Traditionality and Contemporary Change of Folk Songs Designated as Intangible Cultural Heritage in Jeoll-namdo Province－Focusing of Fishery Songs－

There are more numbers of folk songs designate as the local intangible cultural heritage in Jeolla-namdo Province than those are in any other provinces in Korea. Those folk songs, especially working songs, were the ‘song of life’ in the traditional society. However, they are transmitted today as the ‘heritage of the past’ due to the rapid industrialization of the society. They are, in fact, the symbolic heritage of the ‘imagined community’ and are the ‘stage music’ restored as the invented tradition. In this paper, I will explore the traditionality and the change of fishery songs designated as the local intangible cultural heritage in Jeolla-namdo Province.There is a typical process of many folk songs to be designated as the intangible cultural heritage. The fishery songs are transmitted through at least three generations. It means that the songs are connected with the fishery works of the past. When they are restored in the 1970s, they have changed in order to meet the ‘condition’ to be the cultural heritage. They are restored by the ‘imagined memory’ of the elders. In order to secure the traditionality, some lyrics that reflect the ‘old days’ are added. It leads to the making of the ‘invented tradition’. As the importance lies on the artistic ability of the performance, some good singers, who are not from the local site, participate in the performing group. In this way, the songs change from work songs to stage music and are designated as the cultural heritage. In fact, this process is not limited to those in Jeolla-namdo Province but in other provinces as well. The folks songs separated from the traditional context cannot avoid this process.