Jeju Folk Customs & Legends
- Jeju Folk Customs and Legends
Folk customs are the traditional way of life that members of a group follow under given conditions. Jeju islanders have a traditional way of life that they still follow, in accordance with the environment and the historic conditions of the province. Since Jeju is full of various folkways, it is not an exaggeration to say that the entire island, serves traditional customs: unique folk beliefs as well as food, clothing and housing; unique technical skills; distinguished folk arts including various legends and folk songs.
In Jeju folk customs lie the wisdom of the people in how to survive the regional conditions of an isolated island, barren soil, with copious rains and storms, dependence on the sea and historical events have forged tears, which like grains of sand, have metamorphosed into a mighty rock.
The characteristics of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province folk customs can be found in the geographical and climatic conditions under which the islanders have lived their lives, and in the historical ordeals they were compelled to go through in the course of their lives. - Jeju Folklore, Wind and Rocks
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province is the largest island in Korea, with about 1,848 To the north of Jeju lies Mokpo on the Korean peninsula; to the south, Nagasaki prefecture on the Japanese of Kyushu, and to the west, Shanghai China.
This geographical position not only affects its weather and climate and the industrial structure but also caused it to be regarded at various times as strategically important or unimportant.
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province is a "wind-ridden island" and, seasonal winds blow hard. Typhoons of August and September often damage crops and take human lives. In addition, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province is a "stone-ridden island." The oval-shaped volcanic island extending east and west has 1,950 meter high Mt. Halla at its center, with about 360 parasite volcanoes. The basalt is highly permeable. In spite of large rainfalls, rainwater permeates the soil and basalt only to be finally released through underground conduits (lava tubes, for an example) at the seashore. The geographical and climatic features of "wind" and "stone" gave a uniqueness to the islanders' occupations and living folklore.
Traditional occupations were related to agriculture, fisheries and livestock and, since the 1970s, the tourism industry.
Agriculture is dry-field farming centered on miscellaneous, mostly small seed cereals. Fishing, for the most part, has been coastal and dominated by women divers. The livestock industry assumes the form of pasturing the grasslands around Mt. Halla.
These industries affected food, clothes and shelter in every nook and corner. Around the industrial structure developed elements of folk culture such as galot, a kind of work clothing dried with the juice of persimmons, leather garments for ranching or hunting, eating habits centering on miscellaneous small seed crops, and thatched houses strongly built of stone, wood and a local grass.
Local beliefs in and veneration of the Spirit of Mt. Halla and Yeongdeung, and folk faiths related to the ocean, are the fruits of Jeju's climatic features. Most spiritual ceremonies, customs and the folk songs were related to this industrial base and/or beliefs. It was the traditional living folklore of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, a product of the wisdom of the islanders, which permitted them to overcome the exacting local climate. - Well - Tried History Jeju Folklore
The origin of the people of Jeju is unknown. Prehistoric relics like dolmens, pottery shards, certain tool-like objects and scanty ancient Chinese records telling about 'Juho', give some evidence of certain periods only. It seems that into a very early fishing/gathering culture an influx from northern and/or southern areas created a mixed culture.
Tamna began its history as an independent tribal state, but it never evolved into a grand kingdom or a highly-cultured nation. To Baekje, to Silla, to Goryeo and even in the Joseon period, it was a tribute paying entity.
After the isolated island state was degraded to Tamna-hyon, an administrative district under Goryeo's centralism, it was as ill-treated as before. It had to submit to almost a century of foreign domination by Mongolians, and to years of invading Japanese pirates.
During the Joseon dynasty(1392-1910), it was basically a place of exile and still ill-treated. Ironically, it was the banished who brought to the people Confucianism which provided the first chance to develop Jeju culture.
It thus was this historical flow that developed a peculiar folk culture by harmonizing the central mainland culture with the local living culture necessary for surviving the climatic conditions.
The existing folk customs result from those historical conditions; popular beliefs including poje, male centered Confucian village rites, and women-centered danggut by Shamans (originally the rites were performed equally by men and women). These latter tell legends about exiles or magistrates.
Therefore, it can be said that the folk customs of Jeju are formed on the basis of the historical background: "rock-wind" local climate, a sense of being the ruled, and the land of exile.
