Island of songs

Amami people have long improvised and sung songs both in times of joy and times of sadness. Among the scores of songs passed down for us to sing today are songs to the gods, lullabies, songs to our beloved, songs with moral lessons and work songs. With no writing system, the ancients were anonymous poets and composers.
Their songs transcended generations as they continued to be sung in an ancient tongue, and in vocal tones that corner our minds, at times stirring empathy and at others spilling over with joy.