Dancing on Knives | National Geographic

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 ji-yong
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 he almost
completely paralyzed one day she had a
dream she dreamed of a shaman but didn’t
know who 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 jeon
fails this test the spirit will not
possess her and she will not be cured
it’s morning on the day chosson 4g ons
naar een coot initiation with the
beating of the drum and the banging of
the gongs the novel coot begins jian
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 Jian 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 riding 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 G yawns turn
gian steps onto 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