Hwacheon Farmers’ Music, Haman

Nongak, or farmers' music, is a general term for the music played by farmers organised into dure work teams, performed on percussion instruments such as the kkwaenggwari (small gong), jing (large gong), janggu (hourglass drum) and buk (barrel drum). Hwacheon Farmers' Music of Haman, a type of South Gyeongsang farmers' music, originated when villagers designated a large tree in front of the village as a guardian tree, held a rite before it every year on the last day of the ninth lunar month and the first day of the tenth lunar month, prayed for the village's peace and a bountiful harvest, and performed farmers' music as part of these observances. The performance proceeds in the following order: gilgut, in which everyone marches in a single file to the beat of the sangswe (lead gong player) before turning into a circle; salpuri-gut, in which three circles are formed and a dance performed to the salpuri rhythm; deotboegi-gut, in which each circle plays against the others to the deotboegi rhythm; yeongsandadeuraegi-gut, in which, with three circles formed, the yeongsandadaeraegi rhythm is struck in turn; jisinbalgi-gut, in which a ritual ground is laid out and rites performed for Seongju (the house guardian god), Jowang (the kitchen god), the jangdok (earthenware-jar terrace) and Cheollyung (the god of the rear garden); jinnori-gut, in which the group splits into two sides, forms battle lines and mock-fights; gosarikkeokki-gut, in which, in circular formation, the busoe and jongsoe (assistant gong players) lead the way around each member in turn while the rest follow and unwind the formation; beonbeokkunori-gut, in which the soe, jing, buk, janggu, beopgo, sogo and japsaek (comic characters) each form their own circle and play; hoho-gut, in which everyone circles lightly together; wonpungdae-nori-gut, in which the performers circle round forming shapes such as the character eul (乙); jajeunjangdan-nori-gut, in which individual skills are displayed; and pungnyeonnongsagiwon-gut, in which a square formation is made to pray for a bountiful harvest. Bae Byeong-ho and Park Cheol are currently recognised as holders of the skills of Hwacheon Farmers' Music of Haman and are working to pass on the tradition.

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Where it is

Region

Haman, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Intangible Heritage · 시도무형유산