In the latter half of the 14th century, the Ming emperor sent a group called Fujian thirty six clans to settle in the Kume Village of Ryūkyū. Kume Villagers were given the responsibility of managing tributary trade between China and the Ryūkyū Kingdom; they significantly affected the Ryūkyū Kingdom in terms of politics, economy, culture, thought, and belief. However, the Ryūkyū Kingdom was eventually abolished, and was later replaced in 1879 by Okinawa Prefecture as per orders of the Meiji Government; in addition, the tributary trade between China and Ryūkyū was banned. As a result, the Kume Villagers lost their status, and they were gradually assimilated by Japanese culture. Despite this, descendants of Kume Villagers who persisted with the proud ideals of their ancestors strived to maintain the traditional cultures of the Kume people. They set up an organization called Kume Sōsekai for managing the Confucius Shrine in Kume Village—a symbol of their traditional culture.This study focused on the activities of Kume Sōsekai for examining the evolution of the descendants of Kume Villagers in terms of their status and identity in the Okinawa society.論文