Sister- motherhood and the love for the ocean, exemplified by the "women of the sea" - Haenyeo.
Haenyeo are fisherwomen that for more than 1000 years have been diving on the island of Jeju, South Korea. These women have developed a tradition based on a strong community and sustainable fishing, as they live in coexistence with the ocean, waves and the storms.
Haenyeo spend a lot of time in the sometimes dangerous ocean, whereas the haenyeo recite an old saying: we make money in the world-after-death while holding our breaths, and if we’re lucky, we come back to our world to spend it.
Haenyeo is traditionally inherited and girls are taught from an early age. Both women and men worked as divers until the 16th century, after this the profession was gradually taken over by women. Haenyeo women provide for the family while the men care for the households.
"The men were too cold to dive without diving suits.
Women were cold too,
but we preserved."