해녀의 ‘몸’과 ‘숨’의 생태적 의미

Abstract

This study is the result of observing and analyzing the 'body' and 'breath' of Haenyeo over a long period of time. For a long time, Haenyeo has stuck to primitive and traditional ways of working without using artificial respirators in rapidly changing environments. The only way for haenyeo to stay in the sea is to stop breathing. There are no safeguards to protect haenyeo's bodies in the open sea, where death may lurk at any time. These primitive ways of working by haenyeo are called ‘Muljil: plain-diving'. The history of haenyeo, which began in the 4th century, has overcome the rapidly changing waves of the sea through turbulent times, but haenyeo have responded conservatively to the acceptance of modern material equipment. The acceptance process of rubber diving suits, which appeared in the early 1970s, took five years, and in this process, there was a sharp conflict among haenyeo members. Even with advanced underwater equipment, why do haenyeo risk dangerous work while relying on primitive equipment? Until now, haenyeo researches have been studied in various fields such as folklore, anthropology, history, and sociology, but they have been described from the perspectives of observers (outsiders), and studies that have described from the perspective of parties (insiders) are extremely limited. This study analyzed the 'body' and 'breath' of haenyeo, the biggest foundation of 'Muljjl: plain-diving' that haenyeo has adhered to. The technology of matter is distinguished from science and technology in that it is Folk Knowledge. However, Muljil, which is the body skill of haenyeo, has not been properly illuminated because it has long been disparaged by recognizing the body skill as vulgar labor. Haenyeo's body is a reservoir of 'plain-diving' technology. The skill of matter is neither hereditary nor inherited from generation to generation. This is the result of severe training over many years since childhood. The core of this technology is not the knowledge of the head, but the technology that the body perceive and stores. Therefore, this study studied how the Haenyeo’s “body” controls "breath" in the sea, accumulates material technology learned from the experience of "body", and transfer it to community technology. Above all, the female diver's body was viewed as a place of social, cultural, and geographical imprint, a place of production or composition, and the unique cultural product. This provides a foundation for grasping the female diver's body as a new perspective and terminology, away from the perspective of illuminating the female diver with physiological, social, and economic perspective and vocabulary. Therefore, the new approach to the “body” was presented based on the internal and subjective perception of the haenyeo herself, the haenyeo, who has been observed and studied by external subjects. For a long time, haenyeo have subdivided the core of their plain diving technology, "breath-holding technology" and gave various characteristics accordingly. However, it is not known to the world. Haenyeo's "breath" is an extremely personal biorhythm and has limitations that cannot be shared or transmitted to the haenyeo community because it is a private technology trained according to each individual’s level of skills. Therefore, it has been accumulated only by personal experience and knowledge for a long time. It is time to analyze the world of haenyeo's breath in detail and examine the ecological meaning behind it. Therefore, this study analyzed the world of haenyeo's breath through 'water breathing', which is the most thoroughly controlled by haenyeo among haenyeo's world of breath. This study was based on the dictation of total of 75 haenyeos, including 40 haenyeos in Yeonpyeong-ri, Udo-myeon, Jeju-si (Sangosu-dong, Hagosu-dong, Samyang-dong, Jeonheul-dong, and Juheung-dong, Jeju-si, and 10 haenyeos in Samdal-ri, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si. The age group is the current female divers in their 30s to 80s who are actively working on materials, and the research centered on the oral tradition of about 20 female divers in Sanggun who dive into the deep sea. In conclusion, in the haenyeo's "body" and "breath", this study found the answer to the qusetion "Why there is a process in which the haenyeo community continues to practice this way, even in the high-tech scientific era?" , and re-examined the ecological meaning behind it.