Women Of The Sacred Groves

This is a book about the religion of the women of the sacred groves on Okinawa, a small island in the Pacific Ocean. The women of the sacred groves are the leaders of the mainstream religion on Okinawa, which is a unique tradition. The book provides important information on the religion and the women of the sacred groves, and it overturns our assumptions about male dominance of the religious sphere.

Although most historical and contemporary religions are governed by men, there are, scattered throughout the world, a handful of well-documented religions led by women. Most of these are marginal, subordinate, or secondary religions in the societies in which they are located. The one known exception to this rule is the indigenous religion of Okinawa, where women lead the official mainstream religion of the society. In this fieldwork-based study, Susan Sered provides the first in-depth look at this unique religious tradition, exploring the intersection between religion and gender. In addition to providing important information on this remarkable and little-studied group, this book helps to overturn our mostly unexamined assumptions that male dominance of the religious sphere is universal, axiomatic, and necessary.