Local Realities of UNESCO Recognition: A Shamanic Ritual from Cheju Island, South Korea

• In Event: Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asia: Discourse and Practice

Abstract

This paper explores what UNESCO recognition actually brings to local ritual practitioners. UNESCO added an annual shamanic ritual from Cheju Island, South Korea to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in fall 2009. Immediately after the ritual’s inscription, all parties concerned seemed to revel in the global recognition, but numerous contradictions soon emerged. No longer relevant to the majority of islanders’ lives, the selected ritual lacked active participation by the former clients, presenting a serious challenge to efforts to maintain it as something more than a mere display. Moreover, despite the local government’s willingness to use the internationally sanctioned ritual as leverage for heritage tourism, people have become less enthusiastic about staged shamanic rituals. Looking from the ground up at the processes involved in attaining global heritage status, working with the result, and thinking about the ritual’s future reveals that despite UNESCO’s stated emphasis on community participation, the selection process is not necessarily conducive to promoting the interests of small communities or local realities. Shamans, scholars, politicians, and UNESCO all have different interests in imagining the role of heritage for the island and for the world. However, asymmetrical knowledge about attaining the global recognition, coupled with national and local identity politics that are often oblivious to pragmatic matters, present challenges to shamans who need to carry out the ritual performance. This paper cautions the well-meaning interventions of regional, national, and global stakeholders in local practices.

Author

• Kyoim Yun, University of Kansas