Umui

Japanese: ウムイ

These are old religious ritual songs of the Okinawa Islands (excluding the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands). Female priests and shrine maidens sing them while beating drums or clapping their hands during rituals such as the Umachi Festival, which is held to pray for a good harvest, and the Unjami Festival, which is held to pray for a good catch and safe voyages. They are valuable as they recall the origins of folk songs, but because they are esoteric and not easily made public, and because community rituals are falling into disuse, they remain unknown to the general public and are rapidly being lost. In the Amami Islands, they are called Omori.

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

沖縄諸島（宮古・八重山諸島は含まない）の古い宗教儀式歌。祝女(のろ)（女性の司祭）や神人(かみんちゅ)（巫女）たちが，豊作を祈る御祭(うまちー)や豊漁・航海安全を祈る海神祭(うんじゃみ)などの祭祀の際に，鼓(ちぢん)を打ちながらあるいは手拍子で歌う。歌謡の源流をしのばせるものとして貴重だが，秘儀的で容易に公開されないことや，共同体の祭祀がすたれつつあるために，一般に知られないまま急速に失われつつある。奄美群島ではオモリという。

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