Culture of Jeju Haenyeo (Women Divers)

Jeju is the largest island of the Korean Peninsula. Jeju is a UNESCO World Heritage Site-listed volcanic island which boasts breathtaking natural resources sought out by many tourists. The sea surrounding Jeju Island offers another attraction in addition to its magnificent coastal scenery. Women who single-handedly tackle the sea to harvest marine life. They are no other than the female divers of Jeju, the Jeju haenyeo. Jeju haenyeo, the heroines of this culturally unique scene. Let's listen to their stories. Haenyeos are professional female underwater divers who do not rely on the aid of breathing apparatus to harvest marine life. The collective fisheries and the haenyeos' workplace go by the name, sea farms. The sea has become the farms of the Jeju Islanders due to the barren soul of their volcanic island. A Jeju haenyeo steps out of a 1702 Chosun Dynasty picture book. Haenyeos often rise to the surface to exhale air during their diving work. The curious sound they let out is called, sunbisori, a unique breathing technique and sign of acknowledging each other's presence that is practiced by the haenyeos. The haenyeos' diving work requires exceptional skills. They have to hold their breath in the depth of over 10 meters, enduring the strong pressure for more than a minute while they go about their work. This job seen as superhuman is a skill each haenyeo has acquired through the rich experience of tackling waters during the underwater harvesting. Only with the ability to control submergence time, by understanding water pressure and oxygen level, as well as resurfacing distance, can a job like this be made possible. The diving work, called muljil, requires sufficient vital capacity, pressure, sustainability for the eyes and ears, as well as the ability to endure cold waters. A fearless heart that refuses to wane at the sight of a giant marine life such as whales and sharks is also a necessity. The Jeju haenyeo community is divided by diving skills into the upper-skilled, sang-gun, the middle-skilled, jung-gun, and the lower-skilled, ha-gun. The most skilled and experienced sang-gun haenyeo, also respected for her wisdom and virtue, are called daesang-gun, who takes a role of leader in charge of the community's security and unity. The han-yeol sea farms are managed through han-yeol cooperatives called eo-chong-gae, or village fishery cooperatives. There are around 100 autonomous fishing communities called eo-chong-gae in each village, which strictly define and regulate the fishery territories and the qualifications, guidelines, and periods of harvesting marine life. This is a collective agreement to protect a sustainable maritime ecosystem and co-exist with the sea. This haenyeo community shows traits of a citizen assembly, whereby in the case of a pending issue, a decision based on common consensus from community members is reached through free discussion. On the seashores of Jeju, where the haenyeos dive, there are bul-toks, a type of round fireplace made of stones. Here the haenyeos change into their plain clothes or return with their catches, exchange information and techniques, or gather for decision-making discussion. To haenyeos, the sea is a subject of awe due to its hold on their lives and livelihood. Every spring they worship the yong-wang, at a seaside shrine for the sea gods to hold a gut. The yong-deung gut is a ritual prayer in celebration of the haenyeos' safety at sea, abundant catch and solidarity of the community. Haenyeos are marine specialists who have adapted to the sea's ecological environment and mastered its geological landscape while accumulating maritime knowledge and underwater diving techniques, tidal flow and marine life habitats. In addition, they can distinguish life cycles of marine life and their harvesting periods. Every season is different. When the wind blows, the haenyeos can't do anything because there is a tide. The tide is only good for a short period of time, so the haenyeos harvest conch from October 1st. The haenyeos taught me everything from the old days. The Jeju haenyeos are true supporters of the ecosystem as nature to them is not just a means of harvesting, but a subject of protection and coexistence in a manner that is past down for generations. This requires a plowing technique called gaedagi, whereby seashores and intertidal zones are weeded as well as declaring a harvesting prohibition period during the breeding season to prevent over-harvesting. The conservation of marine life resources are practiced also by prohibiting the harvesting of young fish and shellfish below size limits. Furthermore, their key role in social and household economy alongside men displays a true example of gender equality. The unique culture of the Jeju haenyeos is hard to find in any other part of the world. They shamanistic faith born out of their awe of nature. Their language and songs inspired through collective labor and their community haenyeo hae. These have all resulted in and have been passed down as an extraordinary cultural heritage which will continue to live on.