in South Korea a land where Buddhism and
Christianity reign 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 jion receive
their calling through a mystic illness
called shin be young she may look
healthy but jion has been tormented by
spirits since childhood sometimes I’d be
in so much pain that it left me 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 and jion’s dream turned out
to be real her name was Kim kumoi
the acknowledged leader of northern
style ecstatic shamanism Kim kumoi
agreed to take Jeon into her home to
prepare her for the initiation ceremony
if ji-hyun fails this test the Spirit
will not possess her and she will not be
cured it’s morning on the day Osen for
jion’s Noreen coot initiation with the
beating of the drum and the banging of
the gongs the Narvik root 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 Gian and the other shamans dance
for hours changing costumes after every
spirit possession the time has come for
Kym 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 to 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
Gyan 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 reign 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 jion receive
their calling through a mystic illness
called shin be young she may look
healthy but jion has been tormented by
spirits since childhood sometimes I’d be
in so much pain that it left me 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 and jion’s dream turned out
to be real her name was Kim kumoi
the acknowledged leader of northern
style ecstatic shamanism Kim kumoi
agreed to take Jeon into her home to
prepare her for the initiation ceremony
if ji-hyun fails this test the Spirit
will not possess her and she will not be
cured it’s morning on the day Osen for
jion’s Noreen coot initiation with the
beating of the drum and the banging of
the gongs the Narvik root 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 Gian and the other shamans dance
for hours changing costumes after every
spirit possession the time has come for
Kym 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 to 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
Gyan 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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