동아시아 태평양의 두 고래이야기: 捕鯨과 鯨神 －한반도 남해안을 중심으로－

Abstract

The Korean Peninsula lies at the crossroad of two different whale cultures in the East Asian Pacific. The southeastern coast of Korea is aligned with the culture of whaling(捕鯨文化圈), while the southwest is aligned with the culture of deification(鯨神文化圈). The culture of whaling is centered on the maritime ecology of hunting large whales for livelihood, while the culture of deification reveres smaller whales as the guardians of the sea. The whaling culture is formed around the movement route of larger whales in the region, starting from the Bering Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Kamchatka Peninsula to the Oyashio Current on the southeastern coast of the Korean Peninsula. An example of a historic site that belongs to the whaling culture are the Bangudae Petroglyphs of Ulsan. In this perspective, the existence of the Bangudae Petroglyphs indicates that the southeastern coast of the Korean Peninsula can be included in the maritime hunting groups of North Asia. The culture of deification along the southwestern coast of the Korean Peninsula is located within the habitat of South Pacific dolphins. The habitat is related to the movement and stranding of the said dolphins along the Kuroshio Current. Many examples of cultural practices, such as whale shrines and whale graveyards, can be found along the southern coast of Vietnam. The myth of a dolphin saving people from maritime disasters, a common element of the culture of deification in the South Pacific, has also been passed down in Heuksando Island, while a painting of a person riding a dolphin can be found in Wido Island. The culture of deification is centered on the myth of a dolphin saving an entire crew from a shipwreck in a stormy sea. This commonality in the central myth of the culture and the habitat of the dolphins indicates that the culture of deification can be found from the southern coasts of Indochina to the southwestern coast of the Korean Peninsula. The coexistence of the two cultures of whaling and deification at the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula is surmised to be due to the geographical characteristics of the Korean Peninsula. Examples of two maritime cultures located in close proximity are rare and help interpret the unique maritime culture of the Korean Peninsula.