An updated repost in honor of Women’s History month.
Since at least the 17th century, on the Korean island of Jeju, the haenyeo, Korean for “sea women” have worked free diving in the clear island waters. Using an ancient breathing technique called sumbisori, the women dive as deep as 32 feet to harvest octopus, abalone, conch, sea urchins, clams and edible seaweeds.
To pass the time and ease the boredom while rowing in open boats to choice diving spots, the haenyeo would sing songs with simple melodies, to the rhythm of the ocean waves. Atlas Obscura notes that there is no sheet music for haenyeo songs, and few of the nearly 10,000 known tunes have titles. The song lyrics varied, but often women sang lamenting the day they were born, complaining about their incompetent husbands, and in protest of the government.
The haenyeo are literally a dying breed. Nearly 90 percent are over the age of 60, and many are well into their eighties. As traditional Confucianism dictated that it was a woman’s duty to stay at home and produce sons, not to work, becoming a haenyeo was considered dishonorable. As recently as the 1990s, haenyeo discouraged their daughters from following in their footsteps to spare them from physical toil and shame. In addition to the obvious dangers of plunging into the water without any breathing gear, the trade can also inflict haenyeo with respiratory and bone density diseases.
Recently, however, an appreciation of the traditions and legacy of the haenyeo has developed. When UNESCO included haenyeo on their Representative List of the Intangible Culture Heritage of Humanity in 2016, the women became the pride of the island. Today, haenyeo play an important role in Jeju tourism, and dozens of restaurants on the island claim a haenyeo affiliation to attract tourists.
Many have turned to music as well as food to explain haenyeo history. A dining experience called Haenyeo Kitchen in Gujwa-eup combines traditional Jeju dishes with haenyeo songs and story demonstrations. Another restaurant, Haenyeo’s House, gives two performances of haenyeo songs a day, in the hope that visitors will stick around after their meals of raw fish and jeonbok-juk to learn more.
Today, the official responsibility of guarding the haenyeo songs belongs to two women, Kang Deung-ja and Kim Young-ja. They were selected by the provincial government for their ability to sing the songs in their original rhythmic form and for capturing the emotional intent of each song. Kang and Kim, are both 83 years old.
As the popularity of the haenyeo songs has grown, there has been a trend to modernize the songs and make them more upbeat to appeal to a younger audience. However, the traditional haenyeo singers feel these songs should be preserved in their original form, expressing the desperate sadness of women from earlier times.