TakeshiroSato2014"/>

The finding of ancient Chinese [[knife money]] near [[Naha]] in Okinawa indicates a probable contact with the ancient Chinese state [[Yan (state)|Yan]] as early as the 3rd century BCE. According to the {{transliteration|zh|[[Classic of Mountains and Seas|Shan Hai Jing]]}}, the Yan had relations with the [[Wa (name of Japan)|Wa]] ('dwarf', 'short') people living southeast of Korea, who could be related to both the mainland Japanese or Ryukyuans.{{sfn|Kerr|2000}} The futile search for the elixir of immortality by [[Qin Shi Huang]], the founder of the [[Qin dynasty]] (221–206 BCE), in which the emperor tried to cooperate with "happy immortals" who dwelt on the islands, could be related to both Japan and Ryukyu Islands.{{sfn|Kerr|2000}} There is a lack of evidence that the missions by the [[Han dynasty]] (206 BCE–220 CE) reached the islands; however, as the Japanese did reach Han's [[Luoyang|capital]], notes from 57 CE do mention a general practice of tattooing among the people of "hundred kingdoms" in the eastern islands, a practice which was widespread and survived only among the Okinawan's women, Ainu in Hokkaido, and [[Atayal people]] in Taiwan.{{sfn|Kerr|2000}} [[Cao Wei]] (220–265) and Han dynasty records show that the inhabitants of western and southern Japan and Okinawa had a lot in common regarding political-social institutions until the 2nd century CE – they were of small stature, bred [[oxen]] and [[swine]], and were ruled by women, with a special influence of women sorceresses, related to the Ryukyuan [[Noro (priestess)|Noro]] priestesses which were closely associated with local political power until the 20th century, as well as with the Ryukyuan swine economy culture until World War II. It is suggested that the mention of a specific sorceress Pimeku, her death and successive conflict, is related to some socio-political challenges of the ancient [[Matriarchy|matriarchal system]].{{sfn|Kerr|2000}}

The first certain mention of the islands and its people by the Chinese and Japanese is dated in the 7th century. [[Emperor Yang of Sui]], due to previous tradition, between 607–608 held expeditions in search of the "Land of Happy Immortals". As the Chinese envoy and the islanders linguistically could not understand each other, and the islanders did not want to accept the Sui rule and suzerainty, the Chinese envoy took many captives back to the court. The islands, by the Chinese named Liuqiu ([[Middle Chinese]]: {{transliteration|ltc|Lɨuɡɨu}}), would be pronounced by the Japanese as Ryukyu. However, when the Japanese diplomat [[Ono no Imoko]] arrived at the Chinese capital he noted that the captives probably arrived from the island of [[Yakushima|Yaku]] south of Kyushu. In 616 the Japanese annals for the first time mention the "Southern Islands people", and for the half-century were noted some intruders from Yaku and [[Tanu Province|Tanu]]. According to the {{transliteration|ja|[[Shoku Nihongi]]}}, in 698 a small force dispatched by Japanese government successfully claimed the [[Tanegashima|Tane-jima]], Yakushima, [[Amami Islands|Amami]], [[Tokunoshima]] and other islands.{{sfn|Kerr|2000}} The {{transliteration|ja|Shoku Nihongi}} recorded that the [[Hayato people]] in southern Kyushu still had female chieftains in the early 8th century. In 699 are mentioned islands Amami and [[Tokara Islands|Tokara]], in 714 Shingaki and [[Kume Island|Kume]], in 720 some 232 persons who had submitted to the Japanese capital Nara, and at last Okinawa in 753. Nevertheless the mention or authority, over the centuries the Japanese influence spread slowly among the communities.{{sfn|Kerr|2000}}