The question of Okinawan identity is a specific subject in contemporary Japan. In order to study it, the present article addresses the use of the body in Okinawan society, since dances and martial arts, which are important cultural points on these islands, are strongly connected to it. Firstly, I explain that the dances which feature martial arts moves have different functions according to the place to which they originate. In the rural environment, they are thought of as a distinctive cultural production, whereas in the cities, they are used to counter discrimination from central Japan. After this, I develop an analysis of these dances as techniques of the body and their educational significance in the hamlets, relying on the system of authority and imitation, all of which share a range of sociological and psychological aspects. In the development, emphazise the values conveyed by the body: some dances belong to classical culture and others to folk tradition.