제주지역 용천수의 이용관행 연구

Abstract

This study aims at examining the social and living cultural values of spring water in Jeju Province by exploring the conventional use of spring water. Interviews were used as a primary data gathering method. In addition, the names of spring water were examined to identify its value for a community. The study is based on the conventional use of spring water in three villages in Jeju City, Samyang-dong, Yongdam-dong and Iho-dong. The most important task of the study is to examine how social relationships were built in communities based on the use of spring water. The study found out that the boundary of a village was clearly defined by the common use of spring water. Furthermore, it shows that by using the same spring water, villagers developed pride in their village community and led an ecological life in harmony with the sea. The following specific conclusions have been drawn from the study. First, spring water, which was used for daily life, was also called Sanmul, which means "water coming from Mt. Halla." This suggests that Jeju people felt a sense of community as local people who used the same water. Second, spring water stimulated Jeju people's pride in their villages and created a sense of solidarity in the community. Their assessment of and pride in the quantity and quality of spring water, along with the effect of spring water and their faith and belief in spring water, played a crucial role in enhancing their sense of solidarity. That is, they proved the superiority of their villages through the spring water they used, and their pride in the spring water constituted the foundation for the continuity of village communities. Third, multong , a place formed around a natural spring, represents women's life in the past. Particularly, multong for women, where women did a variety of things including fetching water, washing vegetables, doing laundry and washing their bodies, was the place that showed Jeju women's dramatic life. What is special about women's use of multong is that they led a regular life according to biological time. Multong for women was both the site of housework and the site of ecological life that had led traditional society. Meanwhile, it is necessary to mention the social changes resulting from the replacement of multong by convenient water supply facilities in the modernization period. It is clear that the value of spring water is not confined to its use as drinking water. By using the same spring water, villagers felt a sense of belonging to their village, and the use of spring water allowed people to live an ecological life in harmony with nature. However, with the provision of water services to households and the building of modern bathrooms in private homes, the use of spring water gradually decreased, which in turn brought about the collapse of communities. What can replace in today's society, which becomes increasingly complicated and individualized, multong which enriched community life and enhanced a sense of solidarity in a village? This is the question that lingered while this study was carried out.