How can the UNESCO Convention contribute to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage?

1. How can the UNESCO Convention contribute to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage? - The case of Jeju jamnyeo or haenyeo - Chul-In Yoo Professor of Anthropology, Jeju National University chulin@jejunu.ac.kr Forum 0822: Successful Management and Utilization of World Heritage in UNESCO International Protected Areas, World Conservation Congress, Jeju, Korea, September 8, 2012

2. Who are the jamnyeo or haenyeo? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBb-oofr-7A&feature=related • The jamnyeo [diving women] or haenyeo [sea women] are professional female divers who dive without breathing apparatus and gather marine products underwater. • Such divers could be everywhere, but the professional divers are allegedly only in Korea and Japan.

3. Jamnyeo Diving Work • During their diving work the jamnyeo must • continuously adjust their movements to irregular waves and surges and to changes in buoyancy and visibility • draw on their knowledge of the topography of the reefs and their experience in estimating where the abalone may be found • gauge their distance from the surface of the water against the relentless decline of oxygen in their lungs

4. ‘Jamnyeo’ as Intangible Cultural Heritage • The jamnyeo diving work is related to the “practices, knowledge, and skills” referred to in the definition of intangible cultural heritage in the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage adopted by UNESCO in 2003.

5. ‘Jamnyeo’ as Intangible Cultural Heritage • Among the domains of intangible cultural heritage stated in the UNESCO Convention, the jamnyeo diving work may meet • the domain of knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe - traditional ecological wisdom - indigenous knowledge - knowledge about local fauna and flora • the domain of social practices, rituals and festive events - hunting, fishing and gathering practices

6. UNESCO Representative List • Why do we try to inscribe ‘jamnyeo’ on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity? Considering that safeguarding is the primary purpose of the Convention, to inscribe ‘jamnyeo’ on the Representative List is one of the means for safeguarding Jeju jamnyeo.

7. Why do we try to safeguard Jeju jamnyeo? • New divers are not well recruited to the jamnyeo profession. - partly because the free-diving work is very dangerous and laborious, - partly because today’s sea environment cannot provide a fair income such as the jamnyeo were able to acquire in the past, • partly because the jamnyeo might still belong to a low social class.

8. Why do we try to safeguard Jeju jamnyeo? • Because the jamnyeo diving work promotes sustainability. • At the individual level, human greed for a big catch is counterbalanced by the ability to remain underwater. • At the community level, the village fishery cooperative controls diving and non-diving days, regulates working hours and the size of catch, and outlaws technologies.

9. Why might inscription on the List be one of the means for safeguarding Jeju jamnyeo? • If ‘jamnyeo’ is inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List, it would have a major role in increasing awareness of - the significance of free-diving work such as its sustainability • the significance of jamnyeo as a living and representative heritage of Jeju Island

10. Photo by Hong Jeong-Pyo (1960s) Photo by Lee Sung-Eun (2006)

11. Why might inscription on the List be one of the means for safeguarding Jeju jamnyeo? • If safeguarding measures are developed and applied with the consent and involvement of the jamnyeo community, based on the UNESCO recommendations, the procedure for inscription in itself would encourage the concerned communities to be more aware of the significance of Jeju jamnyeo and their diving work.

12. Thank you!