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After a couple of days lounging proper in the waters of Hyeopjae, we continued northeast back to Jeju City for the final stretch. Just south of the city is the granddaddy of all tour- ist traps in Jeju: LoveLand. This erotic art theme park opened in 2004 and is filled with hundreds of statues and displays of every size and type of genitalia or intercourse imagina- ble (except for homosexual, because Korea’s not quite there yet). As with other raunchy exhibitions in Korea, it’s fun watching older folks get down ’n’ dirty — all inhibitions seem to get tossed aside when there’s a giant cock in the room. There are many sex theme parks on Jeju, and several historical reasons why it’s asso- ciated with amorous trappings. First, many marriages were prearranged back in the day, and Jeju’s professional matchmakers gave advice to help consummate the union between two awkward strangers. Also, un- der a series of military dictatorships that ran the country for decades, international travel was heavily regulated and difficult to come by, leaving Jeju to serve as an exotic honeymoon destination within national borders. As such, it has developed a sexy reputation over the past few decades. The relics most closely linked to this history are the dol hareubang, or stone grandfather statues. These phallic figurines have tradi- tionally been thought to represent virility and stamina, though some scholars have argued that they actually represent hallucinogenic mushrooms used in rituals originating in Si- berian shaman culture. Shamanism is present all over the nation, but the variety practiced here is distinct from that on the mainland. While the exact origins of Jeju’s folk shamans are unclear, scholars have pointed out their strong similarities with those on the mainland and in Okinawa, Siberia and Mongolia. Dirk Schlottmann, a German professor in Cheongju who has studied shamanism throughout Asia for several decades, thinks the strongest similarities can be traced to Siberian roots: “Some of the main signifiers include crowns from the Silla kingdom which represent the cosmic tree, and also color pat- terns on pottery, both of which are near-exact matches.” In addition, Jungseum, wooden ducks mounted on tall poles outside villag- es, can be found throughout many shamanic cultures heading westward from Siberia into Europe. This correlates with how Korea is be- lieved to be partly settled by people of Tungu- sic stock, as is the case with Siberia and parts of Manchuria. There are also other notable differences be- tween the shamanism on the island and on the mainland. Shamans usually have a multi- faceted role in traditional folk culture — heal- er, historian, mediator and prognosticator — and while these nurturers of domesticity have usually been women in Confucian society, on the conversely matriarchal Jeju they’ve tend- ed to be men. They’re not considered nat- ural conduits to the gods, nor do they enter trance-like states; rather, they act more like priestly officiants. Jeju is called the Island of 18,000 Gods for a reason: It’s home to over 400 working shrines where people can engage the spirits, or placate them, for good fortune and bounty. Among the more famous ones in Jeju City is Chilmeori Shrine, which is dedicated to Yeongdeung, the goddess of the sea and wind whose ritual is inscribed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. Certain regions have unique preferences out of the pantheon; the haenyeo make offerings to Yowang and his wife Yowang Buin, the dragon king and the queen of the sea, respectively. The creator deity Seolmundae is the per- sonification of Hallasan, deep within which she is said to be slumbering, and the nearly 400 smaller volcanic cones around the island are said to be her offspring. She is portrayed around the island in near-universal archetypes found throughout the world’s ancient belief systems: She can at various times be the young virginal maiden, the life-giving mother, or the wise old crone. There’s a saying for why Hallasan looms large over the whole is- land: “Seolmundae watches over us all.” As with other aspects of the island’s tradi- tions, these folk practices were outlawed by the Japanese because they were deemed to contribute to nationalism. Under Park Chung- hee’s New Village economic program, many folk practices were “declared the enemy of modernity,” say Anne Hilty and Sunyoung Hong, writing in The Jeju Weekly. “Shamans were required in formal proceedings to give their tools to the government and renounce their beliefs. Practices continued in secret, though, at the threat of legal sanctions.” The religion survived these historical as- saults, but recently the relevance of traditional shamanism has been diminishing. Instead of holding their rituals on the beach or in sacro- sanct locations, they are more often turning to the stage. And while shamanism on the peninsula welcomes foreign guests and me- dia, non-Koreans are largely shunned on Jeju. Schlottmann related a time he witnessed the sacrificing of a chicken during a seaside ritu- al: “When the bird failed to die properly, many believed it was due to my presence, a for- eigner being in attendance.” Beyond UNES- CO, other efforts are being made to preserve and safeguard this ancient way of life such as Giuseppe Rositano’s upcoming documentary, “At Search for Spirits on the Island of Rocks, Wind and Women.” Iv. MaIden, Mother, crone Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com) COvER STORy the creator deIty seolMundae Is the personIfIcatIon of hallasan, deep wIthIn whIch she Is saId to be sluMberIng, and the nearly 400 sMaller volcanIc cones around the Island are saId to be her offsprIng. she can at varIous tIMes be portrayed as the young vIrgInal MaIden, the lIfe- gIvIng Mother, or the wIse old crone. www.groovekorea.com / August 2014 60