Shamanism in Korea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Shamanism in Korea - Essay Example The study of Shamanism gives an extremely interesting understanding of indigenous folk religions of Northeast Asia. Shamanism deals with a wide range of practices and beliefs through which their practitioners (shamans) communicate with the spiritual world. Ordinary individuals can only become shamans when they receive their calling. They tread supernatural dimensions and specialize in spiritual, mental and physical healing with the help of spirits (San-Hung A3). The present paper portrays an overview of shamanism in Korea. Korean shamanism is still an active practice and is deeply rooted in the people's ethnic consciousness (Stutley 23). It not only coexisted with other major religions such as Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, but also influenced them. The rituals performed by Korean shamans range from pig offerings for placating the gods, to walking barefoot on sharp knives to intimidate evil spirits (San-Hung A3). Shamanism in Korea has a rich history. It has affect ed the political, cultural and religious aspects of the country and survived years of suppression by foreign and local powers. This paper attempts to provide a brief overview of Korean shamanism, detailing its origins, concepts of god, rituals, songs, materialistic beliefs, and healing therapies. It also discusses the suppressions experienced by shamanism, and its post-modern revival. This would provide a good understanding of the Korean folk religion that is witnessing a growing interest from all quarters of the world. Korean Shamanism Overview Shamanism in Korea is known as sin'gyo, which means 'the religion of the gods'. It includes a sun and a bear cult apart from ancestor worship, suggesting a link between Korean shamanism and Siberian, Manchurian and Central Asian cultures. Prior to the advent of the Choson Dynasty, Korean shamans had a high social status and some were even rulers. For instance, the second ruler of the Sila Dynasty, Namhae, was a shaman. The high social standi ng and privileges enjoyed by shamans were lost since the arrival of other religions in South Korea. Yet, there were about 100,000 shamans in Korea in 1973. Until Korea was annexed by Japan in 1910, most shamans retained their functions at national sacrificial and royal rites. The Japanese destroyed most of the native religion by arresting shamans and raiding sacrificial ceremonies and offerings. Once Korea was liberated from Japan in 1945, shamans and their followers were persecuted by hostile Christians, who called them "devotees of the devil" (Stutley 23). Shamanism in Communist North Korea had to go underground due to its intolerance towards the folk religion. Shamanism in Korea is based on native ancient beliefs and traditions. Most shamans are women who found their calling after realizing they could serve as mediators between the spirit world and the human world, after surviving a critical sickness. According to their beliefs, spirits of ancestors, animals, trees and even non-l iving things exist in the air and interact with people, affecting their lives and fortunes (San-Hung A3). The Origin of Korean Shamanism The origin of Korean shamanism is not certain and is difficult to determine (Lee 135). This is because of the complexity of the religion as its practices diversified in different provinces, making it difficult to trace the source of its origin. Unsuccessful attempts were made during the end of the Yi Dynasty to unify the various practices of shamanism into one system (Lee I 135). While the term Mu was used to refer to shamans prior to the Yi Dynasty,

Tourism Utah National Parks - Zion Research Paper

Tourism Utah National Parks - Zion - Research Paper Example Zion has some specific geological features that distinguish this national park from others. Zion is located at Colorado Plateau. Zion is characterized by a feature called Grand Staircase that formed as a result of uplift, tilting, and erosion of rock layers (The geology of Zion). Zion situates near the sea level and is seen as a flat basin in appearance. The eroded muds, sands, and gravels from surrounded mountains reached the basin and shaped Zion. It formed various layers at Zion. The mineral-laden waters gradually filtered through the accumulated sediments; and thereby the functioning of cementing agents like iron oxide, calcium carbonate, and silica have played a great role in transforming the deposits into stone (The geology of Zion). The volcanic activities at Zion region allowed the lava flow and cinder cones to form. In addition, there are ranges of other geological phenomena frequently occurring in the region. As discussed above, Zion National Park has many fascinating geolo gical as well as ecological features that attract large number of visitors to the park. Stynes reports that in 2006; there were 2.57 million recreation visits in Zion national park. Since thousands of people visit the park daily, all of them do not get staying facilities at park lodges. Therefore, several people depend on local lodges, motels, and cabins. In addition, the visitors greatly rely on local industries as they cannot get all their requirements inside the park. It greatly contributes to the sustainable growth of the local economy. For instance, as Stynes asserts, $113 million spent by park visitors assisted the economy to generate 2,432 job opportunities and increase the sale revenue to $143 million. The park itself employed large number of people and still creates new job opportunities. Hence, the Zion Park has considerably enhanced the overall development of the local economy. There are several common issues that affect national parks including Zion. Majority of the nati onal parks cannot use their resources to their fullest because of various reasons including lack of money, staff, and coordination (Top 10 issues facing national parks). National parks need to preserve the historic buildings and architectures as it reflects the culture of America; however, its maintenance costs are very high. In recent days, the areas surrounding national parks are being largely used for agriculture and living purposes; and these activities have adversely affected the wildlife to a large extent (Top 10 issues facing national parks). Foreign species’ invasion may affect park’s ecological balance as this process causes the extinction of natural species. In addition, construction activities also have become threats to the existence of national parks since these activities may lead to adverse environmental changes. Human caused noises also have a negative impact on the wildlife and it would negatively affect the sustainability of the national parks. At thi s juncture, the Soundscape Management becomes inevitable for the national parks. In order to protect the naturality of Zion national parks, various measures have been adopted. According to Havnes, these policies’ main intention is to protect the attributes of sound and thereby benefit the wildlife and nearly 3 million annual visitors to the park. As the writer describes, the park has been using ultra modern technologies to