The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-03-15
40 THE natives Of Korea, the
world is populous with active
and malevolent beings who are

WOTlu - BOpuiOuS WIN uSu'V I
and malevolent beings who are |
ready at any moment to fall !
upon them in wrath, according TO u
statement made by DR.. |. NJ. Casano-
wicz, assistant curator Of old world
archaeology of the United States Nh
tiOnal museum, concerning the para
phernalia of n Korean sorceress now
deposited In the museum collections.
Doctor Casanowicz says the Koreans
believe that these beings or spirits
haunt every tree, mountain and wa
tercOurse; are on every roof fireplace
and beam, and infest even their chin
neys, living rooms and kitchens; that
they beset them mt home and waylay
them when abroad. They seem to be
everywhere at all times and make
their lives miserable. To their influe-
ente the Koreans attribute every i'll,
all bad luck. official malevolence, loss
of power or position, and especially
sickness: demons, consisting of self
existent malicious spirits and spirits
of departed impoverished persons who
died in distress, and spirits whose na-
lures are partly kindly, which include
the ghosts of prosperous and good peo-
pie, but even the latter appear to be
easily offended and extraordinarily ca
PRECIOUS.
Two Glasses Of sorcerers.
To coIe with these two forms of
spirits and be assured of little peace
and quiet, the Koreans have two
classes Of sorcerers, or. as they call
| them "shumans;" the Pansu and the
Mutang. Both classes are mediators
between the people and the spirits, but
they bear little relation to each other.
The former are 'fortune-tellers," and
the latter. the "decelving crowd" or
"bad lot" In this connection, Doctor
Casanowlcz said:
"The Office of the Pansu Is restrict
ed to blind men, perhaps owing to the
common belief among primitive peO-
| Piles that those who have been de-
prived OF phys sight have been CIV
en- an inner spiritual vision. The Mu-
tang is always woman, generally
from the lower classes and of bad re-
pute, and her calling IS considered the
very lowest In the social scale. While
the Pansu Is. as 1t were, born or made
by dint of his loss Of eyesight, the Mu-
tang enters upon her Office In conse-
Quence Of supernatural CALL con-
sisting In the assurance OF dewoniaca
possession, the demon being sdpposed
to have become her double and to have
superimposcd his personality upon
hers. The possession Is often accom-
panied by hysteria and pathological
symptoms. The. spirit may seize any
woman, maid or wife. rich or poor,
plebelan or patriclan, and compel her
to serve hlr>, and on receiving the call
Of the spirit woman will break ev-
cry tie Of custom and relationship,
leave home and family to become
henceforth ) social outcast, so that she
is not even allowed to live within the
city walls. But Notwithstanding her
low social status, her services are In
constant demand.
"In travelling through the country,
the Mutang or sorceress is constantly
to be seen going through the various
musical and dancings performances in
the midst of crowd In front of a
house where there Is sickness. And
at the close Of the nineteenth century
the eses annually paid In Korea to the
sorcerers were estimated at $75000O.
Pansu Is Easter Of Spirits.
"The Pansu acts as master Of the
spirits, having gained by his potent
formula and ritual an ascendancy over
them. BY his spells he can direct
them. The Mutang Is supposed to be
able to influence them with her friend
ship with them. She has to pray to
them and coax them to go. BY her per-
formances she puts herself en- rapport
with the spirits and is able to ascer-
tain their will and to name the ran