Islanders started to produce earthenware from 6,000 years ago, affected by the Jōmon culture in Kyushu.

Local folklore states that some Taira clan members, having lost the Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185, fled to Amami Ōshima.

Eventually the Amami aji were forced to pay tribute to stronger nations to retain autonomy.

Ryukyuan records state that Amami aji paid tribute to Eiso, the king of Chūzan in Sanzan period Okinawa.

Aji from Tokuno and further north just paid tribute to Okinawan kingdoms, and continued to remain independent.

Trade with Ming dynasty China, which flourished in the Azuchi-Momoyama period, led Shimazu Tadatsune, the ruler of Satsuma Domain in southern Kyushu, to invade the Ryukyu Kingdom in order to gain control of the shipping routes between Japan and China.

Satsuma met fierce resistance, but eventually defeated Ryukyu, by capturing the capital of Shuri.

During these times, the Amami people found their joys in local liquors made from sugarcanes, awamori bought from Ryukyu, and folk songs sung with sanshin.

Under Satsuma's rule, names of Amami people underwent a great change, and they are today known for many unique one-character surnames.

In 1871, after the Meiji Restoration, the Amami Islands were incorporated into Ōsumi Province, and then into Kagoshima Prefecture.

In October, the Provisional Government of the Northern Ryukyu Islands [ja] was founded, formed by local leaders.

However, under a democratic election, the local electorate chose a governor who pledged reversion to Japan (this also happened in other native governments of Ryukyu, namely those of Okinawa, Miyakojima, and Yaeyama).

The United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands (USCAR) was alarmed by this development, and reduced the power of native governments to that of a figurehead status.

The Amami Islands Homeland Restoration Movement, which had started immediately after the separation, became stronger.

[citation needed] Although the Amami Islands were returned to Japan in 1953, Okinawa remained under American control until 1972.

The Japanese government promulgated the Amami Islands Promotion and Development Special Measures Law.

[citation needed] In 2001, there was a small naval exchange between North Korea and Japan in the Battle of Amami-Ōshima, which resulted in a Japanese victory.

Okinawa, including the Sakishima Islands, had strong cultural influences from China, whereas Amami was affected more by Japan.

Because of the education system put in place during the Meiji period, all Amami people today speak standard Japanese.

Some utasha also sing pop songs as well, examples include Chitose Hajime, Kousuke Atari, Rikki, and Anna Sato [ja].

The Japanese rock band The Boom's 1992 hit song called Shima Uta, which incorporated some Okinawan styles and thus causes confusion as to the precision of the term.

As in Okinawa, priestesses called noro exist, and the people worship according to the native religious norms.