earticle

영어

This study interprets the meaning of traditional childbirth of Jeju in the context of its traditional cultural value. The data in the study contain traditional customs childbirth in Jeju through interviews with elder women. Interviewees in the study are 134 elder women over 60 who were born, and had the experiences of parturition and nurturing. Semi-standardized individual interviews were made to these women asking their experiences of childbirth. These interview materials were, first demographically quantified, and analyzed in the seven areas of views of child-care, prenatal caring, methods of parturition, incantatory prescription of parturition, management of a woman in childbed, management of new-born baby, and childbirth anniversary ceremony. The study reveals the following characteristics of traditional cultural childbirth in Jeju: First, traditional customs of childbirth in Jeju are labor-oriented self-reliance culture. Second, traditional customs of childbirth in Jeju are community-oriented culture with the participation of the whole family and local people. Third, traditional customs of childbirth in Jeju are psycho-therapeutic culture utilizing Simbang and incantation.