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| Author Joey Rositano talks with one of the female free divers on a boat. /Courtesy of Tanner Jones |
By Hallie Bradley
"Since there are so many representations of the 'haenyeo' geared at ultimately drawing tourism to Jeju Island, I decided to interview three generations of women divers about how they felt about their new fame and what their lives are really like in this time of commercial development on Jeju and the pre-COVID- 19 tourism boom," began author Joey Rositano.
An American resident of Jeju Island since 2006, Rositano has been enthralled with the local culture and traditions for some time and has documented this fascination for others to read and learn from. His most recent work is titled "Jeju Island's Haenyeo, A User's Manual" which documents the past lifestyles of Jeju's female divers and compares them to the way the haenyeo live now. The book also looks at the gentrification of Jeju Island, environmental concerns, women's rights issues and religion through essays and interviews that Rositano conducted over the period of a few years.
The haenyeo were designated as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2016. This designation effectively thrust the women into international fame and gave them worldwide attention. Today, people from around the world travel to Jeju to see the incredible 'grandmothers of the sea.' The women speak the local Jeju dialect, which is an endangered language, and practice an ancient free-diving lifestyle.
In the book, readers can "meet the granddaughters of the divers ― a once aspiring K-pop singer who became a feminist journalist involved in Korea's burgeoning #MeToo movement and a young sociologist seeking to understand the mechanisms and effects of gentrification on her island," Rositano explained. "You'll also meet the elderly divers putting their bodies on the line to fight commercial development projects in their villages, including diver activists who are using shamanic symbolism in their fight."
The intimate interviews in the book relay a different side of the haenyeo to the popularized version of them seen in tourism guides throughout the world.
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| Two female free divers prepare to get into the water. /Courtesy of Joey Rositano |
When asked why he wrote this book, Rositano said, "A lot of work focuses on 'exotic' features of the?haenyeo and I wanted to let them represent themselves in the way in which they wished."
Rositano has covered the haenyeo and other Jeju-related topics on tradition and culture on his blog Pagansweare.com. He also writes for a local newspaper on Jeju Island to share as much as he can about the traditions and myths that have fascinated him from the beginning of his life on Jeju Island. "I was fascinated from the first moment I realized that each village had a number of shamanic myths that the elderly people knew by heart," he explained. "They live in a different world, a world where?oral mythology is the foundation of their worldview. The mythology is connected to the landscape. It's really beautiful. All the shamanism researchers get inspired by this culture."
That inspiration has led to a book that is a more personalized look at the haenyeo. "I'm fascinated by meeting a group of people who?are so often spoken for by other people. The?difference between the way they see themselves and the way the world presents?them is fascinating," Rositano said.
The book delivers details on aspects of life for the haenyeo and the people of Jeju that haven't been shared much in English. Readers will learn that the Jeju people believe sea turtles are gods and for that reason they are never to be attacked or killed. The fishermen even throw rice into the water upon seeing a sea turtle to honor it. Readers can also learn of the horrendous pollution that is happening in the area around Jeju Island. While the haenyeo are revered and esteemed in the media for their diving, less attention is given to the water pollution that is causing them to vomit after swimming and decreasing the catch causing them to worry about the future.
"If you're a curious first-time reader about the haenyeo, or if you've already been initiated to haenyeo culture through recent popular fiction and want to dive deeper into the experience of Jeju Island's endearing women divers, these pages will serve to broaden your knowledge," he said.
The no-nonsense interviews and in-depth essays are an engaging look at what is likely the last generation of this kind of free diver on Jeju Island.
"Jeju Island's Haenyeo, A User's Manual" can be purchased on Amazon.
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