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by 정여해 May 27. 2021

If graduated Haenyeo school,

become a Haenyeo? < Q&A with Haenyeo >

YWCA education ?!

The first formal class of the first day at Haenyeo school was the education performed by YWCA about the prevention of sexual violence and digital sexual assault. It was made up of contents to enhance the sensitivity of sexual perception. I thought the sexual violence prevention education was nothing because 52 students were all women except 5. But lecturer said that she prepared other contents in accordance with prospective Haenyeo. Focusing on women victim, the class was proceeded.

Q&A with Chief of Haenyeo association

And then the chairman of Haenyeo association (해녀회장) and the fishing village chief (어촌계장) had the time for question and answer. Basic contents of fishing village societies(어촌계) were in the Book -「 Understanding of Jeju Haenyeo culture 」- which was given at OT. It was the way to answer the questions which were asked about Haenyeo association and fishing village societies based on this book.

Quite a lot of contents were not understood because of the two person's thick accents of Jeju-do. I often heard students who weren't Jeju people saying huh? huh? - onomatopoeias - not to understand their accent. I was the same and asked the next person several times whether she understood it or not. The executive secretary (사무국장) interpreted it into an easy word to understand and it was funny!

How to become a Haenyeo?

They say that the most content of the telephone inquiry of Haenyeo school is the inquiry that if one can become a Haenyeo after graduation. The bottom line is "No!".

To become a Haenyeo, first, one has to join the fisheries cooperative union(수협) and the fishing village societies(어촌계). To do this, it is necessary to move in activity area. It is defined by law(Fisheries Cooperation Act). However if she becomes a member of the fishing community(어촌계원), she has to be a fishermen. The range of fishermen is that she has to ear 1.2 million won or more than 60 days a year through fishing. So she has to join fishing community(어촌계) to fish as a Haenyeo, and she has to do Haenyeo work to join there. It's a situation where nothing can begin.

So she has to do 'Haenyeo internship'. Namely she moves to a fishing village where she wants to be active, and she says to Haenyeo association "I want to act as a Haenyeo in this village. Please accept me." She has to pay a little bit of money. She has to get 'unanimous approval' of Haenyeo-s of Haenyeo association. In order to get this approaval, she has to show her aspect well in the fishing village for a long time. After receiving Haenyeo association(해녀회) approval, she can do the 'Haenyeo intern' with Haenyeo -s to be able to get an income over 1.2 million won and to work in the fishing industry for 60 days. Then it's a requirement to join fishing village community(어촌계). So now she can join Haenyeo association formally. She can apply for the issuance of a Haenyeo certificate from the governor.

To become a Haenyeo, one have to move into village of coast.

The biggest hurdle is to change the residence into village of coast. Living at mountainside village or living at No-Hyung-dong(노형동) or Yeon-dong(연동) in Jeju city, to get to and from work is not the way to join Haenyeo association. But now Haenyeo-s are rapidly becoming aging, and the number of decreasing Haenyeo is more than the number of Haenyeo being added newly. And so I think these limitations will be ease gradually.

However to make these limits is maybe because Haenyeo-s are the one community to fish jointly. As Haenyeo-s put their lives on the line, the stronger community ties to protect one another is, the more reliable Haenyeo-s will be. Living in the same village, they are also residents and coworkers who works together, they go further until they become relatives and families. Like this I think that it's important to make the boundary of the community solid. In future if the limits are ease off, the method for me to become a Haenyeo is easier than now. But I am ahead of my mind that they may not ease. These are the very the culture of Jeju Haenyeo listed on UNESCO intangible culture heritage of humanity! These are the culture of Haenyeo community to be preserved.

As some students already have stayed in Jeju for 2~5 years and made the settlement secure steadily, their dream of the activity as Haenyeo was firm. And so many questions were connected. 78-year-old the chairman of the Haenyeo association(해녀회장) said something else not a straight answer, but it amounted to nothing. We students listened carefully to what she said in order to hear one more thing in spite of an unfamiliar word. She said that she was 'Ut-JJi-Ri(엇찌리)'. We asked "What is Ut-JJi-Ri(엇찌리)?" She said that it was novice who was poorer than Ha-Gun(하군, lower level, Haenyeo with poor substance). And she said one always had to go into the sea with the thinking that one was Ut-JJi-Ri(엇찌리). So conservatively, it means that to act with so much safety is important.

Diving medicine : The mechanism of diaphragm contraction

And then from 15 to 17 o'clock there was a respiratory class following last week. We practiced breathing equalizing blowing a balloon through our nose and we learned respiratory contraction. They say it is that the body reacts reflexively like a hiccup to breathe in holding our breath. Diaphragm contracts to breathe out. When young though I dived in the sea so many times, I have never felt this diaphragmatic contraction. As to hold my breath until passing the limit comes to respiratory contraction, I should practice it. And we prepared free diving swimming pool class to proceed next week.

Next week after the final classroom lecture, from the 29th of May we introductory class will go into the sea, too. Still the sea is cold.