in South Korea a land where Buddhism and
Christianity rain many still turned to
the old folk beliefs of shamanism belief
in a world inhabited by spirits but to
become a Korean shaman a believer must
pass an initiation called the Noreen
coot a right so extreme that few would
attempt it while some are born to their
role as shamans others like GE on
receive their calling through a mystic
illness called shinbe young she may look
healthy but Jiyeon has been tormented by
spirits since childhood sometimes I’d be
in so much pain that it left him almost
completely paralyzed one day she had a
dream she dreamed of a shaman but didn’t
know how she was I saw a shaman all
dressed up and participating in some
activity I felt I needed to find her
the shaman Indians dream turned out to
be real her name was Kim kumoi the
acknowledged leader of northern style
ecstatic shamanism Kim kumoi agreed to
take Jiyeon into her home to prepare her
for the initiation ceremony if Jian
fails this test the spirit will not
possess her and she will not be cured
it’s morning on the day Jose unfortunate
are include initiation with the beating
of the drum and the banging of the gongs
the Noreen clute begins jion puts on her
first costume and prepares to summon a
God she enters into what’s called an
ecstatic trance these shamans believe
that in this trance her mind becomes
possessed and she speaks in the spirits
voices jion and the other shamans dance
for hours changing costumes after every
spirit possession the time has come for
Kim kumoi to call upon the knife writing
general her guardian spirit as an
indication of the general spirit within
her she licks the blades and presses
them against her thighs she climbs up
onto the double-edged shock two knives
and dances no blood is shed while she
addresses the audience in the spirits
voice announcing his presence finally it
is jion’s turn
gian steps on to the knives and she
begins to dance fortunately her feet do
not bleed jion’s passed the final test I
feel like I have the whole world in my
hands but this is only the beginning she
will have to undergo years of training
under the guidance of cam kumoi
hopefully she will find greater peace
and happiness fulfilling her destiny as
a shaman
Christianity rain many still turned to
the old folk beliefs of shamanism belief
in a world inhabited by spirits but to
become a Korean shaman a believer must
pass an initiation called the Noreen
coot a right so extreme that few would
attempt it while some are born to their
role as shamans others like GE on
receive their calling through a mystic
illness called shinbe young she may look
healthy but Jiyeon has been tormented by
spirits since childhood sometimes I’d be
in so much pain that it left him almost
completely paralyzed one day she had a
dream she dreamed of a shaman but didn’t
know how she was I saw a shaman all
dressed up and participating in some
activity I felt I needed to find her
the shaman Indians dream turned out to
be real her name was Kim kumoi the
acknowledged leader of northern style
ecstatic shamanism Kim kumoi agreed to
take Jiyeon into her home to prepare her
for the initiation ceremony if Jian
fails this test the spirit will not
possess her and she will not be cured
it’s morning on the day Jose unfortunate
are include initiation with the beating
of the drum and the banging of the gongs
the Noreen clute begins jion puts on her
first costume and prepares to summon a
God she enters into what’s called an
ecstatic trance these shamans believe
that in this trance her mind becomes
possessed and she speaks in the spirits
voices jion and the other shamans dance
for hours changing costumes after every
spirit possession the time has come for
Kim kumoi to call upon the knife writing
general her guardian spirit as an
indication of the general spirit within
her she licks the blades and presses
them against her thighs she climbs up
onto the double-edged shock two knives
and dances no blood is shed while she
addresses the audience in the spirits
voice announcing his presence finally it
is jion’s turn
gian steps on to the knives and she
begins to dance fortunately her feet do
not bleed jion’s passed the final test I
feel like I have the whole world in my
hands but this is only the beginning she
will have to undergo years of training
under the guidance of cam kumoi
hopefully she will find greater peace
and happiness fulfilling her destiny as
a shaman
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