"In this ritual, a shaman is possessed by a warrior god and shouts in front of a crowd" "But this shaman I saw caressed the blade and cried ceaselessly" "In the midst of my travels to film shamanism" "I could begin to understand this shaman's tears" "The difficult life of a woman who must climb onto a sharp blade and dance like a clown..." "Coordinator" " PARK Kibok, BAE Yoonhee" "Producer" " CHO Sungwoo" "Narration" " SOL Kyunggu" "Production" " MF" "Director, Camera" " PARK Kibok" "Reconciliation between the Living and the Dead" "Long ago Korean shamans (mudang) Princess Bari" " The first mythological figure from Korean shamanism protected the nation from calamity" "Still now, somewhere in this land shamans preserve traces of their past" "Bangsuk village, Pohang(in the southeast)" "Every 5 years in this fishing village a fish harvest ritual takes place where shamans sing, dance and pray for a good catch and fortune" "Preparations for the ritual instill a sense of kinship in the villagers as they work together and share food" "If you look at neighboring villages LEE Youngtak (57/Head of the village's loan club)" "Many hold the ritual every 5 or 7 years" "This woman, KIM Younghee is the most popular shaman around for her wonderful performance" "So we've invited her to our village once again this year" "We're sure she will perform admirably for us" "South of the Han River shamanism is divided into hereditary shamans and prophesiers" "Prophesiers become shamans when they are one day possessed by spirits while hereditary shamans are formed by family lineage, without being possessed" "South of the Han River only hereditary shamans may perform private or public rituals" "On the other hand hereditary shamans told prophecies" "Hello?" "We are different from" "The shamans who perform rituals..." "Village prophesier KIM Doonam(89)" "Hereditary shamans have family lineages that are carried on" "But prophesiers like us appear in non-shamanic families" "It's just a way to earn a living" "Are you going to watch the ritual tomorrow?" "Kim Doonam's spirit letters Kim tells the fortunes by reading the letters" "Since I'm the oldest person in this village" "People invite me whenever there is a ritual" "Prophesier Kim Doonam cannot perform the shamanist ritual" "However, she summons village spirits through the spirit pole" "They asked me to hold the pole" "Golmaegi Dae" " Tree that has been posessed by the spirit by a shaman" "In place of village prophesier Kim a villager with supernatural senses holds the spirit pole" "The ritual is ready to invite mountain spirits and ancestor spirits" "When the shaman's words match the will of the spirits, the pole shakes" "In the fish harvest ritual the most important spirit is the dragon god" "Shaman honors the dragon god which reigns over the sea" "The village women greet the shamans and rite attendant's group" "Villagers and shamans become one and go to the site of the ritual" "Mountain god ritual (part of the fish harvest ritual)" "East coast hereditary shaman The one who leads the ritual" "Village prophesier KIM Doonam" "All the hereditary shamans' relatives usually attend the ritual KIM Seokchul (80/East Coast ritual musician)" "The shamans and musicians conducting this year's ritual are all descendents of Kim Seokchul" "Village rite attendant" "Merrymaking takes place for the villagers A merrymaking ritual (part of the fish harvest ritual)" "Who worked hard to prepare for the rituals" "At this time everyone enjoys themselves" "The second day of the ritual" "The disease god ritual" " Held to prevent pockmarks in smallpox sufferers" "The fish harvest festival lasts two days without rest but older villagers bring blankets and spend the night here" "The event is a pleasant diversion for the elderly in this quiet town" "Dragon god ritual" " Praying to the dragon god for seafarers'safety and plentiful fish" "After each villager makes offerings to the dragon god they pray for family members' well-being by presenting a paper with their names" "White paper tied with hair signifies a good fish harvest" "Although heavy seas prevent it this year a villager is usually thrown into the sea to prevent calamity" "Boat song ritual" " Sending off the invited gods with wishes for a safe return journey" "The fish harvest ritual is a religious event in which people pray for happiness and at the same time a party for the villagers" "The cloth that tied the ship of dragon god, is believed to ensure good health by the villagers who welcomed" "Korean shamanism into their heart" "Jindo Island (in western Korea)" "On Jindo Island, hereditary shamans guide the dead to paradise with the purification rituals" "Jindo Island purification ritual" " Purifies the souls of the dead so they may enter into heaven" "On Jindo Island, hereditary shamans are called Danggollae" "In Jindo as well, only hereditary shamans may conduct rituals but unlike on the east coast village rituals are rare" "Each shaman has their own area in which to perform rituals" "Each spring and fall, they receive grain from residents of their area" "This is called doboo" "A countryside market in central Jindo" "The people of Jindo called the Danggollae when a family member past away or when something bad happened" "For the people of Jindo the purification ritual was a way of life" "The house of hereditary shaman HAN Yongshim (Goonnae Township)" "Hereditary shaman HAN Yongshim(78)" "Han declined a request for an interview" "She says she's been lonely and bitter her whole life because she is a hereditary shaman" "Residents in Han's area" "Hereditary shamans don't exist in every single town" "Hereditary shamans were looked down" "They'd sell ritual rights to theirjurisdiction for grain" "So Han had her share even before she got married" "Times have changed..." "no more aristocracy" "No more wandering about asking for grain" "People used to talk down to people like her" " They still do" " No, they don't!" "Now too, people like us still look down at folks like her" "Things have gotten much better now!" "Turn around" "We prefer the hereditary shaman ritual" "They've been well trained in the art of the ritual" "We try to arrange rituals performed by hereditary shamans" " Not prophesiers" " Why?" "Hereditary shamans don't get possessed in the middle of rituals" "Prophesiers cry out that spirits have come and such" "Of course some people prefer prophesiers" "The number of hereditary shamans is declining..." "That's why prophesiers perform rituals frequently these days" "Hereditary shamans know the traditional methods..." "How to prevent calamity... performed and shaped over the years" "Hereditary shamans learn their art for prophesiers it's all instinct" "Their rituals vary day to day according to how they sense the spirits" "Hereditary shamans know traditional ways... that's why we prefer them" "But prophesiers perform according to their whim" "So they're less reliable" "Geojeh, Jisan Township" "Hereditary shaman CHAE Doongul(83)" "In order to escape this calling all of my children and grandchildren went to Seoul" "Sons, daughters two granddaughters grandsons, the whole lot..." "I stopped doing rituals while my children were young" "I thought seeing me perform might have a bad influence on them" "So one day I just stopped Now I can't do it, even if I wanted to" "The number of original hereditary shamans has been decreasing" "Nowadays, prophesiers who are inexperienced in rituals... they tell fortunes and perform the ritual" "But they're different from hereditary shamans like us" "My younger sister(Jungrae) can tell you a lot more about this" "But she's busy with farm work... don't know if she can be of help" "Hereditary shaman CHAE Jungrae (76, Doongul's younger sister) Her husband HAHM Inchon(74, ritual musician)" "Chae's husband also comes from a hereditary shaman family" "The status of the hereditary shaman was maintained through intermarriage and taught to later generations" "Did you know your wife was also of the same background?" " Yes, I did" " You knew before you married her, right?" " Of course" " He didn't have any other girl..." "Whatever you say..." "A phoenix must have crowed on his ancestors' graves..." "Was it the graves of our ancestors, or your ancestors?" "Stop it" "Phoenix tears provide a good daughter-in-law not a son-in-law" "Our mother was the best-known hereditary shaman in all of Jindo" "She was that good our mother" "All four of her daughters performed the purification ritual" "I'm the only one of us still The eldest, Janae and the third Doogu have passed away performing the purification ritual" "My sister Doongul hasn't been able to perform that ritual for 10 years" "She has a problem Chae Doongul was stricken by paralysis 10 years ago she shakes here hand and can't talk straight" "Long ago, people discriminated against hereditary shamans" "And so, even though I raised 8 children..." "I thought, why put them through the same hardships?" "So I didn't teach my children the purification ritual" "No one..." "If I'd known times would improve" "I would have taught one of my daughters" "Times have gotten better now..." "I regret not teaching the ritual to at least one of them..." "The 'Harvest God' part of the purification ritual" "Recently, Chae has taken on an apprentice as she regrets her family tradition dying out" "In my next life" "I want to be born beautiful" "I want to be born beautiful" "So you can have all the men chasing after you?" "Hey... who says only the pretty ones get all the men?" "I want to be a beautiful singer... the best singer, or... the number one Korean classical singer" "I never learned but I have an ear for it" "The life of a hereditary shaman is hard" "It's so hard" "Bunto-ri, Gunnae Township" "The shrine of spiritual shaman Park Youngja" "Long ago on Jindo Island prophesiers called spiritual shaman began taking part in rituals" "But in the past, prophesiers would learn a date from the spirits and the hereditary shaman would perform on that day" "Hereditary shaman Chae Jungrae says she cannot bear to watch the 'prophesier rituals' of today" "Does working in the fields make it a strain to do rituals?" "Spiritual shaman PARK Youngja" "It's hard but working here makes me appreciate the ritual, It gives me strength" "It's difficult, but I do both" "We don't have as many clients as shamans in large cities" "Only doing farm work makes me feel ill" "I have to perform rituals now and then" "Will you feel better after performing the upcoming ritual?" "Of course, a bit afterwards..." "Shamans can't live the way they wish" "Medicine helps other people but not me" "I took some medicine last night and I feel terrible today" "Maybe the family who hired me for the ritual has a sore throat-spirit" "That's why I feel so sick..." "Not knowing the purification ritual shamans struggle to earn a living in Jindo" "Spiritual shaman Park Youngja wishes to learn the ritual but it is difficult for an illiterate woman such as her" "Did that woman drop by?" "I couldn't do the ritual because their son-in-law opposed it" "She was looking for the illiterate shaman" "To read some chant today" "A blind shaman chanter" "You are blind because you can't see but I'm blind because I can't read" "So I just pray and chant in my own words" "Bunto District, Gunnae Township" "JO Songja (58/Client)" "This woman solicited Park because her son-in-law is ill and her daughter's family has been hit by misfortunes" "Before being possessed by spirits of the client's ancestors" "Park calls on her master spirit her dead brother" "Before she became a shaman her ancestors brought misfortune to members of her family" "I feel sorry for all the shamans in this country" "Whether they are spirits in heaven or spirits among us" "They all live a hard life" "People like us become possessed and hear things" "Neighbors start pointing fingers and eventually the family goes to ruin" "A dedicated shaman just has to accept her destiny or send away the spirits altogether" "All shamans on this land will empathize with me" "What hardships she must have gone through to say such things..." "The thing is..." "If we're going to accept spirits we must do so when we're young" "If not, we should send them away... the quicker the better" "During the ritual" "PARK is possessed by her dead mother's spirit" "Why shouldn't I be here?" "This is my home" "You dirty beggar" "Don't even know who this is" "You beggar, you" "All you did was work her like a horse" "I'm grieved beyond measure..." "Dear monks" "I'm her mother..." "The client is bewildered by the unexpected situation" "Park's husband tries to calm things down by intervening..." "I come and visit my children everyday but nobody knows..." "My daughter is performing a ritual, so here I am..." "Other people talk maliciously about you..." "This year will be full of bad luck" "PARK delivers messages from the spirits in daily life too" "Because you are old" "You'll struggle if you fall once" "The next 3 years are turning points for you" "Perhaps you'll be in the other world at 84" "Eat all you want go everywhere you want" "Get some decent clothes on you and burn those clothes" "Some people say that the husbands are against it Husband PARK Wansoo(58)" "But, if I opposed my wife's occupation we'd have to separate and I couldn't separate with her" "And the occupation is nothing bad" "She heals sick people and reconciles the living and dead" "If she only performs rituals of course, the work is hard for me But I have to understand..." "If I stop her maybe she'll die of the spirits' fury" "It bothers me but I can't prevent her..." "During the ritual you were possessed by your mother's spirit and you scolded your husband..." "My mom had her reasons..." "She thinks he works me too hard... not letting me focus on shamanism" "Rituals earn money so he could hire workers... but he still makes me work and that upsets her" "She tells me to stop doing farm work" "During her lifetime she couldn't afford to hold a wedding for me" "That really broke her heart..." "Worried..." "Before she died, she swore... she'd enter me as my master spirit and help me earn money through rituals" "Good as her word she entered me..." "Even now, when she entered me..." "I weep in the shrine whenever my mom enters me because she feels pity for her daughter" "I feel more spiritual now after being possessed by her spirit" "I think..." "How does it feel when your mother's spirit enters you?" "Some say they get goose bumps..." "I don't get goose bumps" "It feels warm..." "I feel loved" "Even if I don't have a mother anymore" "I feel reassured" "PARK and her sister" "PARK's husband's grandmother invoke the gods for the other to invoke the gods for the prosperity of her descendants" "After her grandmother passed away her spirit always wandered around her family descendants" "My grandmother prayed for her only son so that he could see an abundance of sons in his day" "My grandmother gave so much effort my mother should have done the same, but she didn't" "Ancestors' spirits pass down from generation to generation" "At first, my grandmother's spirit entered my sister-in-law but she was shunned" "So my sister-in-law fell ill a long while..." "Everything was fine when we were living in the city" "But after we came back to our hometown it came to my wife" "Prophesiers said I had spirits in me" "I wasn't aware of it but they said" "I'd become a shaman too" "A house of mourning" "Koreans believe their ancestors intervene in their lives for a set period of time" "People hold memorial services over four generations because of the belief that ancestors remain with their descendants for about four generations" "For Koreans, funerals are more lavish than celebrations of birth" "Because death is not an end, but a first departure to a new world" "Cheonsu Sutra" " A Buddhist scripture of an esoteric Buddhist nature" "People say memorizing a passage from this scripture erases all of one's sins" "However, the practice of reciting this passage to clear a path to heaven for the dead is a reflection of Korean shamanism" "Descendants are always saddened to place their deceased relatives in the cold, dark earth" "Woojeh is a simple Confucian rite to provide solace to the deceased" "In the past, mourning lasted 3 years The end of mourning with ceremonies held on the 1st and 2nd year before ending on the 3rd..." "In Confucian tradition as well the soul of the deceased could not easily leave behind this world" "In the purification ritual too shamans wash the dead with three waters" "The descendants of the dead who have left off mourning arrange ritual food on the table for the memorial service" "In Korean shamanism too descendants must remember the death of their ancestors and comfort their spirits or else they will wander between this life and the next" "As we can see among the Korean people" "Shamanism, Confucianism, Buddhism all combine to become a complex religion" "Recently, Park was left to look after her grandchildren after her daughter-in-law left home" "Each day is a struggle for her" "While dreaming recently she saw her dead brother holds the place of a warrior god" "Prophesier JO Joongae (87)" "A distressed Park visited the village prophesier" "Jo, possessed by the dragon god wets money with water when foretelling the future" "I want to go out for rituals at night, but" " I have to watch my grandchildren" " It must be hard" "Then..." "You better ask your son to take care of them" "I understand all that, but" "What bothers me is that I'm disharging blood" "Carrying babies on my back every day makes me discharge blood" "I came here to ask what I did wrong to suffer like this" "I'm upset caring for those children" "Your eldest grandson is a little slow" "He's good a good child but a little slow" "Your grandchildren will treat you well..." " Will I live that long?" " Of course..." "Jo Joongae, who had suffered from 'Shaman's disease' had gone to the village spring to pray to the gods and was possessed by the dragon god at 48" "The village spring where Jo was possessed" "Knowing nothing about shamanist rituals she only delivers the spirits' messages to the people" "For a long time, my family urged me to attend church but my dragon god wouldn't let me, So I didn't" "Nowadays everyone goes to church almost everyone..." " Do you go to church?" " No, I don't" "We should believe in our grandparents believe in our ancestors" "Church is a good place but not necessarily for everybody..." "Christians don't hold memorial rites for their ancestors" "They say that the spirits of ancestors are evil evil, they say..." "That once people close their eyes they are no more than meat" "You don't have to believe in Christianity" "Your children will grow up nicely without going to church" "They'll be smart" "You look like my grandson" "Right." "Our first son's son Woong-gi's son you look just like him" "If we don't hold memorial rites..." "Give me a call when your sons grow up..." "They'll turn out well" "Your family will live happily" "How long do you plan to live..." "until this man has children?" "Maybe his wife already has a child" "He got married last year" " You've given me so much!" " What should I do?" "Did you come all this way forjust a small handful?" "May you bring my family a long and healthy life..." "Tell me the names of your family members, so I can pray for them..." "For Park Youngja, the memory of being possessed unexpectedly by her mom's spirit weighs heavily on her mind" "Jinjeok ritual" " A ritual for a shaman's ancestors" "Park Youngja had awaited the end of the fall harvest to conduct a ritual for her much-Ioved mother" "But before calling spirits on the parents' side she must summon the spirits on the husband's side" "I am the bachelor grandpa your great uncle..." "The master spirit holding the place of the Gulmoon Spritual guide" "My poor children my dear children..." "But I couldn't help it" "You wouldn't understand me even if I told you" "I'm in a great, loving mood today" "Grandpa, have a cigarette" "I feel really great!" "Spirits with repressed spite (han) Are more difficult to summon" "Park's mother-in-law had a very difficult time living with her husband's relatives" "Her relationship with her husband was cold and her children too never showed her their love" "I'm your mother Why don't you talk to me?" "Your father still doesn't have Taoist magic" "Mom, do you have Taoist magic now?" "I have a good daughter-in-law..." "So I'II..." "You good for nothing Park family thief!" "My husband and I go our separate ways in the other world" "You haven't met father in the other world?" "Now, Park is possessed once again by her dead mother's spirit who had previously disconcerted her husband at the client's ritual..." "I couldn't marry my daughter off as I would have liked" "My family has found peace now that I'm dead..." "I should have died a long time ago" "Since I have died my family has found peace my hapless fate..." "Park's dead mother expresses her bitterness through a song" "Wherever I go, I love my child Wherever I go, I love my child" "If I had both arms and feet I would go sightseeing..." "With no foot and no arm..." "Park's mother spent her life with only one foot" "Wretched is the woman with one foot like me..." "Taken wretchedly ill, all I ever gave my daughter was trouble" "She suffered from Alzheimer's disease in her later years" "I expected my daughter to come if her situation at home improved" "But I passed away without being able to see my daughter" "Take this money and get yourself something to eat on the way to the other world" "Park's second-eldest sister" "I wasn't going to be like this..." " You don't love her anymore, do you?" " Yes, I do" "Be good to my daughter" "Don't mistreat my daughter" "All she ever did was to wed into your family bear your children and make your family rich" "You thief!" "When did you ever live in such a nice house as this?" "The hurtful memories that shape our lives spring from our families" "The ability to give love or to hurt others is all learned from our families" "Shamanic rituals are a way for the living to help the dead let go of their repressed grievances" "Sister..." " You're a pretty one" " Are you saying I'm pretty?" "Of course" "No one's ever said that That's news to me..." "Plenty of old women to talk to in this village... none in mine" "When you pass on, will you ask your descendants to hold a purification ritual?" "That would be nice but who would?" " Leave a will" " It'll be good for them, so they will" "Of course." "When your husband died they held the ritual for him" "I was there to hold the ritual for him then and it was done" "I even held the 49th day memorial ceremony for him" "When children got sick, we'd call on a hereditary shaman for a ritual" "Kisung's wife has a relative who got sick the other day..." "So she did a ritual as a spiritual shaman... she did well" "When she got possessed by spirits hereditary shamans can't compare by half" "We spiritual shamans and them hereditary shamans are different" "We use supernatural powers while they study the art all their lives..." "For the same price" "I'd call on a hereditary shaman for a ritual" "My sister didn't know anything and said" "Wonderful!" "So, I just gave her up!" " Without knowing" " Right" "She listened to the spiritual shaman and said, "She's really good!" What was good about that?" "Bisun and Yesim's mother those two hereditary shamans was really good" " Yesim's mother was excellent" " Yes, she was" "After a purification ritual" "I always feel refreshed..." "We use supernatural senses to perform rituals unlike them..." "With smarter master spirits we could do it really well, too" "When I die if someone accepts me as a master spirit she'll be good" "I'll teach her" "Youngsam's mother used to ask me why I do this telling me to believe in Jesus" "She said the same to me" "She said, 'In this life, you live once In the next, you live forever.'" "I replied to her then" "'That all sounds new to me.'" "She said, 'lf you believe in Jesus you go to Heaven.'" "I said, 'I don't need to go to Heaven..." "I'm well off now.'" "She laughed when I asked what would happen if I fell on the way to Heaven because I'm too old to hang on" "As a child, I went to church because my father was a Christian" "You'll go to Heaven then" "To Heaven?" " We're going to Heaven, too" " How about us?" "If I can go, then all of you can" "You just follow me" "You can't go to Heaven without me" " You all can't live without me..." " Is there space for me too up there?" "If I'm not around come look for me up in Heaven..." "Geojeh District, Jisan Township" "Hereditary shaman CHAE Doongul" "The Chae sisters hereditary shamans" "Before she had the stroke we used to perform rituals together" "It was easier for me having my sister there to help out with small tasks" "Now, I sometimes come to help her do other work" "Sopo, Anchi, Gileun District..." "We performed rituals at many places..." "'I'm staying home today,' she'd say then I'd say, 'Let's go sis... '" "She could earn some money by coming with me" "If she stays at home she can't do that" "So she spent her free time at the ritual site sitting and watching..." "It meant less money for me But what are sisters for?" "Did you know I performed a ritual at the Seoul Arts Center?" "I went to the makeup room to change clothes, and people would scream at each other to leave my face alone..." "It was funny" " You performed at the arts?" " The Seoul Arts Center!" "I see..." "I'd have been so happy if my children had come to see me perform..." "I would have been so happy" "Be careful" " You've become old" " What?" "You're really old now" " Who?" " You" "You used to walk faster and sleep better than me" "Now you're an old woman" "Even hereditary shamans aren't entirely free from supernatural experiences" "Chae Jungrae says when she was young she was afraid to hold the spirit pole fearing spirits would possess her" "Haenam City, beyond Jindo Bridge" "After spending a year in the south with hereditary shamans we moved north of the Han River" "On a boat by Inchon Pier" "Baeyeonshin ritual (on the west coast) A ship-owner's private ritual performed by spiritual shamans" "North of the Han River hereditary shamans have disappeared and spiritual shamans preside over rituals" "Great spiritual shamans are also called Manshin" "Public ritual site(Seoul)" " A public space for rituals which can be rented by shamans" "The land north of the Han River has historically been plagued by incessant warfare" "What kinds of rituals were needed to comfort the souls of this land...?" "Spiritual shaman PARKMijung's Shrine (Inchon City)" "In Seoul and Gyeonggi Province northern shamanist customs prevail particularly those of Hwanghae Province, North Korea" "Hereditary shamans in the south are called 'danggol' but the term also means a longtime client of a shaman" " She's exhausted all the time..." " Making money" "Dosen't get enough sleep either" "It's good now that you are here" "You are doing a good deed Spiritual shaman PARKMijung(37) (Specializing in Hwanghae Province rituals)" " It's nothing" " Do it in good will" "Hwanghae Province shamans are known to be spritually strong for they worship numerous warrior gods" "To soothe sorrowful spirits in the North, a land of incessant warfare the shamans needed stronger gods" "For some people times get better as they age" "Life is good to me right now" "But it's a bit..." " You feel like something is missing?" " Yes, missing..." "Now that you've had some luck in yourjob you want to get another husband?" " What a shame..." " You think so?" "Shall I leave the cabbages here?" " You brought me cabbages?" " Just a few..." "Park has a longtime client with money troubles who sells vegetables" "When she has trouble or feels worried she consults with Park" "As a token of gratitude, she often visits her shrine with vegetables" "PARK became a shaman at 27 through an initiation ritual" "Her mother had become a shaman one day without an initiation ritual" "The mother strongly resisted the spirits entering her body" "In a possessed state she slit her own troat which almost killed her" "The ancestors' spirits wandered between mother and daughter even after the mother stopped practicing shamanism" "It took a long time PARKMijung and her mother KIM Geumsoon(80)" "To get mother's spirits to be satisfied" "During the first three years I was possessed... even if I received the spirits it didn't stop there" "Even though I received my mom's ancestors they never completely left my mom" "They still feel a lingering attachment, you know" "So the spirits must have felt regret at leaving her" "When they were restless there were many troubles between us" " But it's gotten better now" " We went through hard times..." "Then all at once I realized..." "Her bitterness(han) must be resolved in this lifetime..." "Taking her bitterness into the next world her spirit would bear a grudge against me" "Once she dies" "I think it'll be far more difficult to resolve our troubles" "So I must reconcile with my mom while she's still alive" "It will be easier for both of us that way..." "Although we didn't understand this before" "People say it was a dispute among spirits." "If that's true the discord originated from the spirits in us..." "So it's up to us to find a way to reconcile" "As we must reconcile with each other in this life so that in the next there'll be no grudges left" "If so, my mother will have peace in the other world" "But if she leaves carrying her bitterness it will be too heartbreaking for the both of us" "I just pray that she'll have more healthy years before passing away..." "Agricultural wholesale market in Inchon City" "CHOI Byunghwa (Park Mijung's regular client)" "So, a bundle of spring onions and..." "The spring onions here aren't fresh anymore" "Just take them" "Just take this I don't need the money" "But you have it you should sell it" " At least get something to eat..." " No, its okay" "I just ate a while ago" "Just take it..." "I don't know how the real world goes round" "I want to meet more people" "I want to know more about how things are" "I wouldn't really call what I have a great talent but I want to show people the one thing I'm good at" "I want to use my supernatural gifts to make lasting bonds with people not as a shaman and client but as a friend That's what I wish for" "There are times when" "I just want to take a break" "Without thinking at all But it isn't easy" "I wake up at night to get phone-calls wondering what might have happened to my clients" "I want my clients' well-being to last throughout the whole year so each day I feel uneasy" "I'm losing myself in daily life" "I have served under my gods for many years..." "I often ask myself..." "Who am I?" "I am a shaman who is only human" "Am I a truly devoted shaman?" "I'm only human..." "My life is devoted entirely to the will of the gods" "I become lonely thinking of my destined path in life" "IM Soonja (49, Sangju City, eastern Korea)" "Shamans embrace their own sorrows and pain, and do rituals to bring reconciliation to the living and the dead" "Grieving spirits rite" " A rite to comfort grieving spirits by drinking sacrificed animals'blood" "Just as high priests expiated sins with sacrificial animal blood shamans prevent calamity by offering animals in sacrifice" "Today's ritual is performed to ward offjob troubles which originated from Im Soonja's new husband" "Warrior gods rite" " Possessed by warrior gods a shaman wards off evil by walking on a blade" "The straw cutter is wet with rain making the rite more dangerous" "But the calamity which threatens the family is as dangerous as the sharp blade" "In her possessed state" "Park warns the family will experience mourning" "However, Im is skeptical and dismisses the prophecy" "A month after the ritual lm's eldest son(22) is killed after falling off a bridge construction site" "Yeonhwa Temple (Sangju City, eastern Korea)" "IM Soonja(49)" "The late JUNG Hwasik (22/Im's eldest son)" "Spirit Consolation Ritual" " Shaman cleanses the area where the coffin had been placed in order to console the deceased" "The mother wanted to do everything in her power to console her dead son..." "Leaving today, I can't promise when we'll meet again" "Listen to all I have to say to you before I depart..." "The mother holds on to the spirit pole" "Come to me, my brothers Come to me, my dear siblings..." "Come to me, my grandmother" "I am full of sorrow..." "How can this be..." "My dear mother..." "Fearing the mother will go wild with grief the shaman tries to take the spirit pole away..." "Stay with your son a little longer..." "In a later interview, Im said the moment the shaman tried to take the spirit pole away from her an unconscious anger rose within her" "It is time for the shaman to deliver the deceased's message to the family" "Although ordinary people hear the dead speak they can not make out its meaning" "I am a dead soul How can this be..." "How can I leave this world?" "How can I leave?" "What shall I do?" "Dear mother" "I was in my early youth" "There was still so much I wanted to do..." "How lucky you all are to be alive..." "Feel my sadness..." "Here I am in the shaman's body" "Don't be sad" "All that is left for me is to lie in the coffin" "What parents make offerings to their dead children..." "Dear mother, feel my grief..." "All you ever wanted is to give me a warm meal..." "You must have suffered but I grieve over lost time too..." "The deceased had been away from home for some time..." "I will keep my dead father company in the other world" "I will stay close to him" "On the 49th day of my death place my memorial tablet next to my late father's" "Take care, my dear sister" "Don't worry about mother Go on to a good place..." "Take care, my aunts and uncles..." "Thank you" "Mom, you must be strong" "Take medicine when you get home" "Grandma, drink this" " Drink it up" " You drink it, too" "Please take care of my mom" "Don't worry Go to a good place..." "Dear mother..." "I am leaving you Take care of yourself" "Live a long and healthy life Do it for me" "Live a long and healthy life for me" "Live a long and healthy life, Mom" "Take care, my brother" "Keep yourself away from danger" "Beware of fire and water The deceased's younger brother (18)" "I believe in you..." "I believe in you..." "Here I move on to the next world..." "May this soul rest in peace" "Here I leave on a journey across the 12 infernos..." "May this soul rest in peace" "Dividing the pathway" " Dividing a path to the next life and praying for the soul's arrival in a blissful afterlife" "When the sacred knife faces outward it means that the soul of the dead has left" "Soul vessel (a wick twisted into three parts)" "A wick is lit surrounded by white paper and placed in front of the dead's table" "After the ritual, people predict the rebirth of the dead by the patterns on the paper" "Your son will be reborn as a bird... flying freely over the fields..." "Jindo Island, Southwestern Korea" "Spiritual shaman PARK Youngja(57)" "In July 2001, hereditary shaman Chae Doongul died of cerebral hemorrhage" "House of the late CHAE Doongul" "Chae Jungrae has postponed her older sister's purification ritual to the 100th day after death to avoid the raging mid-summer mosquitoes" "The 100th day of one's death is judgement day by the ten gods of the next world" "Hereditary shaman CHAE Jungrae(77)" "I feel bad for my sister for having lived such a hard life" "Her children would never understand what she went throug" "I visited her every chance I could get..." "Opened her refrigerator to make sure it wasn't empty" "I used to make food for her and stock up her refrigerator even if she was out" "I used to give her spending money" "Not much, though" "I would tell her to take a taxi when she was busy" "I gave her money so that she could get herself something warm in case she got cold" "Her son and daughter-in-law wept and wept over her death..." "God..." "I told them "A dead body goes stiff and needs to be bound" "Yet why do you only weep?"" "I bound the body with a piece of cloth never done that before not even in my dreams..." ""Sorry for doing this... it must be done... you're dead."" "I kept telling her as if she had been alive..." "I couldn't sleep for some months because of a vision of my dead sister" "Times are good now..." "She should have seen more of the world" "Every time I asked her if she wanted to go on a tour she said she gets carsick and can't go so her children couldn't do anything about it..." "I feel really bad about that..." "Of course" "I will perform purification ritual for her" "Even folks who aren't hereditary shamans hold it when someone dies..." "My sister made a living out of it..." "I have to" "I'll purify her on the 10th day of the 9th lunar month" "After that, I wouldn't expect anything from her children" "It's natural for human beings to die" "But I miss my sister..." "Chae prepares the ritual food to purify her sister's soul which she caught herself" "Husband HAM Inchon(75)" "Purification ritual site (house of the deceased)" "Even though it's the same ritual the Jindo ritual is simple and refined compared to the East Coast" "Nuk (a symbolic soul)" " Represents the dead in a purification ritual" "Nuk-dangseok" " Represents a ship on which the soul travels to the afterlife" "The late CHAE Doongul (died at the age of 84)" "Ancestors'rite" " Placing offerings to ancestors on the ritual table" "Welcome..." "Welcome uncle Kang and you too, uncle Park" "Here we receive you all" "During the ritual performed on the day of one's death" "Jeng Jeng echoes the JengJengbali Hear the skylark pipe a melody" "Hear the skylark pipe a melody" "Upon a tree top dotted with the shy buds of spring" "Long live the kings Long live the gods..." "Enjoy your offerings and have a pleasant trip back" "Here we receive uncle Kang and aunt Park..." "Paper Money Dance" " Paper money covers traveling expenses on the way to the next world" "Come, people of the world" "Sad are the living and joyful are the dead" "I was once alive and hoped to live 100 years" "But fate gave me a few less years than that" "Here I trod the path of the other world never to return again..." "Chae, who shed all her tears when her sister passed away had promised not to weep during the purification ritual" "In order to perform rituals at such an old age, she must control her emotions" "In the ritual, yeongdon represents the body of the dead" "If a couple has died it represents the bodies of both" "These days, a certain memory cuts deep into my heart" "On my husband's 70th birthday I bought my sister a new dress" "But she only wore it then... saving it for special occasions" "After her death when I opened her cabinet It was preciously wrapped and still unworn" "Chae bought a new underskirt for her older sister who had never known anything luxurious in her life" "Raising the soul" " Raising the soul with a sacred knife and paper money" "The dead may accept other rites only after the soul has risen" "People think that when the soul has risen the dead is feeling good" "You are a soul..." "Alive yesterday you are a soul today" "You are a spirit..." "Alive yesterday you are a spirit today" "A soul is worshipped aboard a ship" "A spirit is worshipped on the sacred table" "After cleansing the soul we escort it to paradise" "The poor deceased..." "You trod the path of no return become a bleached bone" "Your soul sheds tears the raindrops echo your grief..." "March to the afterlife enjoy bliss in paradise" "This prayer to Buddha is for you" "Do not weep rise upon the sacred knife" "What sadness..." "What miserable grief..." "Like the sorrow of a girl parting with her dead parents..." "Come this way Not that way, son Deceased's eldest son" "Here and there Everywhere..." "How could you leave without seeing your oldest son living well?" "Come down through the head" "Do not be sad, for you shall enter paradise on this glorious day..." "Heeseol rites" " Prayer for the easy passage of the dead into paradise" "The winds and clouds rested halfway up sacred Mt." "Silmu" "As four breeds of hawk folded their wings to rest..." "The dead can't get over the mountain" "Their souls are spread across the hillside" "Come forth all you people" "Here is the next world and the ten Kings of Hell" "If the road to the next world were a road, I would return" "If the door to the underworld were a door, I would return" "A large sailboat sails like the drifting clouds" "A small rowboat drifts like a fallen leaf on a river" "They have sailed away on the blissful river" "What have you on your ship?" "Silver boxes, jade boxes..." "There's the Buddhist saint of medicine that the Farm God traveled with on his sea voyage" "Poor father, Kang poor mother, Chae" "Here is money for your travels to the afterworld once a month, once a day The ritual continues on into the night" "Here is money for yourjourney..." "Ahahahaheheyo" "Ahahahaheheyo" "Here is money for yourjourney..." "How could you leave without uttering a word?" "Now, the deceased is informed of its destination on the hour of birth and is told of the good deeds she has performed in her lifetime" "Our poor father our poor mother..." "If you wish to bypass the ten infernos and rise to paradise what virtuous deeds have you done?" "Virtuous deeds will lead you to paradise" "Happily married were you, now you join your companions in paradise" "You built a shed for passerby to rest" "You gave water to the thirsty virtuous are your deeds" "You fed the hungry virtuous are your deeds" "You healed the sick virtuous are your deeds" "You clothed the poor salvation is at your doorstep..." "We cleanse you with waters you'll be free of the ten infernos" "May you enter into paradise..." "Purification rites" " Cleansing the dead of sins with three kinds of water" "Youngdon(Signifies the body of the dead)" "By cleansing away the sins and foul smell of this life the dead can safely enter into the bliss of paradise" "The poor deceased..." "We cleanse you with mugwort water, incensed water and here is money for you you'll enter into paradise" "The wife of the deceased's oldest son May your wishes be fulfilled..." "May your wishes" "May your wishes be fulfilled Mother..." "Mother, mother..." "Set sail on the blissful water" "You poor deceased..." "Now leaving for paradise of the other world..." "Cleansing the pathway" " Taking the soul aboard the ship and cleansing the path to paradise" "KANG Jungtae(59,purification ritual musician eldest son of the dead)" "The deceased's granddaughter" "The descendants of the dead place money on the jilbae which signifies the path to the other world" "Our poor mother may your soul rest in peace" "Away from the ten infernos may your soul rest in peace may your soul rest in peace" "Find peace in paradise may your soul rest in peace" "All of our family may you protect us all from calamity" "Bundle our misfortunes and leave for paradise..." "All of my sisters have passed away" "If they'd been alive they'd have been at the ritual" "I set my sisters' sacred table at the end of our ancestors" "So" "I thought to myself..." "You have come back as spirits just like the old days..." "If they were still alive we'd have good times together" "But to think of them as spirits with me talking away alone at the ritual..." "It makes me sad" "The ritual went well" "I feel relieved but sad..." "Life is an empty dream..." "Narration" " SOL Kyunggu" "Editor, Writer" " PARK Kibok" "Director, Camera" " PARK Kibok" "Producer" " CHO Sungwoo" "Production Company, Distributor" " MF"