[This article is written by a JDC Junior Journalist. The JDC Junior Journalist program is an educational project sponsored by Jeju Free International City Development Corporation (JDC). JDC Junior Journalist articles are only briefly edited by mentors before publishing.]
Haenyeo are women who collect shells, fish and other seafood under the sea. It is a traditional job of Jeju. Most haenyeo started working at the age of twenty, and are continuing to do their job although now they are in their sixties and seventies. But as they are getting older and older, the number of haenyeo is decreasing.
Because of this decrease, the Haenyeo Culture Preservation Institute is working to preserve the haenyeo. They are holding haenyeo performances to inform people about the haenyeo culture. Lee Han Young, representative of the Haenyeo Culture Preservation Institute said, ”We are trying to raise awareness about the value of this intangible cultural heritage.” Vistors can watch the haenyeo performance at Aqua Planet Jeju.
Lee also spoke about how the Japanese are trying to register the “Japanese haenyeo” under a UNESCO World Heritage title. “Korea isn’t doing anything like that, so we need to try,” he said.
Park Soo Lan is a performer for the haenyeo show at Aqua Planet. She has been a haenyeo for 55 years. ”Haenyeo are getting older and older and are retiring, so the number of haenyeo is decreasing,” she said. .
Wanda Wynn from America graduated from haenyeo school. “I grew up in a small town in Southern America and a large part of my childhood was spent in a fishing village called Mayport,” she said. “When I began researching Jeju, the first thing that I heard about or read about was the haenyeo, and I was automatically drawn to that culture. I wanted to know more about it.”
Many haenyeo tolerate water pressure and control their breathing in order to catch seafood. They don’t take much equipment to dive, but they can work under many unfavorable conditions because they have the strong mind of a mother.
Haenyeo are decreasing, so many people need to be concerned about preserving the haenyeo culture. For more information please visit the Haenyeo Muesum’s website at www.haenyeo.go.kr/ |