Shamanism is one of the most ancient spiritual practices the world over. The job of a shaman is to communicate between the worlds of humans and spirits, helping to ensure harmony between both groups. What distinguishes a shaman from a priest is that shamans go into trance states. According to anthropologist Mircea Eliade, shamans have historically practiced in Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania as well as the Americas. In this article, we will examine the traditions of Korea.
History
Korean shamanism originated from the Siberian traditions, which are some of the most shamanically oriented faith practices in the world. However, instead of traveling to other worlds, like the Siberians, Korean shamans usually practice channeling and spirit possession, similar to Haitian Vodou or Chinese mediumship. Through time, shamanic practice became syncretized with other influences, such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity.
The Ceremony of 'Kut'
The kut is a seance that is done with props such as paper flowers, fruit, altars, and various costumes. During it, the shaman channels spirits, called pyolsang. She frequently dresses up in costumes to represent the various spirits that she channels. These spirits can be traditional gods and saints from Korean Buddhism (such as the Old Man of the Mountain), Christian figures such as Jesus, Mary and angels, or more modern deceased people such as Douglas MacArthur. The audience prays to the spirits for help, and the shaman interprets the spirits' messages. Unlike in some other cultures, shamans in Korea do not take drugs. Instead, they are naturally able to channel spirits. Kuts are held for various purposes, such as a person's death, to turn a regular person into a shaman, exorcism, getting rid of poltergeists and the like.
Becoming a Shaman
In the Korean tradition, becoming a shaman is not exactly considered a pleasant experience. Shamans usually get a disease called shinbyeong, or spirit sickness. This is when the spirits possess them and cause hallucinations, a loss of appetite, and sometimes a physical illness. This is what causes the ability to communicate with spirits, and other shamans can tell if it's real, or if it's just mental illness. It can be cured by a ritual that initiates the sufferer into shamanism.
Shamanism Today
Most people in Korea are either Christian or Buddhist, but shamans are still common and in business. Shamans were some of the first people to set up Internet sites when the Internet first became popular in Korea. Most shamans are women, but some are men who dress as women. Shamanism is becoming more and more popular today, particularly among rural people who migrate to the city and are nostalgic for their roots. Now that Korea is established as a modern country, people are embracing their old-fashioned culture more and more instead of looking up to the West, and shamanism is a part of that.
Sources
NYT Foreign Report on Korea: http://korea.net/News/News/newsView.asp?serial_no=20070709022∂=110&SearchDay=
Fenkl, Heinz. Dancing on Knives: An Introduction to the Politics of Sexuality and Gender in Korean Shamanism. http://www.geocities.com/area51/rampart/2627/knives.html
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