Korean mudang and the broader tradition of East Asian shamanism — encompassing the wu of China, the Japanese miko, and the Siberian shamanic traditions that form the root of the word 'shaman' itself — represent one of the world's oldest and most continuous forms of spiritual practice: the cultivation of a specialist who can move between the ordinary world and the spirit world, carrying communications, healing diseases, and placating the forces that, unattended, produce disorder and suffering. Korean mudang practice, maintained largely by women, has survived the pressures of Confucianism, Buddhism, Christianity, and modernity through its sheer practical efficacy — addressing the sufferings that more respectable religions were not addressing. It is now recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage and is experiencing a remarkable revival.
Each step builds on the last.