The Peaceful Approach of the Yami

In his article "The Yami of Koto-sho: A Japanese Colonial Experiment," Edmund Leach writes about a unique island people. The Yami, who inhabit the island of Koto-sho, are easy going, self sufficient and "extreme(ly)" (p 32) peaceful. To mariners who observe the island from afar, it looks like an "inhospitable rock in an increasingly storm ridden sea" (p 30). Even though outsiders mostly ignore Koto-sho and obviously do not know much about it, the Yami people's society functions smoothly and effectively. They are satisfied with the food on the island and find no other reason to reach out past their small piece of land. Yami are intentionally isolated and it works for them.

The Yami society functions smoothly and this becomes evident when the issue of food is in question. Their crops consist of taro, yams, millet and even though there is no wildlife on the island, their domestic livestock consist of goats, pigs and chickens (p 31). Generally, women tend to the agriculture and men do the fishing. The Yami people are mainly occupied by their need to gather food and the system they have developed, in terms of splitting up tasks, keeps them self-sufficient and functioning properly. Even though gathering food is considered an occupation, it is approached with a sense of ease and playfulness on the island. As Edmund Leach puts it, the Yami people make "no sharp distinction between work and play" (p 31). This is an interesting approach to work and certainly unique from a Western perspective. But maintaining this sense of satisfaction in regards to working and completing necessary tasks, allows the Yami people to be happily self - sufficient in their isolation.

The easy going Yami style shows up in all facets of their life. They do not see a reason to have chiefs or significant leaders in their society. There is an absence of dominant authority on the Koto-sho island. According to Leach, there is no reason for this because the people are so peaceful. The Yami people also see no need for money and function as a community despite the absence of currensy. The island is also free from constructs such as churches or temples. Their faith is mostly kept alive by imagination and ritual practices. Although schools do exist, they do not take away from the democratic/ equalist nature of the Yami. The children who attend school do not adopt "feelings of superiority" (p 37). It seems as if the Yami people are incapable of developing hierarchies even in a psychological sense.

Their approach to life, which is easygoing, peaceful and unquestionably rooted in equalism, is deeply internalized and allows them to function smoothly in their isolation. No outsider intervention is needed. The Yami people are not necessarily self - sufficient and satisfied with their way of life because of material reasons but rather an internal understanding, which allows them to be content in their situation. The Yami people live on a small island that may not seem like much to outsiders but to them, there is no urgent need for much more.


Work Cited


Leach, Edmund. 1937. "The Yami of Koto - sho: a Japanese Colonial Experiment." Geographical Magazine 5: 417 - 434.