August 21, 2024 • 34 mins
The Haenyeo, or sea women, from Jeju Island in South Korea are a community of respected older women who free dive for sea creatures for food. We dive into their long history, traditions, examples, dangers, culture and future.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Anny and Samantha. I'm welcome to stuff.
Will never told your prediction of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Oh and this is gonna be a fun episode, I
hope as a short one. But we in a very
patriarchal world. We often see women at the bottom of
the social hierarchy, economical too, all those things and left
behind because it is an assumption that women have their
really just one place, and that's oftentimes in the home,
(00:40):
serving their husbands or men in general. But when you
look into the details, you find some wonderful treasures in
the form of stories or legends that talk about the
way women in the marginalized community often help their community
survive through the hard times and even change the course
of how we got here today. And a lot of
(01:01):
what we know about the past, we get all of
that and lovely treasures and those little groves of are like,
look at that story. We need to talk about this more,
and today we are exploring one such story slash legend
slash group that still does exist specifically to South Korea.
It's the older group of women or mostly older group
of women known as the Haino, and the Haino or
(01:25):
sea women are largely again made up of older women
from the Jju Islands in South Korea, a big hot
spot for tourism if you're on any South Korean TikTok
at all, and these legendary women are seen as some
of the most respected people.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Of the island.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Being a part of their crew is seen as an
honor today. Now, of course, they've been around for a while,
so this level of honor came much later. So the
Haynos are a community of women free divers who work
and live on Jju Island, and we're focusing on j Island,
but there are other places that the Hanos have popped
(02:04):
up or have been. They just I guess haven't really
talked about it, and they weren't originated from there, so
we will talk about them a little bit later. But
for the most part, that's that's where they're located. So
here's some information from Kyotojournal dot org. They dive as
deep as ten meters below the surface without the help
of air tanks or modern diving equipment, with little insulation
(02:25):
from the cold South China Sea, and then the a
little more information from a recent Evoke article about the
Hainos in recent meaning January twenty twenty four. The Haino,
who are part of South Korea's UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection status,
have been practicing muljiu, the Korean word that refers to
their diving activities, since at least the sixth century AD.
(02:46):
According to records, muljil requires an intimate knowledge of the
ocean and its physics, as well as superior physical fitness.
Divers would often stay underwater for up to three minutes
without the help of any modern dive equipment, a feat
that tests their lung capacity and ability to fill and
withstand water pressure, as well as estimate ocean depths.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yes, and it is within these ocean depths that they
are able to collect different foods and supplements for their
community and for their livelihoods. Here's some more information from
Heytera Travel Journal. Hanyo our sea women have for centuries
been the primary divers in Korean culture. During the sixteen hundreds,
as men were increasingly drawn away to war and conquest,
(03:31):
women were left behind to provide for their families and communities. Eventually,
they became known as Korea's first working moms. The reversal
of traditional gender roles made Heinyo an outlier in the
country's traditionally patriarchal society, and diving became exclusively female. The
work these women do, I had read is perilous, most
(03:53):
of them over the age of sixty. They submerged themselves
into oftentimes freezing conditions for six hours a day, holding
their breath for minutes at a time to plug abaloni, clam, seaweed,
sea cucumber, sea urchin, and squid from the bottom of
the strait. As the article states, the Heinos are first
mentioned in the sixteen hundreds, when many speculate that men
(04:16):
were originally doing the diving as well, and they were
called into the army or had died, which left only
women to do the diving. It seemed that the ruler
at the time demanded a lot from the people, including
a tribute of delicious seafood such as abalone. There is
speculation that they also imposed attacks on men for their earnings.
(04:39):
Here's a bit from Oceanographic Magazine quote. The Haino or
women of the Sea, are an icon of South Korea,
a unique culture found on the island of Jaiju. The
women have been in charge of diving for seafood to
provide for their families since the seventeenth century, when many
of the men were either conscripted to the army or
had lost their lives at sea while fishing. Additionally, the
(05:02):
Korean ruler at that time had imposed heavy taxes on
the earnings of men, but exempted the labor of women.
The women folk of the island had no choice but
to become the main breadwinners of their families. This evolved
into a system where only girls were trained to perform
the dangerous free diving work of the Haino to harvest
(05:22):
items such as avaloni, conch, seaweed, sea urchin, and octopus
from the ocean floor.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
So for many this new occupation was an empowering road.
And here's a quote from sidetrack dot com. The Haino
culture sprung up during a time when oppressive legislation was
forced upon Korean women. Women should be limited to domestic
work and the care of children. They had no access
to education, no right to inheritance. They were discouraged from
walking in public spaces. When they did, their faces should
(05:51):
be hidden by a veil. Divorce procedures could only be
initiated by men. Husbands could abandon their wives should they
fail to bear a male child. Unshackled and free. The
Hano have stood as paragons for female empowerment, and like
most of the World warren oppression has been a factor
with its continued decreasing of numbers of Hainos, as there
are less and less of them as the years go by.
(06:13):
So here's some more information from that sidetracked article. The
Haino reached their peak at the end of the nineteen fifties.
In nineteen forty five, the USA and USSR liberated Korea
from Japanese oppression, but began using the peninsula as a
pawn in the Cold War. The Korean people woke from
their colonial nightmare to find themselves politically divided by the
thirty eighth parallel to the north communist interests led by
(06:36):
Soviet Russia to the south, a territory aligned to capitalists America.
The Korean War from nineteen fifty nineteen fifty three consolidated
the former occupied zones into two separate countries at the
high cost of more than three million lives and the
destruction of their basic infrastructure. Despite its relative isolation, JG
was not spared from these hard times. Violence, unemployment, famine,
(06:59):
and sts took over the island, as well as another
exodus of young adult males. However, an economic upsearch followed.
In between nineteen sixty five and the nineteen seventy the
number of Haino decreased from twenty three thousand, eighty one
to fourteen thousand, one hundred and forty three. Today, only
around four thousand, five hundred are still active. Most Hanos
(07:21):
are now between sixty five and seventy five years of age.
Despite government incentives such as promoting annual festivals and building
a museum and a school for the Reinho, a few
young women are willing to embrace the lifestyle of their grandmothers.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Since then, the culture and legend of the Hainos have
gained more and more attention and revelry. In fact, the
Kyoto Journal even talked about it helping establish a semi
matriarchal society. They write quote the Haino have elevated social
status and in otherwise patriarchal South Korea. But it is
unclear why free diving became a female dominated profession on JJ.
(07:58):
Explanations range from men dying in deep sea fishing accidents
or wars, to physiological reasons. For example, women's fat reserves,
supposedly making them more resistant to cold water. Historically, so
many families depended on the income of the heino that
a semimatriarchal society developed in Jaju. It was not unheard
(08:19):
of for women to be the main breadwinners while men
would stay home and take care of the children. One
way in which non standard gender roles were manifested was
through the payment of dowry to the family of the
bride instead of the groom. Unlike families in mainland South Korea,
families on Jaiju would wish for the birth of baby
girls rather than boys, which.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Is fun fast, fascinating and though the original divers may
have started in four hundred and thirty four AD, the
traditions and practices changed as the people who took over
changed from men to more women in the seventeenth century. Historically,
the practice would be passed down from mother to daughter,
starting at the age about ten or eleven, but things
change and the numbers have changed since then. So here's
(09:02):
a bit more information from a Financial Times article. Traditionally
a job handed down from mother to daughter. Hanyo life
has been shunned in recent decades by nearly all the
girls born in Jaju's seaside villages, which have tended to
favor more comfortable lives in the islands two cities or
on the mainland. For more than fourteen thousand in the
nineteen seventies, the number of hanos has dwindled to fewer
(09:24):
than four thy five hundred today. So there are levels
that the Hano use for their expertise, and in order
to be a part of one, it does take the
villager's approval to get to that point. So here's some
more information from wonder Wisdom dot com. Becoming a Hanyo
also is not an easy task. A new recruit has
to earn a yes vote from every woman in their village.
(09:46):
It can take up to five years for any woman
to reach an expert level after crossing various levels like
Sengun or novice Jungan, which is a middle level and
Hagen expert level. A Hagun can reach depth of more
than thirty feet, can stay more than two minutes underwater
at a.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Time, and some additional information thanks to Oceanographic Magazine quote.
This evolved into a system where only girls were trained
to perform the dangerous free diving work of the haino
to harvest items such as abalony, conch, seaweed, sea urchin,
and octopus from the ocean floor. To become a hano
is indeed a dangerous and tiring path. These women train
from the age of ten or younger to dive to
(10:24):
depths of up to twenty meters and hold their breath
for up to two minutes underwater. They dive with no
protective equipment other than their wetsuits, clippers, goggles, and weighted
vest or belts to help them dive deeper. Lives can
and have been lost during these dives, right.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
I think I read one article when a woman was
talking about how in the last I think like ten
to I want to say, five maybe five years, maybe
ten years, so they had lost fourteen people.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
And of course they talk about whether it's like the
pressure underneath and causing heart attacks or just losing them,
and like there're so many things. But I was like, dang,
that's all well for a small village, that's a lot.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
So of course, with all the traditions and dangers, they
do all of this with love and respect for their environment.
We were researching these amazing groups of women, most of
them talked about what they do with a lot of
respect for their land and their area, and they talk
about the need of sustainability and safeguarding the ecosystem. So
Young Meet talks about it specifically to UNESCO. We're going
(11:33):
to talk more about their articles because they celebrate all
the women there. As j Juhanio, we adhere to a
small but essential rule. We avoid over harvesting. We respect
seasonal and size restrictions for marine products. For instance, during
the abalone season, we only gather those that are at
least seven centimeters in size. Similarly, when catching conch, they
must be over seven centimeters long. If we cannot assess
(11:56):
their size underwater, we check after surfacing and returned under
sized specimens to the sea, allowing them to grow naturally.
This approach ensures that we harvest marine products in a
sustainable manner as they continue to thrive and contribute to
the ecosystem.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
And beyond just being conscientious of their harvesting, they actually
collect garbage in order to restore the water. Here's a
quote from goodyeworld dot com. As part of their civic responsibility,
Younger Hanyo regularly dive into the sea to extract garbage, plastics,
fishing nets, bottles, cans, oyster traps, styrofoam, and other human litter. Tourism,
(12:33):
over development, a naval base, and plans for a second
airport also threaten their survival. In pre COVID years, soul
Jju consistently ranked as the world's busiest air route, with
an average of nearly two hundred flights per day. Unfazed
by the attention of tourists and the media for their prowess,
Haino views themselves simply as ordinary workers. Their propitious legacy
(12:56):
is best summed up by oceanographer Sylvia A. Earle. If
we failed to take care of the ocean, nothing else matters.
No ocean know us. We need to protect the ocean
the same way we protect the land. The ocean is
the galaxy of life.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Right And just so y'all know, there's a lot of research,
I mean legitimate research papers based on what the heynos
have done and helping the ecosystem and helping to protect
the ecosystem.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
As well as the way that they breathe.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
They have actually gone out of their way to see
what makes them so different and how they're able to
handle the temperatures as well as going underwater and surviving
without equipment like oxygen and speaking of just to add
to the hard coordinates to it, if you are using
scuba gear or oxygen, that's cheating. That's what they told
one reporter when they were like, why don't you do
(13:47):
these new equipments And they're like, oh, no, that's cheating.
Why would we do that? And this again our sixty
five to eighty five year old women. And it wasn't
until the seventies that they decided not to use sojungi
or muldruk sum or essentially cotton swim suits and from
what I gather.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
Is like long, robish type of outfits.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
And they started actually wearing wetsuits to protect themselves. And
with that, I think we already mentioned, but they would
have diving masks. Sometimes they would wear fins, they would
wear gloves, chest weights, and often the ones that like
oh that could cause cancer, that type of metal You
sure you want to use that? They're like, yeah, it's fine,
really just like eh. And then a weeding hoe and
(14:26):
a net attached to a flotation device. And I have
a feeling that some of my K drama people have
seen this welcome to someone Dari I think is one
that's specifically talking about Jju Island and the Hanyos and some.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Like tragedy of that.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
And then our Blues has them too, and they were mean.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
They are a click apparently, but they do it because
they have to keep each other safe. That they don't
trust each other, then they can't do it right. So
the all these things, But if you want to talk
about dramatized versions, there's plenty out there, and there's a
lot of actually recent documentaries too, So if you all
want to a little more.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
In depth, look at that.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
And with that, not just with the k dramas, we
do want to talk about some of the legends and
individual stories that were told, and also some of the
funniest things. If you all, if you want to go
look this up and just look up the Hanyos or
the Korean Sea women, you'll see all these amazing pictures.
Because photographers are so interested about this culture and they
(15:25):
want to preserve it. They're to that point they understand
this is a big deal. But like these women are like,
oh my god, stop asking for my picture. I just
want to go home. I just want to count my food,
Like it is amazing, like this is the harmonies the
Grandma's that.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
I'm like, yeah, that's about right. This is amazing.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
But the pictures are beautiful and so interesting to just
look at, so you should definitely take a look. But
with that, yes, we do want to talk about some
of the stories. There are a few that were featured
for the YENESCO articles, and one of them was again
we've already mentioned her, young me Joung. She's a fifty
five year veteran, so not fifty five years old. She's
been in the Hanyo community for fifty five years and
(16:05):
she talks about it. Life as a Hano has its
share of challenges, especially for women. I've faced my own difficulties.
In my case, economic hardships forced me to dive not
only in local waters, but also in places like Japan.
I've dedicated fifty five years to this profession, working tirelessly
to earn a living. It's incredibly gratifying to see our
recognition and appreciation on a global scale now that the
(16:27):
culture of Jiju Haino is inscribed as a UNESCO Heritage Element.
I firmly believe that being a Hano is one of
the best professions for women even without formal education. Personally,
I didn't have much formal education, but I take pride
in what I've learned as a Hano. I have a
daughter and a daughter in law, and my goal is
to pass down this tradition to them, to make them
(16:47):
Hanos as well. I'm committed to ensuring that this invaluable
heritage continues to thrive and be transmitted to future generations.
And she even talks about her own tactics and diving
and says, quote, there are no special technique. My approach
is quite simple. I hold my breath as long as
I can. However, I emphasized to fellow divers not to
push themselves too hard, as overexertion can be life threatening.
(17:11):
The fundamental lesson I have been taught is to do
what we can within our limits, in showing safety above
all else.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
The UNESCO article also talked about Kim Hyung m and
her story as a Hano. Quote, I decided to become
a Hano because my mother was also a Hano. After
my divorce, I found myself raising two children on my own.
Juggling work and taking care of my kids made it
challenging to provide them with the care they needed, especially
when they were sick. So I half jokingly, half seriously
(17:40):
asked my mother if I could join her in diving.
She mentioned that being a Hano would offer a more
conducive environment for raising children, so I decided to give
it a try. Of course, working as a Hano is
physically demanding in the sea, but it gives me the
flexibility to prioritize my children's well being when necessary. That's
why I ultimately chose to pursue a career as a heno.
(18:02):
And she continues specifically addressing the typical question of holding
her breath underwater. Quote, The question of how long we
can hold our breath underwater is when I frequently encounter
no matter where I go. While being a Heino demands
extended periods of breath holding, it's more akin to a marathon.
Our work as divers often requires us to spend over
(18:23):
four hours in the sea. When needed, we can hold
our breath for more than two minutes, but we must
be cautious not to overextend ourselves. If we hold our
breath for too long, we risk losing our rhythm, which
can impede our ability to continue working underwater. Typically, our
breath holding time is around thirty five seconds or so.
Going beyond that duration can have adverse effects on our
(18:45):
bodies and our work, so we aim to keep it
within that range. And with all of that, she talks
about her daily routines. Quote. My daily routine as a
j Ju Heno involves a combination of diving work and
engaging in cultural and environmental activities. After completing my diving task,
I dedicate time to practicing hano folk songs, a cultural
(19:06):
tradition deeply rooted in my village. On days when I
don't go diving, I participate in ocean cleanup practices aimed
at removing debris from the sea and the coastline. In
addition to being a hano I approached this cleanup work
with the mindset of preserving and cleaning up our marine environments.
My village is unique because we place importance on both
(19:27):
our cultural heritage such as folk songs, and environmental conservation.
This blend of traditions and responsibilities keeps me quite busy
in my life as a Henio.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Yeah, we're going to talk about those songs in a minute,
but before that, nothing will slow them down, not even
giving birth. So here's one story from a sixty five
year old veteran Haino from huckmag dot org. A lot
of women continued diving despite health challenges or during pregnancy,
as did several of the women in Bosun's living room.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Which is a person who hosts all the hainyos.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Kim Sunja, sixty five year old even gave birth while
she was at sea during spring. She was picking seaweed
close to the shore and suddenly her water broke and
she had no time to call somebody for help. I
just climbed up the sea shore and gave birth to
my daughter. When the others realized that I was missing,
they found me and helped me back home with my
baby safely. It was quite normal to give birth on
(20:23):
the seashore, she told me, as her three youngest recruits
looked thoroughly surprised. They would never be that calm, they proclaimed.
The older Haino believed they had healthy babies because they
were working in the sea while being pregnant, not a
practice I would want.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
That is tense. That's some times, and age is only
a number. A bit more from young Mejong, the first
veteran Haino. We were talking about quote, I'm not the
oldest among us. There's a remarkable ninety three year old
Haino among our ranks. To her and others, I'd like
to say, please take good care of yourself and consider
(21:00):
stepping back from diving. We have many talented young Hainho
emerging and your contributions have been invaluable. While I'm among
the senior members, there are others who have more years
of experience.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Right. There are so many stories right after that being
like they were talking about seventy three year old woman
and there was an age she's like, oh, my sister,
my older sister, she's still a Hano. Like they're all
talking about the fact that they continue going well beyond
I think that was one that was like one hundred.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
I'm not sure that that was a record or she
still is a part of it. Like, there's so many
conversations about the fact that they didn't start till much later,
or they still continued and they don't exist anymore. So
those are the average ages, especially when they started when
they were ten. But of course this would be around
the prime time of women being a part of this community.
(21:52):
The camaraderie within the Haino community. It's inspiring and is
something they passed down to the younger generation of Haino's
Here's another quote the UNESCO article. The Haino community operates
as a close knit group. Skilled divers may catch ten
kilograms of seafood, while less experienced divers might not even
reach one kilogram. However, everything is gathered together and shared equally,
(22:13):
whether someone had a bountiful catch or a modest one.
While younger divers may be honing their underwater skills, they
actively contribute when out of the water. This equal sharing
of earnings is a well organized system that attracts new recruits.
The younger generations appreciate being treated equally and sharing earnings uniformly,
while experienced Hano value the enthusiasm and respect of their
(22:35):
younger counterparts. This mutual appreciation and strengthens our sense of
community and reinforces the importance of preserving the culture of
Jju Haano as an enduring tradition that should never be
lost but passed on to future generations, and as a
part of a lot of their history and tradition. Singing
and songs are.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
A part of that culture.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Here's some information from Atlas Obscure dot com. Chua Hueikyng,
who has written at extensively about Haino for decades, says
that writing the biography of a Doen, the first guardian
of Heineo's songs, was one of the most memorable experiences
of her career. The first time I heard her sing,
I remember sobs in her voice, and before I knew it,
I was crying too, She says. Haino songs served as
(23:17):
practical purposes. Starting in the mid nineteenth century, Hainyo rode
their boats to work far from Jju Island to distant
locales such as Busan, gong Wan Province, and even Japan.
To pass the time as they rode, the women sing
simple melodies in six ' eight time to the rhythm
of the sea waves. The song lyrics varied, but often
women singing lamenting the day they were born, complaining about
(23:40):
their incompetent husbands, and in protest of the government.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
Yeah, yeah, I could understand that.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
So here's the lyric from one of the songs that
I'm not going to sing because I don't know how
to do six fight times, So I'm just going to
read it to y'all. Bae baying dove into the sea,
skipped the day's three meals and learned diving as a
way to be slowly saved up one coin at a
time to take a step at my husband's bar.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Tab that's so.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
Sad in good the news.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
There's no sheet music for Haino songs, and a few
of the nearly ten thousand known tunes have titles. Sometimes
the songs are called yodo sauna because these two words
appear often within the lyrics of Haino music, but no
one is really sure what the term means. Some say
yodo sana refers to a mythical island, a fantasy haven
where problems cease to exist, or even a heavenly afterlife.
(24:30):
Others say the words have no meaning at all.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
And the article goes on. The songs are poems filled
with irony and tragedy, but a closer look reveals that
they are a testament to these women's will to survive.
And these songs are still sung today, and apparently some
have tried to remix some of the originals, causing some debate.
But one thing is for sure, the legacy of these
(24:55):
songs remains an important part of the Haino culture.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
So what's happening today.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
We kind of already talked about it, but we're gonna
delve a little deeper. The artistry of Haino has garnered
more interests recently, with museums that are dedicated to the
years and years of tradition and to the fact that
UNESCO has placed them on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
They have become a cultural and tourist phenomenon. And here's
some more information from that Kyoto Journal article quote. In
(25:33):
twenty sixteen, the Henya culture was assigned to the list
of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage due to its unique history
and the rapid decline of female divers. Its elevated status
due to the UNESCO listing has resulted in a new
tourist industry and increased protection and funding for the women
in the industry and the natural environment of the island.
The government provides free healthcare and the necessary diving equipment,
(25:55):
and has opened a diving school again and a museum.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
So there's that.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
However, while the new heritage status has brought benefits for
the community, it has made the women into living artifacts
who perform their work for tourist audiences. There are now
places where you can pay to watch the women dive
and buy their catch. I would be interested in doing
that because I bet it's real good.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
I'd be interested in it. But I'm also like, I
hope I'm not bothered.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Well, I think as long as you're giving money, Yeah,
that's that.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
They're cool with that.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Like, don't bother them, don't come ask for pictures and selfies,
just buy their food.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Now, I'm good with that.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Give that.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
So and from wonder Wisdom dot com. Yes, the tradition
is dying, particularly as a neo generation have decided to
take jobs in cities, but the Hano is still one
of the most honored and respected women on the island.
The strong work ethic and the decisive role they have
played in society have given them international acclaim. In addition
to the Hano becoming inscribed on the UNESCO List of
(26:54):
Korea's Intangible Cultural Heritage in twenty sixteen, there's even the
Hano Museum in Jju today, and tourists visit this picturesque
island just to see them in action. As one Haino
Moon Bulkhoi says, wherever I go, I tell people that
I'm Haino.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Proudly there are still those who are both looking to
be a part of the tradition as well as teach
the traditions. From gloriosport dot com quote. In recent years,
a small number of young women have left their lives
on the Korean mainland to become Hano, parting with their
stressful city careers in order to reconnect with nature. The
Hano we spoke with stressed the importance of national policy
(27:31):
in preserving traditions, but insisted the responsibility lies with the
senior divers to support and educate an emerging generation of
divers and teach the wisdom of the waters. In many ways,
Haino are agents of change an invaluable source of wisdom.
Their lives depend on an intricate understanding of the ecosystem
in which they play a part, owing to their profound
(27:53):
respect for the environment. In spite of dwindling numbers of divers,
the Haino represent an alternative vision for the future. Their
century long tradition is teaching a more considered approach to
fishing that might be the antidote to our broken, pillaged ecosystem.
In the wake of unprecedented global environmental activism emerging from
the bottom up, the tradition of Haino is far from disappearing.
(28:16):
It's evolving and taking different forms on an international scale.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
And yeah, exactly like this. The practice has spread beyond
just Jaju. Their newer groups to join the legendary crew,
such as located on GoJ Island, still in South Korea.
But as a populator has grown, there have become schools
that are available to train future hano's, one in Jju
and one in Kojo. So here's a quote from hunkmag
dot org. The sixty nine year old who was being
(28:44):
interviewed for this article admitted that when she first started
to recruit new divers, she was skeptical. Hunting in the
deep is a tough and dangerous job with no room
for error. The fishing nets moved back and forth and
can trap you quickly if you don't pay attention, she said,
confessing that she has sworn to keep the three recruit
on her boat safe. Originally from Jju, Lee moved to
Koj as a child, and at that time daughters were
(29:07):
supposed to work. They had no choice but to do this,
She explained. It was hard to even go back inside.
My mother kept saying, no, go out, go back, in
the water, and this is kind of her beginning her
time with the Hayinos obviously, as well as wanting to
teach others and then spreading that. So they talked about
what that process was for that island and how similar
(29:28):
it is to Jju, but why it's important to keep
going and keep teaching. So she had a lot of wisdom.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
For these young recruits.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
And yet there was one who I think she was
thirty four talking about she just really fell in love
with the idea of going away from the city and
doing something close to nature. Again, I don't wonder. I'm
thinking that that might have been me. Had I been
in South Korea, I'd be like, I'm done with this
because I was born in Seoul, like near Seoul, so
(29:56):
I wasn't near the islands. But damn, I don't know that.
I don't like the undersea They s freak me out,
so maybe not.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Yes, agreed, And I will also add on to that
just to reiterate, like this so difficult physically to do
what they're doing. But also over on my other podcast Saver,
we did an episode on sea urchins. They're difficult to
just get like that is hard right to do it?
(30:26):
Takes a lot of skill, and I really love that
they're so cognizant of the water and wanting to protect
it and doing it like protecting the culture, protecting the water,
protecting traditions. But it is it's difficult, It is so.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
Hard, so I think it needs to be like a
lot of the times they get on a boat, go
out far out into the ocean, far enough out, and
then they jump in like they are through free divers
I'm not saying they're just walking.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
In and storkling. That's not what they're doing.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
And they do try to keep together as a crew
so they can watch each other just in case they
are in distress because they don't have anything. But that
floating device like that, to me is like what And
it's all like decorated from what I've seen. Again, this
is kay dramas.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
To show who is who.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
I think this is how they keep up with each other,
and so it's part of what they do. But like it, Yeah,
it's not what you think of. Just like they just
walk out to the sea and then nah, they pick
up No, like that one woman who was heavily pregnant,
still needing to work and gather things. Sure, she might
have been closer to the shore, but most of the
time they are in boats and they all go out
and then they dive in to go and retrieve whatever
(31:44):
they can. And like areas, I think abaloni are harder
to get because of the way they're like a little
off from the main areas that they stay in. So
it's a whole thing from what I've gathered, and it
is it is very dangerous and the fact that these
are elder like elder who are doing this is so
amazing to even talk about. But again, if you have
(32:05):
time to watch any of these documentaries, read any of
these articles, you really should. Apparently sea urchins have hats anything.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
That's my favorite fact from our Savor episode on sea
urchins is that they wear little hats and people usually
it's like a shell or seaweed, you know, and it
is to protect from the sun. During the pandemic, we
were all depressed and so people started printing out like
three D like Viking hats or which is hats, and
(32:33):
the sea urchins will put them on, ye, and sometimes
they will reject the hat if it's not good enough. Yes,
and that makes me love them even more. Yes.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Well, I was also saying that I had seen a
video of an octopus. Yeah, be gifted a hat and
like the because they had like trash and a diver
was trying to bargain with this octopus and got rejected
like three or four times to finally the perfect shell.
And he was willing to give up the other hat
to take that one, like it was a whole thing.
Secrets are amazing and scary to me.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Agreed. Agreed, but I cannot recommend enough. Look up seursians
wearing hats if you need a boosts. Also, yeah, the boat,
both of them.
Speaker 4 (33:19):
Uh huh.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
Well, listeners, If you have any thoughts about this, please
let us know. We would love to hear from you.
You can email us at Stepanie mom Stuff at iHeartMedia
dot com. You can find us on Twitter at mom
Stuff podcast, or on Instagram and TikTok stuff Never Told You.
We're also on YouTube. We have tea public store, and
we have a book you can get wherever you get
your books. Thanks always to our super producer Christina, our
executive producer Maya, and our contributor Joey. Thank you and
(33:43):
thanks to you for listening. Stuffan Never Told You is
protection of my heart.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Radio.
Speaker 1 (33:46):
For more podcasts from my heart Radio, you can check
out the heart Radio app Apple Podcasts. Where have you
listen to your favorite shows?
Hey, this is Anny and Samantha. I'm welcome to stuff.
Will never told your prediction of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Oh and this is gonna be a fun episode, I
hope as a short one. But we in a very
patriarchal world. We often see women at the bottom of
the social hierarchy, economical too, all those things and left
behind because it is an assumption that women have their
really just one place, and that's oftentimes in the home,
(00:40):
serving their husbands or men in general. But when you
look into the details, you find some wonderful treasures in
the form of stories or legends that talk about the
way women in the marginalized community often help their community
survive through the hard times and even change the course
of how we got here today. And a lot of
(01:01):
what we know about the past, we get all of
that and lovely treasures and those little groves of are like,
look at that story. We need to talk about this more,
and today we are exploring one such story slash legend
slash group that still does exist specifically to South Korea.
It's the older group of women or mostly older group
of women known as the Haino, and the Haino or
(01:25):
sea women are largely again made up of older women
from the Jju Islands in South Korea, a big hot
spot for tourism if you're on any South Korean TikTok
at all, and these legendary women are seen as some
of the most respected people.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Of the island.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Being a part of their crew is seen as an
honor today. Now, of course, they've been around for a while,
so this level of honor came much later. So the
Haynos are a community of women free divers who work
and live on Jju Island, and we're focusing on j Island,
but there are other places that the Hanos have popped
(02:04):
up or have been. They just I guess haven't really
talked about it, and they weren't originated from there, so
we will talk about them a little bit later. But
for the most part, that's that's where they're located. So
here's some information from Kyotojournal dot org. They dive as
deep as ten meters below the surface without the help
of air tanks or modern diving equipment, with little insulation
(02:25):
from the cold South China Sea, and then the a
little more information from a recent Evoke article about the
Hainos in recent meaning January twenty twenty four. The Haino,
who are part of South Korea's UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection status,
have been practicing muljiu, the Korean word that refers to
their diving activities, since at least the sixth century AD.
(02:46):
According to records, muljil requires an intimate knowledge of the
ocean and its physics, as well as superior physical fitness.
Divers would often stay underwater for up to three minutes
without the help of any modern dive equipment, a feat
that tests their lung capacity and ability to fill and
withstand water pressure, as well as estimate ocean depths.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yes, and it is within these ocean depths that they
are able to collect different foods and supplements for their
community and for their livelihoods. Here's some more information from
Heytera Travel Journal. Hanyo our sea women have for centuries
been the primary divers in Korean culture. During the sixteen hundreds,
as men were increasingly drawn away to war and conquest,
(03:31):
women were left behind to provide for their families and communities. Eventually,
they became known as Korea's first working moms. The reversal
of traditional gender roles made Heinyo an outlier in the
country's traditionally patriarchal society, and diving became exclusively female. The
work these women do, I had read is perilous, most
(03:53):
of them over the age of sixty. They submerged themselves
into oftentimes freezing conditions for six hours a day, holding
their breath for minutes at a time to plug abaloni, clam, seaweed,
sea cucumber, sea urchin, and squid from the bottom of
the strait. As the article states, the Heinos are first
mentioned in the sixteen hundreds, when many speculate that men
(04:16):
were originally doing the diving as well, and they were
called into the army or had died, which left only
women to do the diving. It seemed that the ruler
at the time demanded a lot from the people, including
a tribute of delicious seafood such as abalone. There is
speculation that they also imposed attacks on men for their earnings.
(04:39):
Here's a bit from Oceanographic Magazine quote. The Haino or
women of the Sea, are an icon of South Korea,
a unique culture found on the island of Jaiju. The
women have been in charge of diving for seafood to
provide for their families since the seventeenth century, when many
of the men were either conscripted to the army or
had lost their lives at sea while fishing. Additionally, the
(05:02):
Korean ruler at that time had imposed heavy taxes on
the earnings of men, but exempted the labor of women.
The women folk of the island had no choice but
to become the main breadwinners of their families. This evolved
into a system where only girls were trained to perform
the dangerous free diving work of the Haino to harvest
(05:22):
items such as avaloni, conch, seaweed, sea urchin, and octopus
from the ocean floor.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
So for many this new occupation was an empowering road.
And here's a quote from sidetrack dot com. The Haino
culture sprung up during a time when oppressive legislation was
forced upon Korean women. Women should be limited to domestic
work and the care of children. They had no access
to education, no right to inheritance. They were discouraged from
walking in public spaces. When they did, their faces should
(05:51):
be hidden by a veil. Divorce procedures could only be
initiated by men. Husbands could abandon their wives should they
fail to bear a male child. Unshackled and free. The
Hano have stood as paragons for female empowerment, and like
most of the World warren oppression has been a factor
with its continued decreasing of numbers of Hainos, as there
are less and less of them as the years go by.
(06:13):
So here's some more information from that sidetracked article. The
Haino reached their peak at the end of the nineteen fifties.
In nineteen forty five, the USA and USSR liberated Korea
from Japanese oppression, but began using the peninsula as a
pawn in the Cold War. The Korean people woke from
their colonial nightmare to find themselves politically divided by the
thirty eighth parallel to the north communist interests led by
(06:36):
Soviet Russia to the south, a territory aligned to capitalists America.
The Korean War from nineteen fifty nineteen fifty three consolidated
the former occupied zones into two separate countries at the
high cost of more than three million lives and the
destruction of their basic infrastructure. Despite its relative isolation, JG
was not spared from these hard times. Violence, unemployment, famine,
(06:59):
and sts took over the island, as well as another
exodus of young adult males. However, an economic upsearch followed.
In between nineteen sixty five and the nineteen seventy the
number of Haino decreased from twenty three thousand, eighty one
to fourteen thousand, one hundred and forty three. Today, only
around four thousand, five hundred are still active. Most Hanos
(07:21):
are now between sixty five and seventy five years of age.
Despite government incentives such as promoting annual festivals and building
a museum and a school for the Reinho, a few
young women are willing to embrace the lifestyle of their grandmothers.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Since then, the culture and legend of the Hainos have
gained more and more attention and revelry. In fact, the
Kyoto Journal even talked about it helping establish a semi
matriarchal society. They write quote the Haino have elevated social
status and in otherwise patriarchal South Korea. But it is
unclear why free diving became a female dominated profession on JJ.
(07:58):
Explanations range from men dying in deep sea fishing accidents
or wars, to physiological reasons. For example, women's fat reserves,
supposedly making them more resistant to cold water. Historically, so
many families depended on the income of the heino that
a semimatriarchal society developed in Jaju. It was not unheard
(08:19):
of for women to be the main breadwinners while men
would stay home and take care of the children. One
way in which non standard gender roles were manifested was
through the payment of dowry to the family of the
bride instead of the groom. Unlike families in mainland South Korea,
families on Jaiju would wish for the birth of baby
girls rather than boys, which.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Is fun fast, fascinating and though the original divers may
have started in four hundred and thirty four AD, the
traditions and practices changed as the people who took over
changed from men to more women in the seventeenth century. Historically,
the practice would be passed down from mother to daughter,
starting at the age about ten or eleven, but things
change and the numbers have changed since then. So here's
(09:02):
a bit more information from a Financial Times article. Traditionally
a job handed down from mother to daughter. Hanyo life
has been shunned in recent decades by nearly all the
girls born in Jaju's seaside villages, which have tended to
favor more comfortable lives in the islands two cities or
on the mainland. For more than fourteen thousand in the
nineteen seventies, the number of hanos has dwindled to fewer
(09:24):
than four thy five hundred today. So there are levels
that the Hano use for their expertise, and in order
to be a part of one, it does take the
villager's approval to get to that point. So here's some
more information from wonder Wisdom dot com. Becoming a Hanyo
also is not an easy task. A new recruit has
to earn a yes vote from every woman in their village.
(09:46):
It can take up to five years for any woman
to reach an expert level after crossing various levels like
Sengun or novice Jungan, which is a middle level and
Hagen expert level. A Hagun can reach depth of more
than thirty feet, can stay more than two minutes underwater
at a.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Time, and some additional information thanks to Oceanographic Magazine quote.
This evolved into a system where only girls were trained
to perform the dangerous free diving work of the haino
to harvest items such as abalony, conch, seaweed, sea urchin,
and octopus from the ocean floor. To become a hano
is indeed a dangerous and tiring path. These women train
from the age of ten or younger to dive to
(10:24):
depths of up to twenty meters and hold their breath
for up to two minutes underwater. They dive with no
protective equipment other than their wetsuits, clippers, goggles, and weighted
vest or belts to help them dive deeper. Lives can
and have been lost during these dives, right.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
I think I read one article when a woman was
talking about how in the last I think like ten
to I want to say, five maybe five years, maybe
ten years, so they had lost fourteen people.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
And of course they talk about whether it's like the
pressure underneath and causing heart attacks or just losing them,
and like there're so many things. But I was like, dang,
that's all well for a small village, that's a lot.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
So of course, with all the traditions and dangers, they
do all of this with love and respect for their environment.
We were researching these amazing groups of women, most of
them talked about what they do with a lot of
respect for their land and their area, and they talk
about the need of sustainability and safeguarding the ecosystem. So
Young Meet talks about it specifically to UNESCO. We're going
(11:33):
to talk more about their articles because they celebrate all
the women there. As j Juhanio, we adhere to a
small but essential rule. We avoid over harvesting. We respect
seasonal and size restrictions for marine products. For instance, during
the abalone season, we only gather those that are at
least seven centimeters in size. Similarly, when catching conch, they
must be over seven centimeters long. If we cannot assess
(11:56):
their size underwater, we check after surfacing and returned under
sized specimens to the sea, allowing them to grow naturally.
This approach ensures that we harvest marine products in a
sustainable manner as they continue to thrive and contribute to
the ecosystem.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
And beyond just being conscientious of their harvesting, they actually
collect garbage in order to restore the water. Here's a
quote from goodyeworld dot com. As part of their civic responsibility,
Younger Hanyo regularly dive into the sea to extract garbage, plastics,
fishing nets, bottles, cans, oyster traps, styrofoam, and other human litter. Tourism,
(12:33):
over development, a naval base, and plans for a second
airport also threaten their survival. In pre COVID years, soul
Jju consistently ranked as the world's busiest air route, with
an average of nearly two hundred flights per day. Unfazed
by the attention of tourists and the media for their prowess,
Haino views themselves simply as ordinary workers. Their propitious legacy
(12:56):
is best summed up by oceanographer Sylvia A. Earle. If
we failed to take care of the ocean, nothing else matters.
No ocean know us. We need to protect the ocean
the same way we protect the land. The ocean is
the galaxy of life.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Right And just so y'all know, there's a lot of research,
I mean legitimate research papers based on what the heynos
have done and helping the ecosystem and helping to protect
the ecosystem.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
As well as the way that they breathe.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
They have actually gone out of their way to see
what makes them so different and how they're able to
handle the temperatures as well as going underwater and surviving
without equipment like oxygen and speaking of just to add
to the hard coordinates to it, if you are using
scuba gear or oxygen, that's cheating. That's what they told
one reporter when they were like, why don't you do
(13:47):
these new equipments And they're like, oh, no, that's cheating.
Why would we do that? And this again our sixty
five to eighty five year old women. And it wasn't
until the seventies that they decided not to use sojungi
or muldruk sum or essentially cotton swim suits and from
what I gather.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
Is like long, robish type of outfits.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
And they started actually wearing wetsuits to protect themselves. And
with that, I think we already mentioned, but they would
have diving masks. Sometimes they would wear fins, they would
wear gloves, chest weights, and often the ones that like
oh that could cause cancer, that type of metal You
sure you want to use that? They're like, yeah, it's fine,
really just like eh. And then a weeding hoe and
(14:26):
a net attached to a flotation device. And I have
a feeling that some of my K drama people have
seen this welcome to someone Dari I think is one
that's specifically talking about Jju Island and the Hanyos and some.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Like tragedy of that.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
And then our Blues has them too, and they were mean.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
They are a click apparently, but they do it because
they have to keep each other safe. That they don't
trust each other, then they can't do it right. So
the all these things, But if you want to talk
about dramatized versions, there's plenty out there, and there's a
lot of actually recent documentaries too, So if you all
want to a little more.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
In depth, look at that.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
And with that, not just with the k dramas, we
do want to talk about some of the legends and
individual stories that were told, and also some of the
funniest things. If you all, if you want to go
look this up and just look up the Hanyos or
the Korean Sea women, you'll see all these amazing pictures.
Because photographers are so interested about this culture and they
(15:25):
want to preserve it. They're to that point they understand
this is a big deal. But like these women are like,
oh my god, stop asking for my picture. I just
want to go home. I just want to count my food,
Like it is amazing, like this is the harmonies the
Grandma's that.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
I'm like, yeah, that's about right. This is amazing.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
But the pictures are beautiful and so interesting to just
look at, so you should definitely take a look. But
with that, yes, we do want to talk about some
of the stories. There are a few that were featured
for the YENESCO articles, and one of them was again
we've already mentioned her, young me Joung. She's a fifty
five year veteran, so not fifty five years old. She's
been in the Hanyo community for fifty five years and
(16:05):
she talks about it. Life as a Hano has its
share of challenges, especially for women. I've faced my own difficulties.
In my case, economic hardships forced me to dive not
only in local waters, but also in places like Japan.
I've dedicated fifty five years to this profession, working tirelessly
to earn a living. It's incredibly gratifying to see our
recognition and appreciation on a global scale now that the
(16:27):
culture of Jiju Haino is inscribed as a UNESCO Heritage Element.
I firmly believe that being a Hano is one of
the best professions for women even without formal education. Personally,
I didn't have much formal education, but I take pride
in what I've learned as a Hano. I have a
daughter and a daughter in law, and my goal is
to pass down this tradition to them, to make them
(16:47):
Hanos as well. I'm committed to ensuring that this invaluable
heritage continues to thrive and be transmitted to future generations.
And she even talks about her own tactics and diving
and says, quote, there are no special technique. My approach
is quite simple. I hold my breath as long as
I can. However, I emphasized to fellow divers not to
push themselves too hard, as overexertion can be life threatening.
(17:11):
The fundamental lesson I have been taught is to do
what we can within our limits, in showing safety above
all else.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
The UNESCO article also talked about Kim Hyung m and
her story as a Hano. Quote, I decided to become
a Hano because my mother was also a Hano. After
my divorce, I found myself raising two children on my own.
Juggling work and taking care of my kids made it
challenging to provide them with the care they needed, especially
when they were sick. So I half jokingly, half seriously
(17:40):
asked my mother if I could join her in diving.
She mentioned that being a Hano would offer a more
conducive environment for raising children, so I decided to give
it a try. Of course, working as a Hano is
physically demanding in the sea, but it gives me the
flexibility to prioritize my children's well being when necessary. That's
why I ultimately chose to pursue a career as a heno.
(18:02):
And she continues specifically addressing the typical question of holding
her breath underwater. Quote, The question of how long we
can hold our breath underwater is when I frequently encounter
no matter where I go. While being a Heino demands
extended periods of breath holding, it's more akin to a marathon.
Our work as divers often requires us to spend over
(18:23):
four hours in the sea. When needed, we can hold
our breath for more than two minutes, but we must
be cautious not to overextend ourselves. If we hold our
breath for too long, we risk losing our rhythm, which
can impede our ability to continue working underwater. Typically, our
breath holding time is around thirty five seconds or so.
Going beyond that duration can have adverse effects on our
(18:45):
bodies and our work, so we aim to keep it
within that range. And with all of that, she talks
about her daily routines. Quote. My daily routine as a
j Ju Heno involves a combination of diving work and
engaging in cultural and environmental activities. After completing my diving task,
I dedicate time to practicing hano folk songs, a cultural
(19:06):
tradition deeply rooted in my village. On days when I
don't go diving, I participate in ocean cleanup practices aimed
at removing debris from the sea and the coastline. In
addition to being a hano I approached this cleanup work
with the mindset of preserving and cleaning up our marine environments.
My village is unique because we place importance on both
(19:27):
our cultural heritage such as folk songs, and environmental conservation.
This blend of traditions and responsibilities keeps me quite busy
in my life as a Henio.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Yeah, we're going to talk about those songs in a minute,
but before that, nothing will slow them down, not even
giving birth. So here's one story from a sixty five
year old veteran Haino from huckmag dot org. A lot
of women continued diving despite health challenges or during pregnancy,
as did several of the women in Bosun's living room.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Which is a person who hosts all the hainyos.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Kim Sunja, sixty five year old even gave birth while
she was at sea during spring. She was picking seaweed
close to the shore and suddenly her water broke and
she had no time to call somebody for help. I
just climbed up the sea shore and gave birth to
my daughter. When the others realized that I was missing,
they found me and helped me back home with my
baby safely. It was quite normal to give birth on
(20:23):
the seashore, she told me, as her three youngest recruits
looked thoroughly surprised. They would never be that calm, they proclaimed.
The older Haino believed they had healthy babies because they
were working in the sea while being pregnant, not a
practice I would want.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
That is tense. That's some times, and age is only
a number. A bit more from young Mejong, the first
veteran Haino. We were talking about quote, I'm not the
oldest among us. There's a remarkable ninety three year old
Haino among our ranks. To her and others, I'd like
to say, please take good care of yourself and consider
(21:00):
stepping back from diving. We have many talented young Hainho
emerging and your contributions have been invaluable. While I'm among
the senior members, there are others who have more years
of experience.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Right. There are so many stories right after that being
like they were talking about seventy three year old woman
and there was an age she's like, oh, my sister,
my older sister, she's still a Hano. Like they're all
talking about the fact that they continue going well beyond
I think that was one that was like one hundred.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
I'm not sure that that was a record or she
still is a part of it. Like, there's so many
conversations about the fact that they didn't start till much later,
or they still continued and they don't exist anymore. So
those are the average ages, especially when they started when
they were ten. But of course this would be around
the prime time of women being a part of this community.
(21:52):
The camaraderie within the Haino community. It's inspiring and is
something they passed down to the younger generation of Haino's
Here's another quote the UNESCO article. The Haino community operates
as a close knit group. Skilled divers may catch ten
kilograms of seafood, while less experienced divers might not even
reach one kilogram. However, everything is gathered together and shared equally,
(22:13):
whether someone had a bountiful catch or a modest one.
While younger divers may be honing their underwater skills, they
actively contribute when out of the water. This equal sharing
of earnings is a well organized system that attracts new recruits.
The younger generations appreciate being treated equally and sharing earnings uniformly,
while experienced Hano value the enthusiasm and respect of their
(22:35):
younger counterparts. This mutual appreciation and strengthens our sense of
community and reinforces the importance of preserving the culture of
Jju Haano as an enduring tradition that should never be
lost but passed on to future generations, and as a
part of a lot of their history and tradition. Singing
and songs are.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
A part of that culture.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Here's some information from Atlas Obscure dot com. Chua Hueikyng,
who has written at extensively about Haino for decades, says
that writing the biography of a Doen, the first guardian
of Heineo's songs, was one of the most memorable experiences
of her career. The first time I heard her sing,
I remember sobs in her voice, and before I knew it,
I was crying too, She says. Haino songs served as
(23:17):
practical purposes. Starting in the mid nineteenth century, Hainyo rode
their boats to work far from Jju Island to distant
locales such as Busan, gong Wan Province, and even Japan.
To pass the time as they rode, the women sing
simple melodies in six ' eight time to the rhythm
of the sea waves. The song lyrics varied, but often
women singing lamenting the day they were born, complaining about
(23:40):
their incompetent husbands, and in protest of the government.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
Yeah, yeah, I could understand that.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
So here's the lyric from one of the songs that
I'm not going to sing because I don't know how
to do six fight times, So I'm just going to
read it to y'all. Bae baying dove into the sea,
skipped the day's three meals and learned diving as a
way to be slowly saved up one coin at a
time to take a step at my husband's bar.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Tab that's so.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
Sad in good the news.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
There's no sheet music for Haino songs, and a few
of the nearly ten thousand known tunes have titles. Sometimes
the songs are called yodo sauna because these two words
appear often within the lyrics of Haino music, but no
one is really sure what the term means. Some say
yodo sana refers to a mythical island, a fantasy haven
where problems cease to exist, or even a heavenly afterlife.
(24:30):
Others say the words have no meaning at all.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
And the article goes on. The songs are poems filled
with irony and tragedy, but a closer look reveals that
they are a testament to these women's will to survive.
And these songs are still sung today, and apparently some
have tried to remix some of the originals, causing some debate.
But one thing is for sure, the legacy of these
(24:55):
songs remains an important part of the Haino culture.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
So what's happening today.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
We kind of already talked about it, but we're gonna
delve a little deeper. The artistry of Haino has garnered
more interests recently, with museums that are dedicated to the
years and years of tradition and to the fact that
UNESCO has placed them on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
They have become a cultural and tourist phenomenon. And here's
some more information from that Kyoto Journal article quote. In
(25:33):
twenty sixteen, the Henya culture was assigned to the list
of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage due to its unique history
and the rapid decline of female divers. Its elevated status
due to the UNESCO listing has resulted in a new
tourist industry and increased protection and funding for the women
in the industry and the natural environment of the island.
The government provides free healthcare and the necessary diving equipment,
(25:55):
and has opened a diving school again and a museum.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
So there's that.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
However, while the new heritage status has brought benefits for
the community, it has made the women into living artifacts
who perform their work for tourist audiences. There are now
places where you can pay to watch the women dive
and buy their catch. I would be interested in doing
that because I bet it's real good.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
I'd be interested in it. But I'm also like, I
hope I'm not bothered.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Well, I think as long as you're giving money, Yeah,
that's that.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
They're cool with that.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Like, don't bother them, don't come ask for pictures and selfies,
just buy their food.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Now, I'm good with that.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Give that.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
So and from wonder Wisdom dot com. Yes, the tradition
is dying, particularly as a neo generation have decided to
take jobs in cities, but the Hano is still one
of the most honored and respected women on the island.
The strong work ethic and the decisive role they have
played in society have given them international acclaim. In addition
to the Hano becoming inscribed on the UNESCO List of
(26:54):
Korea's Intangible Cultural Heritage in twenty sixteen, there's even the
Hano Museum in Jju today, and tourists visit this picturesque
island just to see them in action. As one Haino
Moon Bulkhoi says, wherever I go, I tell people that
I'm Haino.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Proudly there are still those who are both looking to
be a part of the tradition as well as teach
the traditions. From gloriosport dot com quote. In recent years,
a small number of young women have left their lives
on the Korean mainland to become Hano, parting with their
stressful city careers in order to reconnect with nature. The
Hano we spoke with stressed the importance of national policy
(27:31):
in preserving traditions, but insisted the responsibility lies with the
senior divers to support and educate an emerging generation of
divers and teach the wisdom of the waters. In many ways,
Haino are agents of change an invaluable source of wisdom.
Their lives depend on an intricate understanding of the ecosystem
in which they play a part, owing to their profound
(27:53):
respect for the environment. In spite of dwindling numbers of divers,
the Haino represent an alternative vision for the future. Their
century long tradition is teaching a more considered approach to
fishing that might be the antidote to our broken, pillaged ecosystem.
In the wake of unprecedented global environmental activism emerging from
the bottom up, the tradition of Haino is far from disappearing.
(28:16):
It's evolving and taking different forms on an international scale.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
And yeah, exactly like this. The practice has spread beyond
just Jaju. Their newer groups to join the legendary crew,
such as located on GoJ Island, still in South Korea.
But as a populator has grown, there have become schools
that are available to train future hano's, one in Jju
and one in Kojo. So here's a quote from hunkmag
dot org. The sixty nine year old who was being
(28:44):
interviewed for this article admitted that when she first started
to recruit new divers, she was skeptical. Hunting in the
deep is a tough and dangerous job with no room
for error. The fishing nets moved back and forth and
can trap you quickly if you don't pay attention, she said,
confessing that she has sworn to keep the three recruit
on her boat safe. Originally from Jju, Lee moved to
Koj as a child, and at that time daughters were
(29:07):
supposed to work. They had no choice but to do this,
She explained. It was hard to even go back inside.
My mother kept saying, no, go out, go back, in
the water, and this is kind of her beginning her
time with the Hayinos obviously, as well as wanting to
teach others and then spreading that. So they talked about
what that process was for that island and how similar
(29:28):
it is to Jju, but why it's important to keep
going and keep teaching. So she had a lot of wisdom.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
For these young recruits.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
And yet there was one who I think she was
thirty four talking about she just really fell in love
with the idea of going away from the city and
doing something close to nature. Again, I don't wonder. I'm
thinking that that might have been me. Had I been
in South Korea, I'd be like, I'm done with this
because I was born in Seoul, like near Seoul, so
(29:56):
I wasn't near the islands. But damn, I don't know that.
I don't like the undersea They s freak me out,
so maybe not.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Yes, agreed, And I will also add on to that
just to reiterate, like this so difficult physically to do
what they're doing. But also over on my other podcast Saver,
we did an episode on sea urchins. They're difficult to
just get like that is hard right to do it?
(30:26):
Takes a lot of skill, and I really love that
they're so cognizant of the water and wanting to protect
it and doing it like protecting the culture, protecting the water,
protecting traditions. But it is it's difficult, It is so.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
Hard, so I think it needs to be like a
lot of the times they get on a boat, go
out far out into the ocean, far enough out, and
then they jump in like they are through free divers
I'm not saying they're just walking.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
In and storkling. That's not what they're doing.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
And they do try to keep together as a crew
so they can watch each other just in case they
are in distress because they don't have anything. But that
floating device like that, to me is like what And
it's all like decorated from what I've seen. Again, this
is kay dramas.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
To show who is who.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
I think this is how they keep up with each other,
and so it's part of what they do. But like it, Yeah,
it's not what you think of. Just like they just
walk out to the sea and then nah, they pick
up No, like that one woman who was heavily pregnant,
still needing to work and gather things. Sure, she might
have been closer to the shore, but most of the
time they are in boats and they all go out
and then they dive in to go and retrieve whatever
(31:44):
they can. And like areas, I think abaloni are harder
to get because of the way they're like a little
off from the main areas that they stay in. So
it's a whole thing from what I've gathered, and it
is it is very dangerous and the fact that these
are elder like elder who are doing this is so
amazing to even talk about. But again, if you have
(32:05):
time to watch any of these documentaries, read any of
these articles, you really should. Apparently sea urchins have hats anything.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
That's my favorite fact from our Savor episode on sea
urchins is that they wear little hats and people usually
it's like a shell or seaweed, you know, and it
is to protect from the sun. During the pandemic, we
were all depressed and so people started printing out like
three D like Viking hats or which is hats, and
(32:33):
the sea urchins will put them on, ye, and sometimes
they will reject the hat if it's not good enough. Yes,
and that makes me love them even more. Yes.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Well, I was also saying that I had seen a
video of an octopus. Yeah, be gifted a hat and
like the because they had like trash and a diver
was trying to bargain with this octopus and got rejected
like three or four times to finally the perfect shell.
And he was willing to give up the other hat
to take that one, like it was a whole thing.
Secrets are amazing and scary to me.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Agreed. Agreed, but I cannot recommend enough. Look up seursians
wearing hats if you need a boosts. Also, yeah, the boat,
both of them.
Speaker 4 (33:19):
Uh huh.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
Well, listeners, If you have any thoughts about this, please
let us know. We would love to hear from you.
You can email us at Stepanie mom Stuff at iHeartMedia
dot com. You can find us on Twitter at mom
Stuff podcast, or on Instagram and TikTok stuff Never Told You.
We're also on YouTube. We have tea public store, and
we have a book you can get wherever you get
your books. Thanks always to our super producer Christina, our
executive producer Maya, and our contributor Joey. Thank you and
(33:43):
thanks to you for listening. Stuffan Never Told You is
protection of my heart.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Radio.
Speaker 1 (33:46):
For more podcasts from my heart Radio, you can check
out the heart Radio app Apple Podcasts. Where have you
listen to your favorite shows?
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