Honouring Hae-nyeo Heritage

THE HAE-NYEO WERE LISTED ON UNESCO’S LIST FOR INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE AFTER THE ASIA DIVE EXPO (ADEX) IN 2016

Hae-nyeo

divers Kim Jae Youn and Kim Ok Ja travelled to ADEX Singapore in 2016, accompanying photographer Y.zin Kim. In an ADEX interview, Kim Ok Ja offers a snippet of her life as a Hae-nyeo.

“I went to school when I was nine years old, and by the time I graduated, I was 15. Things were different then. At that time, we didn’t sell fish to the market. We just ate what we caught. By the time I turned 18, I went inland to make some money, and came back three years later. After that, we could sell what we caught at the market. Back then, seaweed was the best thing to sell. So we earned some money like that, and each village did the same thing. We only ate barley rice with soup. I saved money by working as a Hae-nyeo to raise my kids. They all got married and now live in Jeju.

“I go into the water once a day now, but when I was young, I went in three or four times a day. The [modern] diving suit came out about 30 years ago, but [before then], we only wore traditional suits, which are now displayed at the museum. [In the old suits] we could only be in the water for an hour maximum, because it was too cold. Now that we have this new diving suit, we go into the water at least once a day, working for five hours on average, because this suit maintains my body temperature. I could hold my breath underwater for around two minutes when I was younger, but now, only one minute or so.

“This [motioning to the buoy basket] is the most important thing. I put every fish I catch into this net to carry. My swimming goggles [are] also very important. Without these goggles, I can’t see anything in the water.

When I go further and deeper into the water, my life depends on these things.

“We have beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Those who are more experienced go deeper, while the beginners work in shallow water. If you have a good technique, you can go deeper into the sea, and catch the expensive fish. Expert Hae-nyeo can earn about 10 times more than beginner Hae-nyeo in terms of money.

“I am healthy because I am HaeNyeo, because your whole body works in the water. If you are physically weak, you cannot be a Hae-nyeo because when you go into the sea, it is totally different compared to when you are on land. Whether you catch many fish or not is up to you, but your mind set is essential – to tell [yourself] ‘you can do it.’”

RECOGNISED BY UNESCO

The Hae-nyeo were placed on the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 2016. The divers’ eco-friendly business operations and their tradition of passing on their knowledge to future generations were key criteria that lead them to be honoured by UNESCO.

“I am healthy because I am Hae-nyeo, because your whole body works in the water”