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‘Scattering’ and ‘The Sacred Trees of Jeju Island, journeys 2013-2023’ are shipping! & Book Party
Hello all, ‘Scattering’ has finally arrived from Ara Printing on Jeju Island. From Monday I’ll be shipping books to those who ordered within Korea. If you are in the US or elsewhere in the world I’ll be shipping from the US after the 18th of December. If you’re on Jeju Island and are free next…
14 days left for ‘Scattering’ to meet its Kickstarter goal
Thanks for all your pledges! The kickstarter for ‘Scattering’ has 14 days left to reach its campaign goal. The Kickstarter is all or nothing so please help me reach my goal so I can print a beautiful and fascinating photo book. You can help by pledging any amount and/ or sharing with someone who might…
Announcement of new project, crowdfunding campaign
Hello all! Alas I have returned to Jeju Island to finish a project I started before the pandemic. I’m launching a kickstarter to fund the new, fancy book. If you can contribute or share with friends, followers or anyone who might be interested please, please do 🙂 I’ll be back soon with some updates. HERE…
A Guide to Shamanism on Jeju Island, Post One: The House Gods
Let’s start with the home. Most lectures (as given by the handful of experts on the shamanism of Jeju Island) on the deities that reside within the Jeju Island home, start out with an illustration that looks something like this: It’s a typical Jeju floor plan (in the spirit of not being too formal—I’m going…
Jeju Island’s Most Beloved Shamanic Shrine Tree has Perished due to Typhoon Winds and Careless Behavior from ‘tourists’. The Island is Mourning the Loss of the 400-Year-Old Tree.
This past Saturday, October 6th, perhaps what is Jeju Island’s best known and beloved shamanic shrine tree fell due to high winds. I found myself tearing up throughout the day Sunday when I first heard of the incident, as I have been visiting the shrine for almost a decade now. I wasn’t the only one…
Jeju Island’s Haenyo: A User’s Manual, the diver who tried to die at sea
The traditional free diver, Ok-sun Lee, was born in the very waters in which she planned to carry out her own drowning some 85 years later. Her life-long friend and fellow diver, Man-bok Kim, seeing the practicality of her choice, aided her in the attempt. The two women survived much together—over seventy years of work at sea, the…
The Traditional Village Shamans of Jeju Island, South Korea: PHOTO ESSAY
The book is out! Order Jeju Island’s Haenyeo, A User’s Manual for kindle and other devices. Interviews with three generations of Jeju Island’s sea women. Ever since Jeju Island forged its way onto the international tourism scene, its women free divers, called haenyeo, have taken center stage as both cultural symbol and tourist attraction. The…
Indigenous Islanders Continue Fight Against 2nd Airport on Jeju Island, South Korea–Hunger Strike Passes its 40th Day
Youth and other activists from some twenty civic groups have joined five villages in their struggle against a planned ‘aerotropolis’ on Jeju Island, South Korea. Still waiting for a statement from the national government’s Ministry of Land and Transportation, residents of South Korea’s largest island continue their fight against the proposed second airport project. The…
The Shamanic Spiritual Life of Jeju Island, South Korea’s Traditional Women Free Divers. Short Documentary: The Youngdeung Gods Visit Jeju Island
Every year the Youngdeung Gods visit Jeju Island, South Korea bringing with them strong spring winds. These deities replenish the sea life as they travel their coarse from village to village along the coast. In Hamdeok Village, the shaman Young Cheol Kim presides over the ceremony, a ritualized banquet at which Jeju Island’s famed women divers…
Pagans We Are does TEDx (video inside)
This past November, I gave a TEDx talk on Jeju Island, where I’ve been documenting shamanic shrine culture for the past five years, as you well know if you follow my blog. I talk about my video and photography work and the importance of preserving sacred spaces, many of which are in danger on…
Jeju’s Shrines Under Attack #1/ Tears in Seongsan Village
In the winter of 2013, Sulsaemit Shrine, a traditional place of worship for followers of Jeju Island’s native shamanic religion, was deliberately desecrated at the hands of unknown culprits. I have written about our group’s (the Senjari Rangers) efforts to restore this natural sanctuary where people in the area have worshipped for some hundreds of…
Thanks to all who pledged, the Kickstarter for Scattering fully funded today
Thanks to all who pledged to the Kickstarter for Scattering. The project is fully funded plus some. Both Scattering and A Shamanic People are still available for pre-order through a link on the Kickstarter page or directly from Gumroad. More updates soon! Time to celebrate 🙂
Q and A about Kickstarter Campaign
The Kickstarter campaign for ‘Scattering’ is 17% funded with 13 days to go. Please pledge and share if you can manage! A quick Q and A with some frequent questions I’ve been asked about the project. You can pledge here—> ‘Scattering’ Kickstarter ‘Scattering’ is a limited edition photography book about crow feeding rituals on Jeju…
Kickstarter Link, 13% to the goal Update
Hi all! I’ve 17 days to go to meet my kickstarter goal for the new 150 page, full color photobook about shamanism and crows on Jeju Island in South Korea. I’m having a little bit of trouble with the embed, so I’ve pasted the link below. Thanks so much Korea Times for the article. And…
Jeju Island’s Haenyeo: A User’s Manual, the daughter of a diver who came home to surf and save the sea
Ji Yeon is a magazine editor, surfer and granddaughter of a woman diver. She chose to return from the mainland to Jeju Island after hearing news of the contested second airport which is slated for construction near her native village. Ji Yeon’s passion for activism started as a teenager when she witnessed the environmental decline…
A Guide to Shamanism on Jeju Island, Part Two: Post Four: Baekjjudo’s Sons
Baekjuddo and Seochunguk’s eighteen sons are great mountain deities in their villages. These gods, the hunter lords of the mountain, are often paired with powerful goddesses. In some cases, these ‘couple gods’ or bubaegan/bubushin reside in seperate, but nearby shrines. Shamans lead rituals dedicated to these gods in lunar January, on the 14th day of…
A Guide to Shamanism on Jeju Island, Part Two: Post Five: The Banished Deity
A curious feature of bonhyang shrines, including those shrines dedicated to Baekjuddo and Seocheonguk’s sons, is the banished deity. Often, in Jeju Island’s shamanic shrines, one finds the male or female deity of a pair, to be banished to the far end of a shrine, or even from the shrine entirely. Take the case of…
A Guide to Shamanism on Jeju Island, Part Two: Post Three: The Myth of Baekjjudo and Seocheonguk
One of the most important myths on Jeju Island is the myth of Baekjjudo and Seocheonguk, the parents of the eighteen prominent mountain/ hunter gods—the gods we’ve been discussing so far. The myth, told in its entirety, tells not only of the fateful first encounter of the progenitorial couple, but of the generation prior to…
pagans we are 