An Interpretation on Korean Shamanism in terms of Moral Character Education

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to interpret Shamanism that is Korean indigenous religion and cultural foundation, in terms of Moral Character Education. To accomplish it, this paper includes Cultural Background of Korean Shamanism and Shamans(Chapter Ⅱ), Korean Shamans' Faith(Chapter Ⅲ), and Korean Shamans' Character Formative Process(Chapter Ⅳ).Based on my exploratory study of Korean Shamanism, the results are as follows: Korean shamans‘ possession process was analyzed as a natural pattern of changing character involved in Korean culture. It was found that any informant did not intend to be a shaman disparaged in Korean society before inevitably becoming one. However, they had several common factors before initiation; they were brought up in religious families, experienced shamanic rituals, and learned already the faith of gods in Korean culture. It is in Korea that they were born, grew up, became shamans at crises of life, put their faith in Korean native gods, and have had their transcendent belief and thought. Therefore, shaman's faith was made slowly and unconsciously, was exposed at serious bodily/mental crises called Shin-Byung meaning god-disease, and thence has functioned as core to life. In fact, the gods are Korean geographical designations, historical persons, and shaman's late-parents, -grandparents, -great-grandparents, and even the founder of Korean people. So the gods can be interpreted as the symbols of traditional cultural faith and Korean shaman's personal value system. Also, the Korean Shamans' character formative process can be explained in short form as "crises ⇨ qualitative change ⇨ confirmation of new character". The change having arisen in the Korean shamans' characters can be deduced as the result of strong faith. Shamans live mainly according to the authority of their gods, that is to say mind-centered mechanism, instead of their bodily sensation. So genuine shamans can be interpreted as successors and learners of transcendent characteristic formation which has been inherited in Korean culture.