Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
The Last of the Sea Women – Apple TV+
4 being best.
“The Last of the Sea Women” is an incredible documentary detailing the lives of the stellar senior sea women of South Korea that live on Jeju Island and are known as Haenyeos, which free dive in the ocean harvesting marine life as their primary source of food and income. They say it’s a calling to be a haenyeo, serving as guardians of the sea and sharing a very symbiotic relationship with the ocean fulfilling their duty to protect it for hundreds of years. Jeju is known as the home of the haenyeos and the island is famous for three things: rocks, wind and women.
The 1960s was the heyday for the haenyeos with the number of haenyeos peaking at 30,000 when the population of Jeju was 200,000, but the number has steadily declined and now there are about 4,000 haenyeos left mostly in their 60s, 70s and 80s. They serve their duty with all their hearts and the traditions are passed down from their mothers and grandmothers. Even when it’s cold or they don’t feel like diving, they still dive as it’s in their bones.
Being a haenyeos is a very dangerous job and haenyeos are not covered by health insurance because the job is considered too dangerous. The currently older generation of haenyeos doesn’t think that the younger generation has the tenacity to live like they do and no one seems to want to become haenyeos anymore, which may cause the haenyeos way of life to become extinct. The sea itself has also changed and the haenyeos are disappearing, seeming like the haenyeos culture is melting away.
They sing traditional songs boating out to sea and spend hours free diving filling large floating baskets. The singing actually began when they had to row boats out to sea. Culturally, when they were young people used to look down on haenyeos, especially those married to influential people in the village. That was a long time ago and now even UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recognizes the haenyeos giving them the courage to stand tall against those that would judge them.
During the Joseon Dynasty being a haenyeo was a tough job and primarily done by men. After they found out it was hard, men just quit doing the job because they could handle it and women had no choice but to do this job to provide income for the family. Young women start training to be haenyeos at ages 7-10 years old, learning how to swim, dive and the necessary breathing techniques to free dive. They are also taught where to find and how to harvest the food, and then once they reach 15-17 years old they would officially become a haenyeo.
In August 2024, Japan began releasing radioactive wastewater into the ocean causing a future where haenyeos would lose their homes and livelihoods. In Geneva Switzerland, the UN Human Rights Council met to work on the Fukushima issue. Haenyeos were invited to the meeting to speak about the impacts of Japan’s decision. Soon Deok Jang was 72 years old and learned to be a haenyeos when she was 16. She represented the haenyeos and back on Jeju Island the elders teased she was a national hero, now known everywhere for working to save their island.
The Jeju Haenyeo Festival is for when they leave this world so future generations can remember them by the festival and learn the history of the haenyeos culture and to not be forgotten. This documentary is inspiring insightful look at senior women taking on global issues to guard the seas and inspire younger generations to continue the haenyeo traditions and preserve their culture.
Runtime: 1h 27m
