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The haenyeo of Jeju, an island off South Korea's southern coast, are women who dive without breathing equipment, holding their breath for one to three minutes to gather abalone, sea urchins, octopus and seaweed from as deep as 20 metres.

Jeju, South Korea

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The story behind the card

Haenyeo means 'sea women' in Korean. Girls traditionally learned the work from older divers in their village, and the women run local diving associations that set rules on when and what may be harvested and look after one another's safety. UNESCO recognised this way of caring for the sea when it added the culture of Jeju haenyeo to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2016. Their numbers have fallen sharply, from 23,081 in 1965 to 14,143 by 1970 and a few thousand today. Most are now over 60, and some of the oldest, past 80, still dive.

Türkçe oku
Haenyeolar, Güney Kore'nin güneyindeki Jeju Adası'nda tüp kullanmadan dalan kadınlardır. Nefeslerini bir ila üç dakika tutarak 20 metreye kadar iner, deniz kulağı, deniz kestanesi, ahtapot ve yosun toplarlar.
Jeju, Güney Kore

Haenyeo, Korecede “deniz kadınları” demektir. Kızlar bu işi geleneksel olarak köydeki yaşlı dalgıçlardan öğrenir. Kadınlar köylerde dalgıç dernekleri kurar; ne zaman ve neyin toplanacağına bu dernekler karar verir, dalgıçlar da birbirinin güvenliğini gözetir. UNESCO, denizi bu şekilde ortaklaşa koruyan kültürü 2016'da Somut Olmayan Kültürel Miras Listesi'ne aldı. Sayıları hızla azaldı: 1965'te 23.081 olan haenyeo sayısı 1970'te 14.143'e indi; bugün birkaç bin kişi kaldı. Çoğu 60 yaşın üzerinde; en yaşlıları 80'i geçmiş olmasına rağmen hâlâ dalıyor.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Haenyeo
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