The Perspectives of Jeju Natives
in Relation to ‘Neokdeulim’

·         Perspectives on the Human Condition in Relation to ‘Neokdeulim’

​

‘Neokdeulim’ is based on the dualist notion of being human, that a person has both a body and a soul. However, the soul in ‘Neokdeulim’ is different from the Western idea of dualism in that the ‘soul’ from Western dualism often refers to an eternal incorporeal entity that is preserved after death, while the ‘soul’ that ‘Neokdeulim’ brings back is closer to the idea of vigour or vitality that keeps the human full of life and energy.

As such, ‘Neokdeulim’ is based on the belief that a person can only be truly well when the soul is brought back into the body when the person’s soul has left the body due to an accident or a shocking event. ‘Neokdeulim’ is often practised in Jeju for children because it is more likely for the souls of children to leave their bodies as they are young and weak. It is believed that the soul resides in the head and thus leaves through the head — ‘Neokdeulim’ is the process of bringing back the soul, which has left the head back to its original place.

​

​

·         Perspectives on Illness/Mental Health in Relation to ‘Neokdeulim’

​

‘Neokdeulim’ does not involve the traditional Korean Shamanistic view that illnesses are caused by a bad spirit entering a person’s body. Rather, it involves a reverse notion that illnesses are caused by losing a part of the soul of the person. Therefore, to recover from an illness, one must bring back the soul to the body, and in the process of doing so, the indigenous people of Jeju may seek help from god/gods.

In relation to ‘Neokdeulim,’ human health is viewed as the state in which the whole of the soul stays within the person without losing its integral parts; and a healthy person is one whose soul is wholly in congruence with the body. Additionally, in ‘Neokdeulim,’ a person’s soul is not something that resides in an unknown, mystical world that humans do not have access to, but a kind of energy that can return to its original place when it hears a voice calling for it. The voice, in this case, would be the prayers ‘Neokdeulim Grandmothers’ and shamans perform during the ritual of ‘Neokdeulim.’

​

​

·         Perspectives on the Folk Beliefs and Traditions in Relation to ‘Neokdeulim’

​

In a folk tale that tells the origin of Jeju Island, it is said that the island was created by a goddess named Seolmundae Halmang. Folk beliefs in folk talks still affect the daily lives of many indigenous people on Jeju Island, as can be seen in the practice of the ‘Shingugan,’ which is a period in which the gods go up to the sky to rotate their designated duties. The indigenous people of Jeju set a date for moving households to be within that period. As such, the folk beliefs that still permeate the lives of many Jeju locals today are indicative of the unique culture of Jeju Island, whereby the people are conscious and careful in their attempts to appease the gods. ‘Neokdeulim,’ which brings the soul of a shocked person back to the person’s body, can also be seen as a kind of folk treatment rooted in such folk beliefs.