Investigative research towards the designation of shamanic village rituals as ‘intangible cultural properties’ of the Seoul Metropolitan Government Yang Jongsung Investigative research towards the designation of shamanic village rituals as ‘intangible cultural properties’ of the Seoul Metropolitan Government Yang Jongsung Senior Curator, the National Folk Museum of Korea ABSTRACT Shamanic rituals taking place in Aegissidang, Mount Bonghwa Dodang, and Bamseom Bugundang, were thoroughly investigated by three experts appointed by the Board of Cultural Properties of Seoul Metropolitan Government. This religious belief and its related practices is still carried on by many shamans, religious specialists and their followers with the doctrines being handed down orally rather than in the form of written scriptures. Nonetheless, it is still a struggle to convince many Koreans of the cultural worth of shamanism. Owing to a deeply ingrained and stereotypical definition of what constitute religious doctrines and practices, its value as cultural heritage is often rejected. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and its Board have taken the initiative in designating these rites as ‘intangible cultural properties’ and hope this will lead to a more positive understanding of shamanism as a significant and valuable part of Korean traditional culture. Introduction In South Korea, Seoul Metropolitan Government’s In this rapidly changing world, all countries wishing to designation system for intangible cultural property has maintain their own national culture must be seriously been operated in accordance with the municipal rules for concerned about the preservation of their intangible the protection of cultural property. Individuals, or groups heritage. The methods of preserving and protecting with exclusive talents or skills in specific heritage fields, intangible heritage are therefore now considered to be of submit an application form to the Cultural Property critical importance, with many cultural policy makers and Committee of Seoul Metropolitan Government. There, a academic researchers increasingly cognisant of the member of the committee, which is composed of ten situation and dedicated to preventing the destruction of members, reviews each application form and decides cultural properties. 1 which proposed subjects are likely to be worth 94 preserving. After the initial selection process, an expert as those cultural assets represented by such things as group of at least three members (including one from the oral tradition, artistic presentations and ritual customs. committee) with expertise in the specific field under Specifically, plays, music, dance, games, rites, martial review, conduct an in-depth investigation into each arts, food and craft techniques with considerable artistic proposal. This usually involves a month of research in the or academic value are all examples of the intangible field. When the municipal government appoints the heritage protected by the Korean government. The committee, they consider thoroughly what expertise each process of transmitting this intangible heritage is also member has in the different areas of intangible heritage. very important because the assets are usually passed The research can therefore be done in a very down from generation to generation, through language professional manner in terms of both the content and the or particular types of training. In order to ensure that time limit. Finally, the appointed members for a specific future generations have a full knowledge of their culture, field will hand in a report to the officer in charge. The it is necessary to understand exactly what constitutes report will examine the individual candidate’s field from a cultural heritage.3 It also means that the next generation variety of perspectives - historical and geographical must both create and preserve cultural properties. background, oral testimony and an evaluation by the In Korea, ‘important intangible heritage’ comes under researcher as well as a general introduction to the the rubric of state-designated heritage, which is property, describing how it is carried out and giving designated by an appointed official of the Cultural profiles of the heritage holders. He or she then brings all Heritage Administration, and ‘intangible heritage’ is the paperwork to the Cultural Property Committee for heritage that is designated locally by the mayor of a city evaluation. These papers are crucial to the final decision or the governor of a province. These two different terms since committee members usually give a significant are used to differentiate between state-designated amount of weight to them. The assessment categories heritage and city/province-designated heritage. This are 'not eligible for designation', 'eligible but some weak research paper is about shamanic rituals (gut), a type of points need to be remedied’, 'eligible for designation,' intangible heritage designated by the Seoul Municipal and so on. The final decision on every application must be Government, one of Korea's provincial ministries. Three unanimous. village rituals have been chosen for discussion: the The idea of ‘cultural property’ was developed by Bonhwasan Dodang-Gut, generated from a mountain academics and intellectuals at the beginning of the 20th culture, the Bamseom Dodang-Gut, generated from the century to protect Korean traditions from the rapid influx cultural region of the Han River, the main natural of foreign cultures, especially from Europe and America. resource for the citizens of Seoul, and the Aegissi Dang- It is clear that the maintenance of cultural identity is not Gut generated from the urban environment of Seoul, merely an academic activity but a living process passed which differs widely from agricultural, mountain, or down continuously as part of daily life. Thus the phrase riverside culture. At the outset of the research project, ‘cultural property’ refers not only to historical artefacts these three rituals were specially selected by designated but also to future developments.2 In recent years, government officials as representative of the rituals of cultural policy in Korea has defined 'intangible heritage' the Seoul metropolitan area. Vol.04 2009 International Journal of Intangible Heritage 95 The three case studies used in this paper were initially The investigative reports carried out on forwarded to the author – a specialist in Korean three different shamanic rituals for shamanism - via the officer in charge of designating designating them ‘intangible cultural property’ Seoul’s municipal intangible cultural property. The author carried out a month-long investigation of these rituals A) Aegissidang and the Aegissidang-gut with two other investigators, from August 1st - 31st, 2004. As a result of this research, the three investigators (a) About Aegissidang submitted a report to the Cultural Property Committee of Aegissidang is a shrine located in the Haengdang- the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The research dong area of Seongdong-gu, an eastern district of methods were literary research, research into relevant Seoul. Initially, the Aegissidang shrine was built in the material, interviewing and fieldwork. The author had Wangsimni area of eastern Seoul, but it was moved to himself previously conducted extensive academic the back of the Seongdong Post Office when a railway research and fieldwork, over a long period, into the station was constructed on its original site. The shrine practice of shamanism in the Seoul area. In particular, was finally moved to its current location in 1943 when representative examples of Seoul's communal rituals a Japanese residence took over its second site. (Aegissidang-gut in Haegdang-dong, Dodong-gut on Aegissidang has also been known as Salgundang (the Mount Bonghwa, and Bugundang-gut in Bamseom) had Apricot shrine) since a big apricot tree stood next to it been closely examined. Moreover, the author made a as its main guardian tree. It also used to be called series of in-depth investigations and a close study of the Jinpeori salgundang, as it is surrounded by a broad, Dangju shaman leading the Dang-gut, the Jaebidangju bare field, called Jinpeori. musician, the Jegwan (ritual officials) and the Haju (male It is not easy to ascertain the historical origin of village elder who promotes the rituals); other people who the Aegissidang shrine since there are few literary participated in the ritual, local residents and heritage resources relating to the site. This problem also bearers were also studied. applies to other shrines around Korea. In order to investigate a shrine’s historic features, it is necessary to conduct comprehensive research not only into Figure 1 Aegissidang-gut, dangju shaman Kim-oknyeom 96 Figure 2 Aegissidang-gut, shamanic shrine founding records, such as records of construction and court had been separated and scattered all around repair work, and inscriptions, but also to draw on the nation. Amid blossoming wild roses and briers verbal information from people who were connected they were blocked in by mountains to the back and to the shrine in the past. rivers to the front. Forced to stay here in the briers In the case of research into the Aegissidang and brambles, they could scarcely get any food other shrine, most of our information comes from a Dangju than the roots of plants. Finally they died, with briers shaman, a member of the third generation of a in their mouths. Later a village was founded on the Dangju shaman family that has managed Aegissidang