This week on Jeju: A to Z, Todd Thacker takes a brief look at an excellent educational resource. The Folklore and Natural History Museum here in Jeju City has since 1984 offered the public a unique snapshot of island culture.

The culture, folklore and history of the Tamna Kingdom ? known since the 1400s as Jejudo Island ? is as rich as it is diverse. But it’s important to keep in mind that Jeju’s cultural assets grew organically out of island’s geographical and marine features.

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Ildo 2-dong, Jeju City

And so this is why the Jeju Folklore and Natural History Museum here in Jeju City, is such an important resource. It serves to provide the public with a clearer understanding of the differences in the cultural development here versus the mainland.

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museum.jeju.go.kr

Opened in 1984, it is one of the island’s older museums, and among its functions is collecting, researching, and exhibiting Jeju historical materials.

When visitors walk through its exhibition halls, they are exposed to information and dioramas depicting the island’s marine life, soil and rocks, and flora and fauna.

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Todd Thacker

When it comes to Jeju folklore, two large halls hold thousands of items which show changes in the ancient island lifestyles of the Jeju people. These include housing, clothing and food, displays of shamanism and sacrificial ceremonies related to the haenyeo ? Jeju diving women and its fishermen.

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Open daily 8:30 AM to 6 PM

Although the museum will be closed over the Chuseok holiday at the end of September, the rest of this month it is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. As it is a provincial museum, tickets are very reasonable and the museum itself is worth multiple visits.

Todd Thacker KCTV