essay

Ancestor worship and kinship structure in Korea

religion and ritual in korean society • Berkeley, Calif. • Published In 1987 • Pages: 56-70

By: Yi, Kwang-gyu.

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between ancestor worship and kin groups in Korea. According to Lee, ancestor worship provides an organizational focus for agnates, demarcates kin groupings, and provides the rationale for family inheritance and succession. The ritual heir is the direct and legitimate descendent of the ancestor, which after the seventeenth century was typically the first son (CHONGJA). The ancestor-worshipping group (TANGNAE) included all the descendants of one's great-great grandfather. The traditional TANGNAE often formed a single household or close residential community, marked by close cooperation, common mourning obligations, periodic ancestor worship, and use of specific kin terms. After the fourth generation, the ancestor tablets are interred in the grave, where the ancestors are worshipped by the heir of the larger kin group (MUNJUNG). Ancestors who received a meritorious distinction (PULCH'ONJIWI) from the court continued to be worshipped in the home in perpetuity. Lee describes in detail a death anniversary (KIJE)

HRAF PubDate

1998

Region

Asia

Sub Region

East Asia

Document Type

essay

Evaluation

Creator Types

Ethnologist

Indigenous Person

Document Rating

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Ian Skoggard ; 1997

Field Date

not specified

Coverage Date

1392-1975

Coverage Place

Republic of Korea

Notes

Kwang-Kyu Lee

Includes bibliographical references (p. 70)

LCCN

86082390

LCSH

Koreans