THE LAST MERMAIDS
The Haenyeo are part of a tradition that has been passed down from mother to daughter for a thousand years. They are the Korean Sea Women, or ‘haenyeo‘ and are thought to be the original ‘mermaids’ that sailors reported seeing hundreds of years ago while sailing the seas. Today, most of them are into their latter years, but in this series, they are imagined as mermaids of the ocean: in their element.
Living in harmony with the natural world, the haenyeo have a unique perspective. They see the world from above and below and occupy a space between fact and fiction. The gendered nature of their tradition is passed down from mother to daughter, relying on a deep understanding of the ocean that can only be learned through direct experience.
GUARDIANS OF THE OCEAN
The haenyeo not only harvest the ocean, but also play the role of guardians, protecting the marine environment around Jeju, but sadly they are a dying breed. The patterns they used to work are breaking. Most of the women are over fifty years old, with the oldest in their nineties. Their numbers have seen a steep decline, from more than 14,000 active haenyeo in the 1970s to fewer than 4,500 today. Industrialisation has led to the younger generation choosing to try their luck in the cities and in addition to this the quality of the ocean is deteriorating rapidly. Despite numerous protests, construction of a new naval base continues that will further damage the island’s marine ecology. In an effort to preserve the rich tradition of the haenyeo they are now listed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
LIVING IN HARMONY WITH THE OCEAN
It is thought that the women of Jeju were originally forced to take to the sea to meet the demands of the greedy Korean king for large quotas of abalone. Fearful of recrimination the tradition of the haenyeo was born, and since then their knowledge, customs and skills have been handed down through the centuries. There are numerous stories, legends, and songs about their way of life and the unique relationship they have with the sea. Their work is one of the most celebrated traditions of South Korea.
The black & white images above show a young haenyeo woman, diving off the coast of Jeju in 2019.
She wears a mulsojungi which was the traditional outfit for divers, before neoprene became available in the 1950’s . The side openings made it easy to put on—even for pregnant women
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