Samantha May

A graduate of the University of the Ryukyus doctoral program in Comparative Culture and Area Studies, Samantha May continues to document and promote the use of Uchinaaguchi, an endangered Okinawan language, in the Okinawan karate and kobudo community. She is the founder of both the ongoing collaborative Okinawan Karate and Kobudo Handbook project and the Uchinaaguchi and Okinawan Martial Arts online community. In addition to her academic pursuits, Samantha also holds a sandan in Meibukan Goju Ryu Karate, a nidan in Shorinkai Shorin Ryu Karate, and has been practicing Tesshinkan Ryukyu Kobudo for over 10 years. After living in Okinawa for five and a half years, Dr. May now resides near Vancouver, Canada, where she works as a university instructor.