China News Agency, Jeju, South Korea, December 3rd, title: Approaching Jeju "Haenyeo"
Author Liu Xu Wan Jiaxin
In the coastal area of Shaxili Village, Seogwipo City, Jeju Island, there is a seafood shop called "Hae Girl Fish Fillet".
A group of Korean grandmas in their 60s and 70s are busy here, handling freshly landed conch, sea cucumber and other seafood for diners for sale.
They are the "Haenyeo" of Jeju Island.
Jin Renshan, the 63-year-old president of the Haenyeo Association in Shaxili Village, is taking care of aquatic products. Seeing a reporter from China News Agency visit, he quickly took off his gloves and greeted him warmly.
The picture shows the 63-year-old Jeju haenyeo Kim In-sun.
Photo by Wan Jiaxin
"Ama" refers to female fishermen who do not use diving equipment and fish with bare hands.
Jeju Island is the birthplace of Haenyeo on the Korean Peninsula, and Haenyeo culture has a long-standing reputation here.
In 2016, the Haenyeo Culture of Jeju, South Korea was officially included in the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Jeju haenyeo are extremely capable of diving and can dig seafood on the seabed without an oxygen supply device.
Due to the hard work and high incidence of accidents, there is a saying that "you can't be born as a cow, but be born as a diver".
Ama who go to sea alone cannot survive. For safety, they go to sea in groups, and the group culture of helping each other is deeply rooted.
Kim In-sun told reporters: "Going to sea requires friends, you can't go by yourself. The relationship between haenyeo is closer than husband and wife." Mainly divided into: the upper army, the middle army, and the lower army, working together, sharing interests, and taking care of each other's safety.
Jin Renshan said: "We go to the sea about 14 days a month, and each time we fish for 3 to 5 hours. Usually, there are three people in a group, one person goes to the sea to work, and the other two are on the boat to observe. When necessary, go to the sea to protect another haenyeo." At the same time, it can also help the ama who go to the sea to pull the seafood onto the boat.” The reporter asked if anyone around Kim In-sun had an accident, and she said: “It happened once 30 years ago. The ama had great ambitions for the sea. I went to a faraway place alone and never came back.”
The picture shows local time on November 19th, Jeju haenyeo are handling the harvested seafood and selling them on the spot.
Photo by Wan Jiaxin
In the 1970s, the number of Haenyeo in Jeju had reached about 15,000. However, due to the increase in seawater farms, the reduction of seafood due to climate change, and the aging of Haenyeo, by 1980, the number of Haenyeo in Jeju had decreased by nearly half, leaving only about 7,800 people. However, this situation was not taken seriously at the time.
Until November 4, 2009, the Jeju Provincial Assembly enacted the "Regulations on the Preservation and Inheritance of Haenyeo Culture" initiated by former representative Wu Yuwan (sound), which related to the excavation, investigation and research of Haenyeo culture, the protection and Manage haenyeo fishing grounds, promote haenyeo-related intangible cultural heritage, resource utilization of folklore materials and other relevant regulations.
In addition, Jeju Province also provides necessary funds to professionals who teach and study Haenyeo survival techniques, and proposes to select students who are specialized in Haenyeo culture and provide them with administrative and financial support.
The local area has also set up a systematic research institute for haenyeo culture and education, which is responsible for the preservation of the life and social and cultural functions of haenyeo, as well as researching their historical and cultural value.
In order to promote exchanges with relevant international organizations, continue to publicize Haenyeo, and lay a foundation for inheritance, the provincial government also designated "Haenyeo Day" based on the opinions of Haenyeo and local people.
Due to reasons such as aging and low income, the number of Haenyeo in Jeju is still decreasing year by year.
Statistics show that the number of sea women in Jeju was 4,995 in 2010 and 3,820 by the end of 2019, with an average annual decrease of about 130.
Jin Renshan also said that there are only 35 haenyeo in Shaxili Village who can go to sea to work, and it will gradually decline in the future.
Facing this reality, Jin Renshan has her troubles: "I learned the skills of ama from my mother, but now there are fewer and fewer seafood that can be salvaged from the sea, which makes me very worried. I love seafood."
Oh Ok-man, a former member of Jeju Province, also said: "Because of ocean pollution, the harvested seafood is gradually decreasing, and it is difficult for haenyeo to obtain normal income materially." "I hope the government can consider long-term stable countermeasures."
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