Haenyeo: the Amazons of Jeju Island who created a system of gender equality

Haenyeo are female divers living in Jeju Island who dive into the ocean water to gather various shellfish and seaweed among other seafood delicacies, without using any underwater diving equipment. While early records that some men were involved in this work, for at least the past few centuries, it has been purely the work of women. The New York Times said that by the 17th century, as men left to row warships or just to fish, some never returned. Consequently, diving became exclusively women’s work. An 18th-century document recorded that officials flogged the women, and even their parents or husbands, when they failed to pay steep taxes in dried abalone, a prized delicacy among Korea’s elite, forcing women to dive in cold water even when pregnant.

Anne Hilty, in the book titled “Jeju Haenyeo: Stewards of the sea”, explains the hierarchical structure of this female community. Divers are classified according to skill level and experience: sang-gun being the highest, jung-gun (middle) and ha-gun (lowest). This classification generally determines where the women can dive and in what weather conditions. The tools utilized by the Jeju diving women can be divided into three categories: hand tools (knife, small hoe and sickle), collection equipment (net of containment, buoy) and diving-wear (historically they wore a simple cotton swimming costume but from 1970 they started wearing wetsuits).

The rituals of these living mermaids are also worth mentioning. The sumbi-sori, the curious sound the Haenyeo let out is a unique breathing technique and a sign of acknowledging each other’s presence. Moreover, the ceremonies of the female sea divers are deeply linked to shamanistic practices. They believe in the dragon god (who controls the sea) and they always visit Haesindang Shrine located near the seaside, where rituals are held for people’s safety. Every spring the gideurim ceremony takes place in an act of wrapping, the Haenyeo offer rice or eggs in order to pray for the safety of their families and for their own safety in the sea.

Passing down technical know-how for generations, Haenyeo have learned how to plunge into the water for up to three minutes. Even though since 1970 the government has been trying to support the diving women by providing wetsuits and subsidizing medical insurances, the number of Haenyeo continues to decrease every year.

Data predict that within 20 years, there will no longer be a haenyeo community. There are many reasons for this decline such as educational and professional opportunities for females, a tourism-driven economy, and industrialization of agro-marine labor and effects of climate change on marine resources. Jeju Weekly reports that chronic headaches are a common problem for which Haenyeo take medication prior to diving. Traditionally, they ingested a herb (found along the coast) for this purpose.

While such treatments may temporarily ease headaches, they are typically anticoagulants that dilate blood vessels, the chronic use of which increases the risk for both cerebrovascular accidents (stroke) and aneurysm. These conditions are thought to be a primary cause of drowning incidents of the divers. One of the most common, yet least understood threats to the Haenyeo is a phenomenon known as “shallow water blackout.” In this circumstance, the diver experiences a loss of consciousness due to cerebral hypoxia because of a malfunction in the brain stem’s normal signaling of the need for respiration. Moreover, the mortality rate among the Haenyeo ranges from 7 to 10 people per year.

“If I studied something else, I’d have chosen a different line of work but this is the only thing I know how to do […] I have children of my own but I don’t want them to follow in my footsteps even if they are poor. It’s too tough,” Kim Seong-Hee said. In order to be a Haenyeo, a person should not only have a strong body but a strong mind as well. It is also true that diving women were not well-considered in the past. “Jeju children did not like to admit that their mother was a Haenyeo,” Lee Sun-Chwa told the New York Times.

Despite it all, in 2016, Haenyeo were listed as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity of UNESCO because they contributed to the advancement of women’s status in the community and promoted environmental sustainability with its eco-friendly methods and community involvement in the management of fishing practices. In fact, the Asian “Amazons” are financially independent: they usually earn up 25000$ per year. “The women have created a system of gender equality, where they have equal standing with men,” research fellow of the Jeju Department Institute Chau Hye-Kyoung declared. The New York Times said that the economic independence of these women contributed to Jeju’s divorce rates—the highest in South Korea. But despite their essential role, the divers were held in low esteem by a society that frowned on women traveling outside their villages and revealing bare skin.

A member of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council Lee Sun-hwa considers Haenyeo pioneers of female leadership. In a predominantly male-oriented society, they were breadwinners who fed their families and provided educational opportunities for their children. Their organized power was critical in moving the community forward during trying times. They teamed up to lend a helping hand to needy neighbors, particularly orphans and the elderly. They were independence fighters as well. During the Japanese occupation, they stood up against Japan’s brutal rule to protect rights of their families and of their neighbors (Korea Times).

In the last decades, Haenyeo were recognized through various sculptures, visual art, movies and television series. Moreover, in September 2016, the 9^th edition of the Jeju Haenyeo Festival took place on Jeju Island and in 2006, the Jeju Haenyeo Museum was opened. Nowadays, subjects such as eco-friendly economy and feminism are in the public eye as a result of the important role Haenyeo have taken. In the past, the situation was completely different. “Before, people looked down us. Now we’re acknowledged by many people,” said one diver. Today, it has become hard to imagine that independent and one-of-a-kind women (similar only to the Japanese ama) used to be mistreated in Korean society.

Alessandra Bonanomi – The AsiaN