Korean Shamanism

Korean shamanism or Muism (musok in Korean) is classified as a folk religion. There is no central authority in control and much diversity exists among practitioners. The musok religion is polytheistic and beleives that deities and ancestral spirits can interact with living humans, potentially causing them problems. Central to the religion are shaman-like ritual specialists called mudang or mu, most of whom are female. The mudang help paying clients to determine the cause of misfortune by using divination. Mudang also perform longer rituals called kut in which the gods and ancestral spirits are given offerings of food and drink and are entertained with song and dance. Kut can either take place in a private home or in a shrine called a kuttang. There are various catagories of mudang whose technique is based on regional traditions. The largest group is the mansin or kangsin-mu, dominant in northern regions, whose rituals involve a mudang being personally possessed by deities or ancestral spirits. Another type is the sesŭp-mu of eastern and southern regions who perform their rituals as spirit mediums but do not become possessed. Mudang have historically been marginalized and suppressed by a succession of Korean govermental authorities. Mudang have conventionally belonged to the lowest social class. Mudang have been regarded in a more favorable light since the late 1970s as practitioners became associated with the minjung pro-democracy movement and also began to be appreciated for their contribution to Korean cultural identity. Disapproval of mudang, however (who are often regarded as quacks and charlatans), remains widespread in South Korea, especially among Christians. Prior to Christianity's arrival in the 17th and 18th centuries, many Koreans practiced Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, and native folk religions like musok simultaneously. There is special affinity between musok practice and Buddhism. Mudang will often identify as Buddhists and worship Buddhist deities, while some Korean Buddhist temples venerate deities traditionally associated with musok. Musok is polytheistic. Supernatural beings are called kwisin (ghost) or sin (god or deity). The mudang divide these beings into two main groups; gods and ancestral spirits, but may use the term sin to describe both groups. Supernatural beings are notoriously mercurial. If humans do well by them, they can receive good fortune, but if they offend these entities they can suffer. Devotees of Muism believe that a mudang can, for a price, engage, converse, and potentially strike a bargain with these malevolent or benevolent spirits and dieties.