Are there specific differences between island people and mainland people?

Question

Hi Pen

Actually, most islands I know are extremely far from inbreeding because most are touristic countries/ islands and there's a lot of immigration and emigration going on.

My question is also more in the context of personality traits rather than genetic one thx=)

Answer 1

I have lived on an island in South East Asia from age 9 to age 15, the formative years are shaped by the islander's view even up till now, it used to be a British Colony in 1800's.

1) Longevity:

Isolated ppl, either on islands or living in the Amazon forest, can have a long life.But provided there is adequete food, water, and a good climate, those ppl can even become centurians. Some amazonian Indian tribes developed the stamina to cope with living in the forest, such as running consecutively after a deer prey for 6 days. Because ppl don't have cars, and they get out more often, many times trekking through mountains, or paddling across the pacific, and they managed to develope healthy physique. (but there is exceptions where they can become chubby). But the arrival of   outsiders sometimes bring unwanted disease they have no immunity for.

2) Isolated culture in Okinawa:

I agree with DoC. Okinawan islander's culture is very distinct from the mainstream Japanese, their language is unique, and basically unheard of in Japan. The Okinawan Ryukyu dialect is distinct from Japanese. Okinawa's weather, and its beautiful beaches makes many want to go there, not to mention the exoticness, the healthy islander's diet, and so on. Genetically, they do have some pretty exotic men and women!! Japan's top singers/models, such as Gakuto Camuii (Gackt) is born and raised in Okinawa, also Yukie Nakama is from Okinawa. Just to name a few.

3)  Developement of non-mainstream culture.

There is something very distinct about the isolation of islanders that allowed them to develope things mainland does not---> esp art, music, dance, and language, food, customs, and so many more!! Okinawa is famous for a breed of pre-historic cat that is thought to be long extinct. Not to mention Okinawan song and folk dance on the sanshin (3 string), really nice melody, and totally different from mainland (this is what they developed by having little contact with either china or Japan mainland, considering both are quite near, though). Okinawans also have distinct hairstyle for woman, and their kimono is completely different from mainstream Japanese style. Woman roll their long hair into a conical bun right on top of their head and insert a large (visible) hair pin to secure them. Okinawan traditional music itself has the kind of "islander-feel" to it, such as this song performed by Gakuto and the Okinawan singers below:

[Shima uta: Island song] + Folk singer Mr. China Sadao

composer: Miyazawa Kazushi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEd1uJEp6...

4) Islander's perception of their ocean home

There's also something about islanders and their attatchment to the watery world around them. Take for instance the Maori, they call their ancestor "Paikea the whale rider", who arrived in New Zealand on a whale. Pause and think for a moment what does this name mean for you personally. Another reason I think is that Islanders (esp those with long history like Polynesian, Indonesian, Okinawan, Hawaii), they seemed to hold the sea in awe----> those ppl are very spiritual and they themselves seems to have that kind of respect for God's creations. They're at the ocean all day/ generation after generation, they can see the aspect of its power we cannot, and sure some folks/atheist can dismiss God does not exist, but those ppl lived very close to ocean and at night, they gaze into the clear, unpolluted night sky to view the star sprinkled night sky, and they clearly behold that the creator's wisdom and his immensive power in creating both the majestic ocean on earth, as well as the cosmic ocean above. Those humble island ppl are deeply impressed by the creator's greatness and are humbled by their smallness (no doubt, man himself did not make the majestic heavens).

5) Islander navigation science.

Polynesian/ other islanders are usually excellent sailors/navigators/astronomers believe it or not {Polynesians have no laptops but those guys made star charted maps using a network of woven plant fibers+cowrie shell as markers for specific constellation/star cluster/star groups, like Orion, Antaris, the seven sisters, Big dipper/big bear/small bear......just to name a few}.....This profound recognition of God goes beyond islanders (^__^), since ppl living near mountains can also have this kind of effect on them. Or even ppl living on grassy plains like Native Americans, or the Mongolians. Even the desert for the Bedouins, who admit the deep silence of the majestic sahara, devoid of civilization and human contact, is the source of meditation and wisdom for them.

"The silence of Sahara clears the mind", they say.

even as u read this, earth is flying away at the speed of several thousands of miles per second in this black cosmic void! The sun and the stars are moving at th speed of a million miles a day! And think how big the Universe is! The islanders, through the ocean and star gazing, developed this sense that we're living as part of a magnificent creation by observing the power of the heaven and the ocean.

Mankind's present short, hurried, and cramped life in US is so not perfectly ideal, a afar cry from Paradise. human truly lives their best lives being closest to Nature.

Can you urself see the contrast between the humble islanders and our present culure in US? Isn't it "materialistic and consumer conscious/status conscious/keeping up with Joneses/trying to beat others down so I can be number one/ trying to be selfish/ being so liberal it's okay to say or do  whatever even if it means hurting ppl's feelings/ gotta make more and more and more money/ etc etc etc" kind of culture vs the old fashioned islander culture?

Not to say US is 100% defective, there are still nice things in US and things we enjoy, it's just.....the world currently in its state, with ppl dying everyday, all the ethnic hatred going on (>_<)and increase in bad social attitude and lawlessness, Bincreasing cost, trashy mainstream culture that overates s*x and make fun of deeper/intellectual subjects really makes people sick sometimes, it makes all of us want to return to Paradise. Seriously, we do.

Everybody need some balance at times in this out of control world.

**************************************...

Native American proverb, Mandan tribe:

"Earth always endures"

Dakota proverb:

When man is removed from nature....his heart becomes hard.

Job describes God as “stretching out the north over the empty place, hanging the earth upon nothing.” (Job 26:7) and that's more than 3000 years ago he said this!

Bonus cultural islander video 4 you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay0pBmyu2...

Answer 2

Not specific exactly after a long period of time with no newcomers a certain inbreeding develops as it does in all isolated cultures, gossip travels easier , just your basic isolationism . Genetic drift etc.....after a time. Oh yeah also ever heard of island dwarfism/????

Answer 3

I suppose that would depend on which Islands and which mainlands we're talking...  Most everything on Hawaii is more expensive -- everything has to be shipped in.  A lot of the people who move there do so to try  and get away from the rush, rush, rush world of the mainland.

As for the folks of the Caribbean islands.  They don't struggle with self identity as do the "African-Americans."  If they were born and raised in Jamaica, then they proudly proclaim themselves to be Jamaican.  Their ancestors came from the same regions of Africa as did the blacks on the mainland, yet those here seem to try and invent a history for themselves and intentionally set themselves apart from the rest of society.

Okinawa is a part of Japan.  But those living on Okinawa proudly insist they are Okinawan NOT Japanese...

Not trying to be racial, just making casual observation.