 A ``haenyeo,’’ female sea diver, breaks the surface among her buoys after a free dive off the coast of Jeju Island. /Courtesy of Brian Miller |
By Ines Min
An age-lined woman bursts head first from the ocean, mouth gasping for air, eyes shut in effort beneath the goggles of a full-body wet suit. Hikers trek up a snow covered Mt. Halla, a trail marked with wooden pegs and the deep trench of footsteps. The colorful hues of decorative fabrics are draped along an ancient shrine.
These are but a few of the myriad images captured by Brian Miller’s ``The Village Across the Sea.’’ The government-funded photo artbook was released this month to help promote Korea’s largest island off the southern coast of the peninsula.
Miller, an English teacher and photographer, explores the diverse and fading themes of an area in transformation _ as modernization has hit the island, time-tested traditions have slowed to a near halt and focus has shifted to new avenues of revenue.
The famed culture of ``haenyeo,’’ female sea divers, is disappearing as Jeju makes way for international sports events, such as the Ballantine’s Golf Championship, which has been held on the island since 2008. But Miller, a self-described history buff, also sheds light on the lesser-known sites of the island’s past.
A photo shows Alddreu Airfield, which comprises the local airstrip but also 19 kamikaze airplane bunkers and a system of underground tunnels. Built by Japanese occupiers in 1931 _ off the hard backs of local laborers _ the airfield serves as an anthropological goldmine of relics, metal and war remnants. Not that many would know, as today the land has been re-appropriated for farmland, the bunkers turned into farm supply storage.
``A lot of people don’t really know the history,’’ Miller said, in reference to the local expat population. `` I wanted to create something that would give that information to the foreigners on the island.’’
Originally intended as a full-length English guidebook, Miller instead revamped his content into a shorter, more visual publication to stay within the government grant budget. Although ``Village’’ will not be sold in retail stores, a first edition of 700 copies was printed to be given out.
``Once I realized that (it wouldn’t be sold), I told myself, well, I’d like to create something like a time capsule for the people that live on Jeju.’’
In an introduction to the book, which took three years to complete, Miller explains his role as historian.
``It isn’t for me to judge Jeju’s culture, or how much of it ought to be preserved for the future. As a photographer my job is simply to bear witness,’’ he wrote. ``Our memories and photos will remain as evidence of the island that once was, for a future where few of the things that I identify with Jeju will remain.’’
Among these are traditional musicians, from the ``pansori’’ (traditional singing) of Chang Bo-mi, the drumming of Park Jong-hun, or other well-known local acts.
Miller, an American expat who has lived on Jeju since 2006, favors the honest over the pristine as well. A series of shots shows the graphic ritual of a chicken sacrifice _ two shaman act out a detailed performance, concluding by beating the animal to death on the ground.
``The government publishes a lot of information about foreigners, but it’s really candy-coated,’’ Miller said. ``And it’s usually information about book tours, or the big events; it doesn’t really give you a lot of information on shamanism.’’
With a history of more than 40,000 years, Korean shamanism has been shunted by the militaristic government, Confucianism and modern society over time. But the small, beating threads of the traditional practices live on in Jeju, where it’s known as ``musok.’’
Dotting the countryside are more than 500 shamanistic shrines, the locations of which are often unknown _ a lack of interest has led to years of total cartographic dearth. Miller joined up with a local expert to find them, sometimes days being spent simply asking villagers if they knew of a shrine. Though their efforts weren’t always successful, roaming the countryside in search of a history lost is one of Miller’s most valued experiences.
``Since I’ve come here, the focus of Jeju has switched from teddy bear museums and bus tours, to getting out into nature and seeing the `olle’ (hiking trails),’’ Miller said. ``The real gifts of Jeju are its natural beauty; and it’s good that the people are starting to see that, and the island is starting to see that.’
For a copy of the book, contact Miller through his website at www.baraka.zenfolio.com.
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