Members of the Korean delegation, including Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong (front row, second from right) and a Jeju haenyeo diver (front row, right), express their joy as the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage announces that the traditions and heritage of Jeju’s haenyeo female divers has been inscribed as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, at a session held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Nov. 30.
The traditions, way of life and heritage of the haenyeo (해녀), the female divers indigenous to Jeju Island, have now officially become one of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage items.
The “culture of Jeju Haenyeo (women divers)” was inscribed as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage item at the 11th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Nov. 30.
Members of the committee pointed out that the traditions and way of life of Jeju’s haenyeo play an important role in defining the region’s cultural identity, and praised the divers’ eco-friendly and sustainable method of harvesting marine produce from the ocean. The committee also noted that the knowledge and skills of the haenyeo community are passed down from one generation to the next through the ties that bind the tight-knit diving communities.
With the addition of the haenyeo, Korea now has 19 items on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage items.
While diving, Jeju’s haenyeo women divers use a hollow, sealed gourd as a buoy, surfacing to taking short breaks next to their anchored floats.
Jeju’s haenyeo women divers, now listed as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage item, harvest marine produce from the depths of the ocean without the aid of oxygen tanks.
“The moment the traditions and way of life of Jeju’s haenyeo divers were inscribed as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage item, I thought of all the mothers of Jeju Island,” said Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong. “To the residents of Jeju Island, the haenyeo represent each of our mothers. They were our anchors and held up Jeju through hard times with their immense strength. The Jeju haenyeo have kept up their way of life and traditions for over a thousand years, maintaining their spirit of cooperation and coexistence around the bulteok (불턱), a communal fire by the shore where the divers gather at the end of the day.”
“It’s important that the Jeju community make it a part of their agenda to preserve the haenyeo and their way of life, so that it can be passed down to younger generations,” said Governor Won. “Now that the way of life of the haenyeo has been inscribed as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage item, we will put all our efforts into protecting Jeju’s natural resources and traditions.”
By Lee Hana
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Jeon Han, Korea.net Photographer, Cultural Heritage Administration
hlee10@korea.kr
