Among the dialects I have taught so far, my favorite words are "Yamakuna" and "Kunabus". When the grandfather in this neighborhood was young, it was natural for the neighbors to work together to build the house by themselves. When going to the mountain to cut out wood, if two people of different heights carry the wood, the balance will be unbalanced and one will be burdened. So, I made a pair with a similar body, and I called this pair "Yamakuna".

 

In addition, there is a star named Subaru, but in Tonoshiro Village, Subaru is called "Kunabus". It is quite difficult to translate the star into "bus" and "kuner" which is common to these two words, but the word "friend" is close. Subaru is a collection of many stars, and the group is called Subaru. The old people of Tonoshiro Village may have seen this and it seemed that the stars were gathering intimately. Subaru is a star that passes through the zenith of Ishigaki Island and is sung in folk songs. Until this grandfather's father generation, he watched Subaru instead of a calendar.

On the island, people who play the sanshin and sing are basically teamed up. This is because each village sings differently and the height of the keys is also compatible. Grandfather has been a famous singer since he was young, and he also had a companion. So I asked if there was a dialect of "Utakuna" if "Kuna" was a word with the nuance of "friend". Then he laughed and said, "No, but I understand the meaning." I thought it was a good word for me, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be there.

It was the idea of ​​"putting folk songs in the starry sky guide" that inspired us to start a tour company.
My favorite song in Yaeyama folk song is "Tubarama", but Tubara-ma makes the lyrics by himself. Put your feelings on the melody of Tubara-ma. Any lyrics are fine, but it has been said that they often sang when communicating their love. For music that is difficult to understand unless you are an islander, people outside the island need dialect lyrics and an easy-to-understand explanation of Tubara-ma himself. When I was trying to find a good way to convey something, I noticed that when I sang Tubara in the starry sky guide, everyone naturally listened to it without a long explanation.

I think that each and every folk song heard by those who participated in the starry sky tour will stand out more in the starry sky. After all, it's music that has been sung under the stars for a long time, so it may be natural to combine and harmonize. From the perspective of a starry sky guide, you can feel the culture of the stars on Ishigaki Island more deeply through songs.

Our ancestors have sung their lives. Here is a hint that the island fascinates people. The team "Utakuna" was born based on the Ishigaki Island tour developed from folk songs. It is a coined word that I coined with the desire to build a good relationship with the people who participate in this tour.

 

Yuri Universe