Korean Shamanism
A mudang at work.
In a previous post I mentioned shamanism in South Korea. It will probably come as a surprise to learn that shamanism is alive and well in this country, where it is practised alongside other religions.
So, just what is shamanism? The term is used by anthropologists, rather than any actual believers, and derives from a word in the Tungus language of Siberia, which is where the first anthropological studies were conducted. Shamanism, one can say, is the first of humanity’s spiritual belief systems, and is a form of animism. A person acknowledged by their community to be a shaman is believed to have mastered the world of the ‘spirits.’ The shaman ascends to the sky to commune with the spirits of the human dead and those that inhabit all of nature, or experience possession, the descent of spirits into their own bodies. In the first case, the anthropologists say the shaman becomes the equal of the celestial forces, while in the second they are the means of its incarnation. Shamans are considered experts at channeling and riding the often dangerous energies that pervade the world. In Korea, shamanism is an ancient, deep-rooted and still enduring tradition, though one that is largely unpublicised because it is considered a ‘primitive’ cultural residue that runs contrary to Korea’s modernising project.
Importantly, almost all Korean shaman are women, called mudang, and one ceremony they are especially called upon to perform is called a gut. This is undertaken for different purposes, such as after a death, or for exorcisms. The mudang sets up an altar, and going through multiple costume changes, and using props including, masks, paintings, fruit, and paper flowers, becomes ‘possessed’ by the psyolsang – the spirits. These spirit avatars can be traditional animist gods, which are often animals, or Buddhist bodhisattvas. But nowadays, the spirits can also take the form of Jesus and the angels, or even people like General Douglas MacArthur. He is an important man for Koreans, said Hazel. The costumes represent the various spirits the mudang is channeling, and during the ceremony she will interpret the spirits’ message to her.
Shamanism in Korea is also very secretive. Though many Koreans consult mudang, they are usually embarrassed to admit it, because shamanism smacks of superstition and is deemed culturally backward. But Korean people continued to arrange visits in secret. This was not so much in fear of breaking the law, however, but because of the shame they’d feel if it became known in their own community. They continue to go for many reason: because they are sick or mourning the death of a loved one, because they want something or someone, or want to curse them, or more generally, because they are anxious about what the future holds for them or their loved ones.
Many older Korean people believe they are afflicted by an debilitating emotion called han, a feeling of animosity, bitterness, malignancy, and a profound sense of being ill at ease with what seem to be the obvious injustice of the world. Han has greatly occupied Korean culture, and many ways have been developed for purging souls of the malaise. It seemed that one of the principal roles of the mudang is to satisfy this han, the grudges, of the dead, and to pray for their peace. Through connecting with the spirit world, they cleanse the world of the living of the bitterness of the dead.