The Shamanism in Korea Its Historical View and the Mudang's Process to Become a Shaman

The purpose of this study is to examine the character of shamanism in Korea. The study considers shamanism in Korea from early history to the present. Especially on Mudangs, the current shamans in Korea, I report the individual case, based on my own research. My findings include the following:

1. When we read the ancient Chinese historical materials about the ancient Korean societies, we can find many examples of shamanism there.

2. Shamanism was important in Korean society in the past and continues to be important in this society now.

3. The introduction of Confucianism in Korea in the 15 the century had the strong impact in shamanism. Shamanism was forced underground. Practice was delegitimized, but continued as a fundamental religious culture.

4. Women had an important role in shamanism in Korea and the status of women was not low before the introduction of Confucianism. But after Confucianism established the ancestor worship and built a patriarchal society, the status in general became lower.